The Donald Trump administration on Tuesday declared a power emergency as a heat wave that could affect millions of people looms over the U.S., but economist Robert Reich points to blue-collar workers bearing the worst of the effects.

Power Emergency

On Monday, the PJM Interconnection LLC, one of the country's largest grids serving over 60 million residents across states like Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio and more, asked the Department of Energy (DOE) for permission to ramp up its grid across the PJM region.

The DOE issued two orders running through July 3rd at 11:59 PM Eastern Time, authorizing "the provision of additional energy units… to maintain the reliability of the power grid" in the region, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in the order.

The order comes as triple-digit temperatures are expected across several states as a "heat dome" locks warm air in place, including in New York City and Detroit, among others.

Robert Reich Decries Relaxed OSHA

Economist Robert Reich slammed the Trump administration as the U.S. gears up for the heatwave. "More than 200 million Americans are under heat advisories this week," he said in a post on the social media platform X on Tuesday.

The economist added that the affected people also included "workers toiling under the hot sun, in overheated warehouses, and in delivery trucks with no AC," Reich said.

"They used to count on OSHA to keep them safe — but Trump has sold out the agency to corporate interests," he concluded his post.

Reich also shared a video from December 2025 that outlined how Trump's policies were undermining and taking away power from agencies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Trump introduced a series of changes at the agency, including regulatory freezes, softer enforcement, and more. OSHA's workforce has also seen fewer personnel as staffing woes plague the agency.

Trump's Fossil Fuel Push

The heatwave comes as the administration has faced criticism from lawmakers, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who accused Trump of downplaying the climate crisis in favor of fossil fuels.

The administration is also facing lawsuits from multiple states, including Gov. Gavin Newsom-led (D-CA) California, over the administration's decision to rescind offshore wind leases for energy companies in favor of fossil fuels.

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) also accused Trump of deliberately trying to slow down the EV push in California, saying that the administration was "hellbent" on EVs.

Lower Gas Prices

Trump had earlier warned oil companies to reduce gas prices at the pump after global oil costs slipped following the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.

However, GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan has said that the heatwave, among other reasons, has put additional pressure on refineries to function, which has led to gas prices not coming down as quickly as people would have liked.