WASHINGTON — With temperatures continuing to reach record highs across the country, President Joe Biden announced Thursday new steps to provide relief for Americans.
Speaking from the White House, Biden outlined his plan with 40% of the U.S. population facing heat advisories and high temperatures expected to spread in the coming days.
“Even those who deny that we’re in the midst of a climate crisis can’t deny the impact extreme heat is having on Americans,” Biden said.
Biden directed the Department of Labor to increase inspections of farms and construction sites, which could be seen as dangerous for workers in extreme weather conditions.
“The No. 1 weather-related killer is heat,” Biden said. “Six hundred people die annually from it; it affects more than from floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes in America combined.”
The department will issue hazard alerts, which will notify workers of how they can stay cool and protected from extreme heat.
“We should be protecting workers from hazardous conditions – and we will. And those states where they do not, I’m going to be calling them out,” Biden said.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg both participated in the event virtually.
San Antonio has had two consecutive weeks of 100-plus-degree temperatures and Phoenix had temperatures over 110 degrees for 27 straight days.
“Even those places that are used to extreme heat have never seen as hot as it is now for as long as it’s been,” Biden said. “Experts say extreme heat is already costing America $100 billion a year and hits our most vulnerable the hardest: seniors, people experiencing homelessness who have nowhere to turn, disadvantaged communities.”
