October 1, 2025 - The Senate plans to invoke cloture on executive branch nominations en bloc, bypassing individual floor debates and separate roll calls. Under new rules passed in September, the Senate can now confirm batches of lower-level nominees by a simple majority, rather than holding individual votes.

The en bloc package includes 108 nominees and is expected to have a final confirmation vote next week. Of particular note are:

• Wayne Palmer, to be Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health
• Lanny Erdos, to be Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
• Laura Swett, to be a Member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
• David LaCerte, to be a Member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
• Ned Mamula, to be Director of the U.S. Geological Survey
• Marco Rajkovich, Jr., to be a Member of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission
• Jonathan Berry, to be Solicitor for the Department of Labor
• Julie Hocker, to be Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy
• David Keeling, to be an Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• Catherine Jereza, to be Assistant Secretary of Energy for Electricity
• Audrey Robertson, to be Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
• Timothy John Walsh, to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environmental Management
• John Busterud, to be Assistant Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Solid Waste
• Usha-Marie Turner, to be an Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Office of International and Tribal Affairs
• David Fogel, to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service
• David Peters, to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement
• Taylor Jordan, to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction
• William Kirkland, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs
• Francis Brooke, to be Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Trade and Development
• Michael Boren, to be Undersecretary of Agriculture for Natural Resources and Environment
• David Fink, to be Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration
• Jonathan Snare, to be a Member of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
   

The National Mining Association will continue to monitor nominees and appointments related to the mining industry. If you have any questions, please contact Martha Newell (mnewell@nma.org).