DOGE & Black Lung: Miner’s Daughter’s Story
Anita Wolfe, a coal miner’s daughter, is the primary force in the fight against rising black lung cases.She is battling goverment cuts to miner health programs adn advocating for miner safety, a true testament to her dedication. Wolfe’s testimony highlights the preventable nature of black lung, a disease plaguing the mining community. She recalls her father’s story and the detrimental impact of the disease, pushing her to fight for early detection and prevention. Government cutbacks have hindered research, but Wolfe and others are striving for the full reinstatement of essential programs. This story is brought to you by News Directory 3. Discover what’s next in their efforts to protect miners.
coal Miner’s Daughter Takes on Government Amid Rising Black lung Cases
Updated June 22, 2025
Anita Wolfe, daughter of a coal miner who died from black lung and silicosis, recently testified in a West Virginia courtroom against U.S. government cuts to miner health programs. Wolfe, a former mobile clinic director for the National Institute For Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), is fighting for the health and safety of coal miners amid rising cases of black lung disease, a preventable illness.
Wolfe recalled her father’s stories of his early days in the mines and his eventual death from lung disease. Her experience fueled her passion for early detection and prevention of lung diseases in miners.
In April, about 90% of NIOSH staff received layoff notices as part of a government efficiency initiative.This included the mobile clinic crew,workers reviewing miners’ test results,and researchers focused on preventing lung diseases. Wolfe’s testimony aimed to reinstate these positions.
While Wolfe’s mobile clinic workers and others in the Respiratory Health Division have been reinstated, she said researchers elsewhere in NIOSH who work on prevention are still slated to be laid off. She believes this is a notable problem, considering that about a fifth of coal miners in Central Appalachia have black lung.
Wolfe noted that more than 75,000 miners died from black lung from 1970 to 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A 2023 NIOSH study found that coal miners are twice as likely to die of lung diseases than nonminers. She emphasized that black lung and silicosis are “entirely preventable.”
“It comes down to how much is a life worth,” Wolfe said. “You want more coal, but you don’t care about the coal miners and what’s happening to them.”
The pause in black lung programs created immediate problems for miners needing NIOSH approval to access federal “Part 90” benefits, which allow them to transfer to jobs with less dust exposure. Without these programs,X-rays and medical records went unexamined.
Wolfe and others campaigned to reinstate the NIOSH workers, enlisting the support of Sen. Shelley Capito, R-W.Va. Attorney Sam Petsonk and coal miner harry Wiley sued the Department of Health and human Services, which oversees NIOSH.
Wolfe testified at the trial, drawing strength from the memory of her father. “I just felt like he was there with me, you know? Kinda egging me on, like, ‘You got this, baby girl.'”
The judge ruled in Wiley’s favor, and staff at the mobile clinic and the Respiratory Health Division got their jobs back. The National Personal Protective Technology Lab staff, who certify respirators, were also recalled.
Though, other NIOSH researchers focused on preventing mining-related lung diseases remain at risk. These researchers, based in Pittsburgh and Spokane Mining Research Divisions, develop new tools to prevent disease.
Cassandra Hoebbel, a NIOSH researcher in Pittsburgh, said that mine health and safety research has been mostly paused since January due to funding and travel restrictions. Researchers have been unable to visit mines to measure dust levels or test new equipment.
Hoebbel added that external grants for technology progress and commercialization were also terminated. This is happening despite the fact that lung diseases in miners are on the rise, with black lung cases increasing for two decades, according to a 2018 NIOSH study.
What’s next
Wolfe and other advocates continue to fight for the full reinstatement of NIOSH research programs, emphasizing the importance of prevention in combating black lung and other mining-related lung diseases. They aim to ensure that miners have access to the resources and protections they need to stay healthy.