Big question
President-elect Donald Trump is known for being outspoken. Whether Trump’s on Twitter or giving interviews, he never shies away from speaking his mind.
That’s what makes it strange not to hear him comment about the Miners Protection Act, a proposal to protect the health benefits and pensions of 89,000 miners, retirees and widows, including 13,000 in Pennsylvania, many of whom are residents of Fayette, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
It’s especially strange since Trump campaigned so heavily on his promise to bring back the coal industry. That vow won him the overwhelming support of voters in coal country as shown by his 2-1 victory over Hillary Clinton in Fayette County.
Supporters of the measure certainly could have used his support during a recent battle over the bill. The measure was passed by the Senate Finance committee in September and appeared headed for a full vote in the Senate where it was expected to pass. However, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, blocked the bill from coming up for a vote.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin, then pushed a bill last week, which included a four-month extension of health benefits, a far cry from the one-year extension sought by Senate Democrats, including Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
Democrats threatened to block the bill and shut down the government but relented when they lacked the necessary votes to do so.
That things have come to this point is surprising since the measure doesn’t involve any direct funding from taxpayers. The proposed legislation would direct money from an abandoned mine reclamation fund to replenish the pension fund, which has been hit hard by sharp declines in the coal industry over the years. It’s estimated that 60 percent of the retired miners worked for companies no longer in existence.
Advocates for the proposal say it would fulfill a promise made by the government in 1946, which secured pension and health benefits for miners in exchange for them ending a lengthy strike. Proponents of the measure contend that the federal government has continuously supported the 70-year-old promise by enacting legislation that ensures the fund is solvent.
Efforts were made to seek Trump’s support of the measure. Casey sent a letter to Trump earlier this month, asking him for his backing. Trump said nothing. Manchin said he talked with Trump about the bill on Monday during talks about a possible position in his cabinet. However, Manchin didn’t say whether or not Trump will support the measure.
Casey, Manchin and others have vowed to bring the bill back up when Congress reconvenes in January. But with Republican leaders in Congress opposed to the measure, it most likely will fail unless it’s strongly supported by Trump.
At some point, Trump will have to end his silence on the bill and make his views known. If he doesn’t support the measure, it certainly will be interesting to see the reaction of people here and elsewhere in coal country who supported him so strongly this fall.