07.07.25

Scott Demands Briefing on DOL Alarming Deregulatory Agenda

“There is a need for an examination of how your stated commitment to protecting children and workers squares with what appears to be a plan to reduce those very protections.”

WASHINGTON – Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Committee on Education and Workforce,sent a letter to Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer requesting a staff briefing on the Department of Labor’s (DOL) plans following revelations that the agency is moving forward with a sweeping deregulatory agenda.

Amid the Department of Labor’s “aggressive deregulatory efforts,” Ranking Member Scott is concerned about proposals that appear to undermine core worker protections.  According to the public database maintained by the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), the Department has recently submitted over a dozen draft rulemakings for review.  These proposals appear to target core worker protections, including changes to child labor rules and the potential elimination of federal minimum wage and overtime protections for home care workers.

In the letter, Ranking Member Scott notes that many of these proposals “appear to be a plan to reduce those very protections” that the Department has claimed to support.

“The recent revelation of the draft rulemaking on OIRA’s database has spurred our continued, and urgent, request that you detail how you ‘will work absolutely to combat all child labor,’” wrote Ranking Member Scott.  “There is a need for an examination of how your stated commitment to protecting children and workers squares with what appears to be a plan to reduce those very protections.”

Ranking Member Scott requested a staff briefing within one week of the letter’s date to clarify how the Department’s regulatory actions align with its stated priorities, particularly in light of Secretary Chavez-DeRemer’s testimony before the Committee on June 5, 2025.

To read the full letter, click here

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