Arizona Congressman Ruben Gallego has publicly rebuked the federal administration for its perceived inadequate response to extreme heat conditions in Arizona, charging the group with being heavy on rhetoric but light on tangible actions, his discontent follows a visit by Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to Phoenix aimed to tackle the issue of rising temperatures, according to a statement released by Gallego's office.
Representative Gallego criticized the current administration's approach to a problem that increasingly plagues Arizona, suggesting a disparity in urgency and response compared to other natural disasters "When hurricanes or tornadoes hit, federal officials offer resources, but with heat they just offer advice," he expressed his disapproval in a statement as detailed on their website, and he stressed his ongoing efforts to secure federal backing for extreme heat issues, highlighting his legislative initiatives aiming to bring funding and resources to the state for urban heat mitigation and to combat heat-related emergencies.
Gallego has been proactive in addressing the intensifying heat challenges, having introduced the Extreme Heat Emergency Act which seeks to include extreme heat as a major disaster event recognized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), despite FEMA leadership's Congressional testimony that the Stafford Act does not require revising for extreme heat to be deemed an emergency, the agency has still never declared extreme heat as such an event, a fact the representative finds concerning given the rising death tolls each summer from heat-related incidents. He also advocated for the Excess Urban Heat Mitigation Act, which aims to fund strategies like tree planting and cool roofing, and pushed for reforms to allow more Arizonan households to access the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding.
Moreover, Rep. Gallego co-sponsored the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act, a piece of legislation intended to compel the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to develop a permanent standard for worker protection against excessive heat exposure, and he has been vocal in demanding that the White House intensify its efforts to protect workers and communities from the perils of extreme heat and while this stance has been met with some measures, Gallego insists that the current administration must do more to uphold its responsibility, as echoed in his "Combating Extreme Heat" report.
