Environmental and Appalachian advocacy groups are demanding a full Senate hearing — and not just a vote — to question President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Mine Safety and Health Administration amid budget and staffing cuts.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is slated to vote Wednesday on Wayne Palmer to lead MSHA without first holding a hearing.
MSHA is an agency under the Department of Labor that’s tasked with ensuring the safety and miners through regulations, inspections and education.
The groups Appalachian Voices and the Appalachian Citizens Law Center say a hearing is critical given the Trump administration is moving to slash the federal workforce, including career staffers studying and screening for debilitating diseases like black lung in coal miners.
