Thousands of retired coal miners are dependent on the federal government for their health care. That’s because, one after another, the big coal companies have filed for bankruptcy, dumping responsibility for workers onto a federal fund that’s rapidly eroding. Fixing that fund would take a simple vote, and since both Republicans in Congress and Donald Trump have made miners their favorite props, it would seem like an obvious action. But apparently not.
The Senate has enough votes for permanently fixing miner benefits, but the House is a different story. Talk of a 20-month extension instead of a permanent fix is floating around the chamber, according to multiple sources. No one in leadership would confirm it, and the offices of neither Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) nor Speaker Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) returned requests for comment.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has said not a single word about this issue—but hey, he handed over a pen to miners after he signed a bill that will boost owners profits while reducing the need for workers so … job done. In fact, between Trump and Scott Pruitt at the EPA, there’s been a lot done for mine owners. Just nothing for actual miners.
They believed their wish was a modest one. The price tag for their benefits averages a little under $200 million per year over the next 10 years, which can be partly offset through interest that accrues in a federal fund for reclaiming abandoned mines. Because no new miners would become eligible for the health benefits awarded to this group, the cost would eventually dwindle to zero.
Of course, if they don’t extend the benefits, the costs will dwindle even faster.
from Daily Kos http://ift.tt/2o8GgiF
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