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 In a statement on the Senate floor, McConnell, a Republican from
Kentucky, said that in conversations with House of Representatives
Speaker Paul Ryan he has insisted that the Continuing Resolution
include "a provision to address that issue so these retirees don't
lose their healthcare benefit at the end of this year."
The fate of the United Mine Workers' health care and pension funds
is up in the air as Congress weighs legislation to provide financial
support for the soon-expiring benefits, which are at risk of default
as coal companies grapple with bankruptcies.
Although the Senate Finance Committee in September passed a bill to
provide funding for those benefits senior lawmakers are looking for
ways to include the provision in the spending bill that has to be
passed before existing government funding expires on Dec. 9.
Democratic Senators of coal-producing states - Bob Casey of
Pennsylvania, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Mark Warner of Virginia and Joe
Manchin of West Virginia - said they would block must-pass
legislation until Congress takes action on the so-called Miners
Protection Act.
“There's going to be 16,500 retired miners that are losing their
healthcare benefits. There will be another 4,000 the first of next
year,” said Manchin on the Senate floor on Tuesday.
"We're fighting for those people that we promised, that we believe
in, that have powered this nation, that have given us the country we
have and now we're turning our backs on them,” Manchin said.
Manchin is due to meet with President-elect Donald Trump later this
week to discuss a potential role in the Republican's Cabinet.
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Trump had repeatedly promised on the campaign trail to put coal
miners back to work. His spokesperson did not respond to a request
for comment on Trump's views on protecting miners' pensions and
health care benefits.
Grassroots group Kentuckians for the Commonwealth plan to deliver a
10,000 signature petition to McConnell Tuesday to call on him to
pass the Miners Protection Act, as well as RECLAIM, a bill that
would offer financial support to help coal communities diversify
their economies, before Congress leaves for recess.
(Reporting By Richard Cowan and Valerie Volcovici; Editing by
Bernard Orr)
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