West Virginia’s GOP senators are urging top Trump officials to undo DOGE cuts that threaten the health and safety of their state’s coal miners.
It’s a clear example of how the fast-paced, deep cuts in federal spending are hitting even rural, GOP communities — and creating crises for the lawmakers who represent them.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) sent a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday asking him to undo some of the thousands of layoffs at the agency that are part of the DOGE cuts.
Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) also called the cuts to NIOSH “problematic,” and told Axios he has spoken with several Trump officials about the issue, but not RFK Jr.
“West Virginians, they’re in lock step with President Trump,” Justice told Axios. “But at the same time, there’s so, so, so many people that are dependent” on programs like NIOSH. Justice expressed faith that Trump would fix the issue.
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