The West Wing
S2E6
· The Lame Duck Congress

Leo Brushes Off Donna's OSHA Ergonomics Crusade

As Leo strides through the White House lobby post-Ukrainian crisis chat, Donna intercepts him with suit compliments to soften her pitch for OSHA regulations addressing repetitive stress injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome. Leo instantly rebuffs her, slamming the $6 billion cost and snarking 'Type slower!' Donna departs dejected. This micro-clash excavates Leo's pragmatic gatekeeping amid treaty chaos, revealing Donna's quixotic staff-level advocacy and the narrative theme of bandwidth overload where mundane worker protections drown in geopolitical urgency—a setup for her later protest.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

1

Donna approaches Leo with a request regarding OSHA regulations, showcasing her persistence and Leo's dismissive prioritization of larger issues.

hope to frustration

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

7
Donna Moss
primary

Hopeful determination curdling into dejection

Donna hustles to catch Leo's stride, opens with calculated suit compliments to soften him, launches into earnest OSHA pitch on repetitive stress injuries and carpal tunnel, persists briefly against interruption, then retreats dejectedly after his curt rebuke.

Goals in this moment
  • • Secure Leo's buy-in for OSHA's ergonomic regulations
  • • Leverage flattery to pierce his gatekeeping
Active beliefs
  • • Worker protections merit high-level intervention
  • • Personal charm can sway hardened power brokers
Character traits
tenacious strategic advocacy-driven resilient
Follow Donna Moss's journey
C.J. Cregg
primary

indignant

briefing Leo in the Communications Office on State Department vocabulary change and refusing Danny Concannon press access, then answering phone

Goals in this moment
  • • pitch approval for State Department's 'rogue nations' to 'states of concern' terminology change
  • • deny Danny Concannon access due to recent critical editorials
Character traits
resilient strategic poised terse dutiful
Follow C.J. Cregg's journey
Charlie Young
primary

confused

walking through the White House lobby and questioning Leo about the Ukrainian government member's visit

Goals in this moment
  • • seek clarification on White House protocol for handling a crazy Ukrainian official's unannounced visit
Character traits
playful dutiful composed empathetic
Follow Charlie Young's journey
Danny Concannon
primary

referenced as seeking access for a three-part feature, denied by C.J. due to recent critical editorials

Goals in this moment
  • • gain access for Washington Post feature
Character traits
persistent probing confrontational principled
Follow Danny Concannon's journey
Vasily Konanov
primary

significantly referenced as the crazy Ukrainian government member who showed up unannounced

Character traits
enigmatic diplomatically constrained politically sensitive
Follow Vasily Konanov's journey
Konanov's Companion
primary

referenced as 'the girl' accompanying the Ukrainian, noted for looks and jokingly for threat

Character traits
enigmatic lethal poised alluring
Follow Konanov's Companion's journey
Josiah Bartlet
primary

referenced as not meeting the Ukrainian and needing to be consulted by end of day about Danny Concannon

Character traits
protective resolute self-aware principled
Follow Josiah Bartlet's journey

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Roosevelt Room (Mural Room — West Wing meeting room)

Leo walks past the Roosevelt Room en route to his next briefing, its doorway framing the hallway ambush as a fleeting backdrop that underscores his unyielding pace—policy war rooms loom while mundane pleas erupt in transit, heightening the scene's rhythm of perpetual motion.

Atmosphere Shadowed and proximate to tension-filled policy debates
Function Background transit point accentuating Leo's gatekeeping stride
Symbolism Represents sidelined high-stakes arenas dwarfing staffer concerns
Access Senior staff and advisors only
Glass-paneled doors hinting at inner deliberations Proximity to conference table echoes

Organizations Involved

Institutional presence and influence

1
Occupational Safety and Health Administration

OSHA manifests through Donna's fervent proxy pitch for regulations combating repetitive stress injuries like carpal tunnel and tendonitis, positioning the agency as a quixotic domestic crusader rebuffed by White House fiscal realism—highlighting how federal worker-safety ambitions clash against lame-duck treaty imperatives.

Representation Via junior staff advocate Donna Moss delivering the regulatory proposal
Power Dynamics Subordinate petitioner challenging executive resource gatekeepers
Impact Exposes federal agencies' uphill battle for bandwidth in crisis-driven White House
Mandate ergonomic overhauls to prevent musculoskeletal disorders Secure presidential administration endorsement for $6B initiative Direct lobbying through embedded staff channels Statistical appeals on injury prevalence

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

No narrative connections mapped yet

This event is currently isolated in the narrative graph

Key Dialogue

"DONNA: "The Occupational Safety and Health Administration would like to do something about Repetitive Stress Injuries and or muscular skeletal disorder like Tendonitis...""
"LEO: "Or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.""
"LEO: "It costs $6 billion, Donna! Type slower!""