dbeard@dominionpost.com
MORGANTOWN – The Trump administration has nominated state Sen. Mike Stuart, R-Kanawha, to serve as general counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Stuart would serve under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is awaiting Senate confirmation as the next HHS secretary.
“It’s a tremendous honor, not only for me but for my family and West Virginia,” Stuart told The Dominion Post on Wednesday – the opening day of the state legislative session.
“I don’t think there’s a family that’s not impacted by the Department of Health and Human Services every day,” he said. “I look forward, if confirmed by the United States Senate, to working with Sen. Capito and the entire Senate delegation and our House representatives, so that we can advance the agenda of President Trump and, hopefully, Secretary Kennedy to deliver the best services we can to the people of our country.”
Stuart previous served under Trump as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. Trump nominated him on Sept. 8, 2017, and the Senate confirmed him on Dec. 20. He took the oath of office on Jan. 9, 2018. At the request of Trump’s successor, Joe Biden, Stuart submitted his resignation from the office on Feb. 12, 2021, effective Feb. 28.
The White House announced Stuart’s nomination, along with several others, late Tuesday. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito shared the announcement in a Wednesday afternoon post on X, adding a congratulatory note: “I’m glad @POTUS has nominated a West Virginian to advance his agenda at HHS. As the agency’s lead appropriator, I look forward to the efforts we can do together.”
Before his tenure as U.S. attorney, Stuart chaired the state Republican Party from 2010-2012, and chaired Trump’s 2016 West Virginia campaign. He was elected to the state Senate in 2022 and was chosen in December to serve as Judiciary chair. He awaits Senate confirmation.
“I was excited to work for President Trump – Trump 45 – and I believe I did a great job as United States Attorney,” he said Wednesday. “And I just look forward to trying to advance the work of the American people in the role of general counsel of HHS if the Senate confirms me.”
