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marie gluesenkamp perez
‘Profits Over Safety’: Chemical Disasters Under Trump Pile Up as More Safety Cuts Loom
"Instead of protecting workers and families from death, injury, and illness, Trump’s EPA is putting communities at greater risk of harm," said the Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters.
Jun 01, 2026
Two recent high-profile chemical plant disasters are putting a spotlight on the Trump administration's aggressive deregulation of the industry, with even more cuts to chemical safety regulations expected in the coming months.
The disasters—one at a paper mill in Washington state that killed 11 people and the other in an aerospace plastics facility in California that forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes—came after months of warnings from experts and labor unions about the impact of the administration's deregulatory agenda.
In late March, for instance, members of United Steelworkers (USW) rallied in Washington, DC to protest against a US Environmental Protection Agency plan to scrap regulations enacted under former President Joe Biden, which included "new safeguards such as identifying safer technologies and chemical alternatives, requiring implementation of safeguard measures in certain cases, more thorough incident investigations, and third-party auditing."
USW Local 13-228 process safety specialist Phil Stagg at the time warned that scrapping the rule would put "profits over safety" by prioritizing cost cutting over worker safety.
Following last week's twin disasters, the Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters also pointed to plans to weaken Biden-era safety regulations as a grave mistake that will put American workers at greater risk.
"The fatal and shocking incidents communities have faced in recent days demonstrate the urgent need to implement and build on existing regulatory safeguards so communities near chemical facilities are protected from chemical disasters," the group said. "But, instead of protecting workers and families from death, injury, and illness, Trump’s EPA is putting communities at greater risk of harm by weakening the nation’s primary defense against chemical facility incidents."
The administration has also been targeting the Chemical Safety Board (CSB), an independent federal watchdog charged with investigating the root causes of industrial chemical accidents.
As The New York Times reported last month, Trump's proposed budget all but eliminates the CSB by cutting its funding down to $0 while arguing that the watchdog merely duplicates work already done by the EPA.
Rep. Marie Glusenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) said in a Sunday social media post that the CSB did essential work in preventing future accidents, and she vowed to fight the administration's plans to zero out its budget.
"I’ll be making it my priority ensuring [CSB] has the resources they need for a through, unbiased investigation," Perez said. "They also have three vacancies currently on that board of directors, and my hope is that we're able to work with the administration to ensure that people with real trades experience are appointed to that board."
The horrifying loss of life in Longview last week demands a thorough impartial investigation conducted by the independent watchdog Chemical Safety Board.
Unfortunately the presidents proposed budget has zeroed out the CSB budget.
Next week, I’ll be making it my priority to… pic.twitter.com/3SqbDSASWJ
— Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (@RepMGP) May 31, 2026
Jordan Barab, a former deputy assistant secretary at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), explained in an interview published by Mountain State Spotlight last week that CSB produces invaluable work about chemical disasters' root causes, whereas the EPA's work focuses on whether disasters were caused by violating federal regulations.
In particular, Barab noted that CSB can "look at other problems, other causes that aren’t necessarily covered by regulations or standards," and added that "a lot of the ways the industry has modernized to improve safety are based on recommendations that came out of the CSB."
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US Election Sabotage Fears Grow After Ballot Boxes Set Aflame
"Make no mistake, an attack on a ballot box is an attack on our democracy and completely unacceptable," said Oregon's secretary of state.
Oct 28, 2024
Law enforcement officials in the Pacific Northwest are investigating a pair of Monday morning fires at ballot drop boxes that have heightened concerns about illegal efforts to interfere with the November 5 elections.
One fire occurred around 3:30 am Pacific time on Southeast Morrison Street in Portland, Oregon. The Portland Police Bureau explained that "by the time officers arrived, the fire had already been extinguished by security personnel who work in the area. Officers determined an incendiary device was placed inside the ballot box and used to ignite the fire."
Multnomah County noted in a separate statement that "fire suppressant inside the ballot box protected virtually all the ballots," and the three voters whose ballots were damaged will be contacted by officials so they can receive replacements.
"Make no mistake, an attack on a ballot box is an attack on our democracy and completely unacceptable," declared Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade. "Whatever the motivation behind this incident, there is no justification for any attempt to disenfranchise voters."
Griffin-Valade, a Democrat, commended the Multnomah County Elections Division, thanked first responders, and stressed that the few impacted voters are being contacted, which "shows that our systems are safe and secure."
However, the other fire at Fisher's Landing Transit Center in Vancouver, Washington damaged up to hundreds of ballots. Clark County election officials are urging anyone who dropped off a ballot there after 11:00 am Pacific time on Saturday to contact them.
This year, at the national level, voters are set to choose the next president—Republican former President Donald Trump or Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris—and which party controls each chamber of Congress. There is a tight congressional contest in Washington's 3rd Congressional District, which includes Vancouver.
Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition, is seeking a second term as the district's representative. Her Republican challenger is the same as the last cycle: Joe Kent.
In response to the apparent arson, Cook Political Report's Dave Wasserman pointed out on social media that "in 2022, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D) only beat Joe Kent (R) here by 2,629 votes. The rematch is a toss-up."
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, a Democrat, stressed Monday that "we take the safety of our election workers seriously and will not tolerate threats or acts of violence that seek to undermine the democratic process."
"I strongly denounce any acts of terror that aim to disrupt lawful and fair elections in Washington state," he added. "Despite this incident, I have complete confidence in our county elections officials' ability to keep Washington's elections safe and secure for all voters."
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a statement that it "is coordinating with federal, state, and local partners to actively investigate the two incidents" and "anyone with information is asked to contact the nearest FBI office, provide information through tips.fbi.gov, or call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324)."
As CNN reported Monday:
Last week, a mailbox outside a Phoenix post office was set on fire, damaging an unknown number of ballots. A 35-year-old man was charged with arson in connection with the incident. The Phoenix Police Department said he told them it was not politically motivated.
The fires come after the FBI and Department of Homeland Security recently issued a bulletin raising concerns [about] "election-related grievances," such as a belief in voter fraud, could motivate domestic extremists to engage in violence in the weeks before and after the November election.
In the intelligence bulletin obtained by CNN, the agencies said some domestic violent extremists likely see publicly accessible locations, including ballot drop boxes, as "attractive targets."
Throughout this cycle, Democrats and other Trump critics have expressed concern that the Republican nominee will refuse to accept defeat if Harris wins, emphasizing that after his 2020 loss to President Joe Biden, he launched a series of unsuccessful legal challenges and incited the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Trump's campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday night further stoked such fears. Kathleen Belew, a Northwestern University associate professor of history who studies the U.S. white supremacist movement, asserted that at the event, "fascism is on full display, openly: no dog whistles, no plausible deniability."
The blazes at the ballot boxes sparked similar concerns. Semafor editor-in-chief Ben Smith said that "this is... spoiler alert... the Succession finale, itself drawn from nightmare election scenarios drawn up by wonks."
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Golden Blasted for 'Tantrum' Attacking Student Borrowers After Taking Sallie Mae Donation
"This should be read as a declaration from Jared Golden," said one critic, "that he has no interest in representing the Democratic party in any future statewide race."
Aug 19, 2023
The United States' first debtors' union and a former staffer of U.S. Rep. Jared Golden were among those who rebuked the corporate Democrat on Friday after he said in a statement that he opposes student debt relief because it would benefit "privileged" Americans—and refused to answer questions about donations he's taken from student loan company Sallie Mae.
When asked by the Maine Beacon whether his vote to block student debt relief this past spring was related to a $5,000 donation from Sallie Mae to Golden's conservative Blue Dog Coalition, the congressman dismissed the suggestion by saying "radical leftist elites" were trying to "silence and destroy" him and other student debt cancellation opponents.
"I stand by my vote and my opposition to forking out $10,000 to people who freely chose to attend college," Golden (D-Maine) said. "They were privileged to have the opportunity, and many left college well-situated to make six-figure salaries for life."
He added that people who "want free money for college" should join the military or "join a union and enter an apprenticeship" to gain "a career and hard skills without college debt."
The Beacon approached Golden a week after public disclosures showed that the Blue Dog Political Action Committee, which benefits the coalition Golden co-chairs, accepted donations from Sallie Mae—officially known as the Student Loan Marketing Association—and the Career Education Colleges and Universities PAC less than a month after he voted to block President Joe Biden's plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student debt for many borrowers.
Golden's co-chair, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), was the only other Democrat to vote in favor of blocking the plan.
Sallie Mae's contribution to the PAC was the maximum possible contribution for the company.
After Golden's defensive comments to the Beacon on Friday, the Debt Collective, which represents some of the 45 million Americans who owe a collective $1.8 trillion in student loan debt, asked on social media whether Sallie Mae wrote the lawmaker's statement.
"Jared Golden is an elitist taking handouts from Sallie Mae to kill student debt cancellation for the working class," said the group.
James Myall, a policy analyst for the Maine Center for Economic Policy, pointed out that Golden's claim about "six-figure salaries" is hardly relatable for the people he represents in Congress, as the average student debt for graduates of University of Maine is $35,000, while the median income for those graduates who stay in Maine is just $70,000 10 years after finishing school.
Communications professional Morgan Urquhart said that as a former employee of Golden's in Maine's 2nd Congressional District, his comments about student loan borrowers—including 92,000 of his constituents who would have been eligible for Biden's cancellation proposal—were "truly embarrassing."
"As your former employee, I have to say this divisive language and clear derision for people like me, first-generation college graduates from working class Maine families, goes way beyond disappointing," said Urquhart, replying to Golden on Twitter. "Shame on you."
The grassroots movement People for Bernie Sanders rebuked Golden for using the nation's labor unions to make his case against student debt relief, considering unions including the AFL-CIO, United Auto Workers, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have all thrown their weight behind the push for debt cancellation.
Progressive campaigner Robert Cruickshank said "someone should let [Golden] know" that student debt relief is broadly popular across the political spectrum, despite the lawmaker's claim that advocates are so-called "radical leftist elites."
Polling last year showed that 63% of Americans supported student debt cancellation, including 59% of Independents, 83% of Democrats, and 41% of Republicans.
Dan Aibel, the operator of the long-running Twitter account Collins Watch, which reports on Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Maine politics, said Golden's remarks amounted to an "unfortunate attempt to pit working class Mainers against each other rather than advocating for their interests and working to build solidarity among them."
"This should be read as a declaration from Jared Golden," said Aibel, "that he has no interest in representing the Democratic party in any future statewide race."
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