Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich is calling out the Trump administration over a sweeping deregulatory push at the Department of Labor. Reich says the move strips essential worker protections, even as President Donald Trump continues to brand himself as a champion of the American worker.
More Than 60 Rules On The Chopping Block
Reich took to X on July 8 to criticize what he called a direct attack on labor rights. "Trump’s Labor Department is gutting more than 60 regulations," he wrote, listing key protections including “minimum wage & overtime pay for in-home care workers,” “organizing rights for migrant farmworkers,” and “penalties for companies that don't maintain a safe workplace.”
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He ended the post with a sarcastic jab: "The ‘pro-worker' president strikes again."
The deregulation effort is being led by Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who described the changes as a historic rollback of burdensome rules. "The Department of Labor is proud to lead the way by eliminating unnecessary regulations that stifle growth and limit opportunity,” she said in a statement on July 1. "These historic actions will free Main Street, fuel economic growth and job creation, and give American workers the flexibility they need to build a better future."
The department is proposing 63 deregulatory actions, including cutting back on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, removing certain safety rules in mining, and scrapping affirmative outreach requirements for programs that support workers with employment barriers.
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Deputy Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling called the move "unprecedented," adding that, "While the previous administration prioritized expanding the size of government over job and wage growth, President Trump is focused on unleashing the greatest economic comeback in American history."
Critics say many of the rules being scrapped were put in place to protect the country's most vulnerable workers. The cuts build on 37 similar actions from Trump's first term and follow a new executive order that requires eliminating 10 regulations for every new one issued.
Reich, who served under President Bill Clinton, has long warned that Trump's pro-worker image doesn't match his policies. The latest move, he argues, is more proof.
On the same day, Reich also pointed to the broader consequences of Trump's federal workforce policies: "Trump's firings at federal agencies have upended the lives of thousands of workers," he wrote. "These are the people who oversee air safety, food and drug safety, disaster response, public health, and much more."
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