Hall of Shame

Hall of Shame From obstructing investigations into agency failures to unnecessary self-promotion, Elaine has disgraced her role as Secretary of Labor.

Defying Congressional Oversight

Every time Congress investigates the Labor Department’s shortcomings after a mine tragedy takes the lives of workers, Elaine and her staff resist answering the hard questions.

Too Busy for Investigations: When Congress investigated the West Virginia Sago Mine explosion that killed 12 people, top Labor Department officials refused to fully cooperate.

  • The acting assistant secretary for mine safety and health David G. Dye, along with the administrator of coal mine safety and health Ray McKinney, both walked out of a January 2006 hearing by a Senate subcommittee, claiming they were “too busy with their duties to stay.”

Caving in on Accountability: After the Crandall Canyon Mine that had numerous safety violations was allowed to continue operating by Elaine’s Labor Department and then caved in twice, killing six miners and three rescuers:

  • Congress once again investigated the Labor Department’s lack of oversight and Elaine refused to cooperate, forcing Congress to issue a subpoena for key documents on the tragedy.
  • In response, the agency complained about the cost and time needed to respond to the subpoena as they stonewalled and delayed congressional oversight.

MIA on the MINER Act: As part of an effort to improve the nation’s mine rescue capabilities, Congress passed the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act (MINER Act) in 2006 that was signed into law. Elaine violated the law by missing the legal deadline for MSHA to finalize the new rules.

Covering Up MSHA Failures

In the wake of the Crandall Canyon Mine catastrophe, Elaine undermined the integrity of the investigation and even barred media and other government officials from gaining access.

Invalid Investigation: Despite complaints from miners and Congress, Elaine tapped former MSHA employees to investigate their own agency’s handling of the disaster as part of an “independent commission,” raising further questions about the validity of the investigation.

Information Denied: When Utah Governor Jon Huntsman and the Utah Mine Safety Commission sought access to witness interviews and other components of the ongoing investigation, Elaine initially denied the requests. The news media had to sue MSHA to open its Crandall Canyon Mine inquiry to the public.

Hazardous Workplaces

Elaine’s OSHA has repeatedly failed to protect workers from harmful toxins that endanger their health.

Popcorn Lung: Diacetyl, a chemical flavoring added to many types of food, has been linked to the lung disease often called “popcorn lung.” Yet when public health officials and unions sent a letter to Elaine urging her to set a standard to protect workers from exposure, it went unanswered. OSHA neglected to do its job – shield workers from conditions that can cause physical harm or even kill them.

Toxic Substances Database: The general scientific consensus is that OSHA’s 60-year-old exposure limit for beryllium, a potentially carcinogenic metal linked to pulmonary disease, is outdated and inadequate to protect workers. But when one of OSHA’s former officials sought access to the Labor Department’s toxic substances database to determine if the standards needed an update, the agency refused the request, forcing a federal judge to order the Secretary of Labor to release the information she was keeping from the public.

Questionable Handouts

Using taxpayer dollars for corporate welfare has become standard practice under Elaine’s leadership.

Questionable Grants: According to the Department of Labor’s own Inspector General report, the High Growth Job Initiative at the DOL’s Employment and Training Administration awarded 87 percent of $271 million in grants without any competition, violating the agency’s own procedures in the process.

Electoral Gimmicks: During the 2006 midterm elections, Elaine and other administration officials traveled across the country awarding government funding, with great public fanfare, to districts where Mitch’s embattled Senate colleagues — including Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) — were fighting to hold onto their seats.

More Misdeeds from Elaine

Hiding from Victimized Workers: For two years the Department of Labor did nothing in response to complaints that a Halliburton-owned company, Dresser-Rand, had unexpectedly reduced the pensions for some of its employees.

Privatizing Social Security: In March 2006, Elaine organized a two-day summit of business leaders to discuss private retirement accounts. She even went on the stump trying to build support for President Bush’s plan to privatize Social Security.

Ignoring Half the Workforce: Under Elaine’s watch, the administration tried closing 10 regional offices of the Women’s Bureau, an agency that gives women information about harassment, discrimination, family leave, and childcare. In 2007 she proposed a significant decrease in the agency’s funding.

Bad Boss: Elaine’s office has high staff turnover – she’s gone through four public affairs chiefs, two deputy assistant secretaries, and four press secretaries since heading the Department of Labor.

Trash Talking Workers: In an interview with Parade Magazine, Elaine insulted workers by stating they “need anger-management skills” and that “too many young people bristle when a supervisor asks them to do something.”

Last, but certainly not least:

Shameless Self-Promotion: Elaine has apparently been more concerned with her own image than with serving America’s workers, a principal responsibility of the Secretary of Labor.

  • Elaine used taxpayer funds to line the walls of the Labor Department with 58 pictures of herself, embroider her name on lanyards and fleece blankets distributed at conferences, and hand out Elaine-themed gold-colored coins at public events.
  • Elaine received a $14.2 million Valentine’s Day gift from her husband, Senator Mitch McConnell, in the form of a funding earmark courtesy of American taxpayers. Mitch had a federally-funded auditorium at the University of Louisville’s library named after Elaine, though she never attended the university.


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