February 12, 2025 - Yesterday, President Trump nominated Wayne Palmer to serve as the Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). The Senate has received this nomination and has referred Mr. Palmer to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions for a confirmation hearing.

Many of you may be familiar with Wayne from his tenure at MSHA under the first Trump administration, where he served as principal deputy assistant secretary. Within the last few weeks, he returned to the Department of Labor to support the Trump transition team, but immediately prior to that he was the executive vice president of the Essential Minerals Association, a trade association that primarily represents industrial minerals companies. 

Previous positions include senior manager of congressional relations at the nonpartisan Center for Presidential Transition and numerous years as a congressional staffer, including as chief of staff to then Senate Republican Conference Chairman Rick Santorum. Wayne holds a B.A. in Political Science from Penn State and a Master of Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.