The Blubber

Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs has reintroduced a bill aimed at dismantling the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), arguing that workplace safety should be managed by states and private employers rather than the federal government. Biggs has labeled OSHA part of the “bloated federal government,” calling for its abolition as a step toward reducing federal overreach.

OSHA, a division of the Department of Labor, was established by the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act, signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 29, 1970. The agency’s mission is to ensure safe and healthy working conditions for American workers by setting and enforcing safety standards, providing training, and protecting employees from unlawful retaliation. Recent OSHA data reports that in 2023 alone, there were 5,283 workplace fatalities and over 1.5 million injuries and illnesses. OSHA also collaborates with state-run programs to improve workplace safety across the country.

Biggs, who has represented Arizona’s Fifth District since 2016, currently serves on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee and the House Judiciary Committee, where he chairs the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance. He initially introduced the Nullify the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (NOSHA) Act in 2021, aiming to dismantle the agency. His rationale was that OSHA had overstepped its authority by enforcing President Joe Biden’s private-sector vaccine mandate.

“OSHA’s existence is another example of the federal government creating agencies to address issues that should be handled by states and private businesses,” Biggs said when first proposing the NOSHA Act. “States like Arizona have the constitutional right to implement their own health and safety measures. We are more than capable of managing these responsibilities without federal interference. It’s time to eliminate agencies that never should have been created.”

The reintroduction of the NOSHA Act aligns with President Donald Trump’s push to reduce the power of federal agencies. Trump appointed Elon Musk to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is tasked with cutting waste and shrinking the federal workforce. DOGE officials have been evaluating the operations and systems of various government agencies as part of what Musk called a “wholesale spring cleaning of regulation.”

Biggs’ NOSHA Act comes as DOGE intensifies its efforts, which began shortly after President Trump’s second inauguration.