The bankruptcy of the nation’s largest coal companies included dumping responsibility for a large number of retired miners, many of them afflicted with black lung and other industry-related illnesses, onto health and pension funds that were already underfunded and near collapse. Though there are fewer than 50,000 coal miners currently working, there are over 89,000 on the UMWA funds. Of those, 22,000 are the responsibility of companies that have already used bankruptcy to slide out from under their responsibility to the fund. Congress gave the fund a temporary boost in December, but without immediate action, those 22,000 miners will face a loss of both medical care and pension benefits in a matter of days.
Democrats has been lobbying to address this issue for months, while Republicans prevented any permanent solution. Meanwhile, Trump refused to address the issue, frustrating miners who somehow thought he was on their side.
“A lot of our members supported Trump,” said Joseph Holland, a 68-year-old former miner from western Kentucky who works with local retirees. “I would like for him to step up and say ‘I want both the House and Senate to support this,’” he said. “I keep hoping and praying” and telling members to write Trump to say “I supported you, please stand by me.”
On Thursday morning, Trump finally did make his first mention of this issue.
"I want to help our miners while the Democrats are blocking their (health care)," he tweeted Thursday morning in a series of other tweets blasting Democrats for demands that could potentially hold up the bill.
Not only has Trump suddenly become an advocate for this bill, Republicans are ready to pile on board. But not because it helps miners. They’ve worked out something very special.
from Daily Kos http://ift.tt/2oHljM6
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