As Bob Murray Hosts Shitstain Fundraiser In WV, Mitch McConnell Blows Off KY Miners W. Black Lung
MAGA!!
President Donald Trump will head to West Virginia on Wednesday to deliver remarks at a fundraiser hosted by coal baron Bob Murray, underscoring the close relationship the coal industry has with the White House even as the industry steadily declines. The fundraiser comes in the middle of another turbulent month for coal, with Blackhawk Mining the latest company to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Meanwhile, suffering Appalachian coal miners afflicted by black lung disease have been lobbying Congress this week, as coal jobs and benefits ebb away.
Murray, CEO of Murray Energy, will host Trump in Wheeling, West Virginia, on Wednesday at a private fundraising committee reception. Attendees of the fundraiser include West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R), among other lawmakers. In a June letter from Murray requesting Justice’s attendance, the coal executive emphasized re-electing Trump.
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Trump’s travels to coal country coincide with a trip by a large group of Appalachian miners to Washington, D.C., this week. Many have come to request that Congress bolster the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, which has faced growing debt. That fund provides for miners when companies cannot, including when the corporations go bankrupt. A steadily-increasing tax on coal supported the fund but its higher rate expired last year and the trust fund’s debt is projected to be around $15 billion by 2050. Coal companies have meanwhile lobbied against raising the tax, as doing so impacts them financially. “Coal miners deserve better. They always have. I certainly hope that lawmakers will be listening this week,” wrote Tyler Hughes, a field director with the nonprofit Appalachian Voices, in a post this week foreshadowing the D.C. trip.
Some lawmakers have sought to support the fund, including Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Alma Adams (D-NC), while Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) has introduced a bill to help miners access the fund’s benefits. But Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will be critical for efforts to raise the tax and miners, as he has the power to push legislation forward in the Senate. Miners who met with the senator on Tuesday said they left the interaction disappointed. Many affected by black lung came attached to oxygen tanks in order to meet with McConnell, but they said he gave them only a few minutes of his time and made no guarantees about the disability fund.
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https://thinkprogress.org/trump-fundraiser-coal-appalachia-murray-black-lung-2071b0b73ef5/
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