Under Trump, a Hong Kong-style fire is waiting to happen

On Nov in a quiet northern suburb of Hong Kong an aggressive fire broke out in the middle of the day The blaze was uncommon in its intensity and duration consuming seven of eight high rise towers in a residential complex Despite the quick response of well-equipped fire trucks the blaze spread expeditiously and burned for more than hours Although the death toll is still not final at least people suffered the the majority horrific fates imaginable with dozens so charred they may never be identified The ferocity of the fire has been blamed on a private contractor s use of highly-flammable materials including polystyrene foam boards placed over windows and substandard scaffolding netting that failed to meet fire-retardant codes The buildings were undergoing renovations when the fire hit and numerous fire alarms also failed to warn A tragedy like this gives pause in part because it should have been prevented Fire analysts say that more rigorous inspections including thorough sample testing of materials used on higher floors and not just of easily accessible ground level floors would have identified the use of non-code-compliant cheaper materials before the blaze started Alex Chan Tsz Yuk SOPA Images LightRocket via Getty Images Exterior view of the Wang Fuk Court residential estate after one of Hong Kong s deadliest residential fires broke out and killed at least people on Nov Although the Chinese cabinet will never admit any fault for the inadequate inspections and has instead jailed people for asking it s already clear that standard building inspections would have prevented the loss of life Lapsed and loose inspections and achievable corruption meant functionaries did not detect that flammable materials were used where they should not have been or that fire safety systems were not functioning despite residents alerting personnel of these problems at least a year prior to the fire It s also the kind of tragedy lying in wait in the U S ready to strike after Donald Trump s all-out war on safety standards and regulations meant to protect the residents Since his re-election Trump has rewarded his corporate donors by dismantling costly regulations they dislike Agencies like the Occupational Safety Wellbeing Administration OSHA which is heavily involved in fire hazard inspections now lack the staff needed for effective oversight Time-honored regulations and safety standards that quietly protected life have been gutted setting us up for a Hong Kong-style tragedy of our own Federal cabinet regulations designed to protect healthcare and lives include in the broadest sense workplace transportation and food and drug safety as well as environmental protections Under Trump each of these categories of protection have been gutted outright or are now so attenuated due to funding cuts they barely function Related Front row seats to a coup Trump and Musk gut NOAA and EPA raising alarm among scientists Each federal agency with regulatory authority including OSHA the Food and Drug Administration the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation among others has been significantly weakened with reduced investigations into wrongdoing and corruption and fewer cases for failing to comply with safety and environmental standards Trump has also imposed across the board budget cuts for regulatory enforcement including inspector staffing across a wide spectrum of industries None of these changes will continue in a vacuum other than ignoring state change which is already wreaking havoc we won t know what other unenforced regulation will lead to tragedy until it strikes Under Trump s profits-first-people-last strategy the EPA has launched the largest deregulatory action in U S history Trump dismantled EPA regulations protecting air water and soil relaxed emissions standards for power plants increased toxic bus emissions weakened water protections limited scientific research and rolled back greenhouse gas reporting and soot standards all to boost industry profits at the expense of citizens who live and work in those communities Want more sharp takes on politics Sign up for our free newsletter Standing Room Only written by Amanda Marcotte now also a weekly show on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts Trump also shuttered OSHA offices in states reporting unusually high workplace fatalities bulk of them Republican-controlled Louisiana for example ranks as the sixth majority dangerous state for workers It s also home to more than chemical plants and refineries dotting an -mile stretch of the Mississippi River dubbed Cancer Alley because of the high rates of cancer and birth defects linked to petrochemicals Former OSHA Director David Michaels noted that with these closures enormous oil and petrochemical facilities with critical safety and fitness hazards will be inspected even less frequently than they are now According to Department of Administration Efficiency DOGE the authorities will save a paltry from the closures We need your help to stay independent Subscribe currently to patronage Salon s commentary If a Hong Kong-type tragedy were to strike it s easy to imagine the administration and MAGA media s response Trump would likely first block information about it White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt would call it fake news and Fox News would solely refuse to analysis it Then after the tragedy dominates mainstream media headlines the whole administration would pivot to blaming Biden But the danger is real and it is not about politics For generations Americans have lived with barely-there inspections These have helped contribute to Cancer Alleys occupational ailment dangerous products and collapsing infrastructure But now Trump has expelled almost all regulatory watchdogs in facility to his corporate donors Because less regulation means higher profits corporate America is rewarding Trump handsomely in what amounts to a brazen and residents quid pro quo In a functioning democracy this would amount to criminal recklessness In a rule of law republic the resulting tragedies when they strike would lead to charges of foreseeable homicide Read more about this topic Elon Musk s beloved DOGE has closed But its legacy is deadly Trump s cruel policies have a human cost Why having fewer OSHA inspectors matters The post Under Trump a Hong Kong-style fire is waiting to happen appeared first on Salon com