President Joe Biden toured an emergency operations center in Southwest D.C. Tuesday and met with Mayor Muriel Bowser and emergency management officials to raise awareness about heat emergencies.
Biden reminded that extreme heat is the No. 1 weather-related killer.
“Summer has just started,” he said. “Already, already tens of millions of Americans are under heat warnings from record-shattering temperatures. Last month here in D.C. temperatures his 100 degrees.”
Biden used the meeting with Bowser to announce new actions his administration is taking to fight extreme weather and heat-related injuries and death, including a proposal for the first ever federal standards for excessive heat in the workplace, which would require, among other things, work breaks and access to shade and water.
“Ignoring climate change is deadly and dangerous and irresponsible,” Biden said.
