New head at MSHA – for now

Wayne Palmer

Wayne Palmer, who previously served Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta as chief of staff, was appointed as the acting head of the Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA), according to Husch Blackwell.

The Trump administration still plans to nominate an individual for the MSHA assistant secretary position and could do so as early as next week, Husch Blackwell reports.

Palmer served as the U.S. Department of Labor‘s chief of staff for four months, overseeing the department’s budget and employees across hundreds of sites. He previously served in the Labor Department as senior White House advisor and confirmation sherpa. Palmer was senior manager of congressional relations at the Center for Presidential Transition before arriving at the Department of Labor.