Dear Friend,

I’ve got some good news to share with you: After years of hard work, Congress is finally – FINALLY – poised to pass a bipartisan fix to shore up miners’ pension and healthcare benefits as part of the year-end spending bill, which is expected to pass and head to the President’s desk later this week.

You might remember that back in November, we finally secured key Republican support for the coal miners' pension and healthcare legislation that I’ve been fighting for years to pass through the Senate. The Bipartisan American Miners Act of 2019 would shore up the 1974 United Mine Workers of America Pension Plan – which is currently headed for insolvency due to coal company bankruptcies and the 2008 financial crisis – and ensure that retired miners and their families do not lose their healthcare due to coal company bankruptcies over the last two years.

I’m pleased to tell you that, working with congressional leaders from both parties, we were able to get the Bipartisan American Miners Act included in the end-of-year spending bill the Senate will be voting on this week. By passing this bipartisan bill, Congress will protect the pensions of 92,000 coal miners and families, and protect healthcare benefits for 13,000 miners – including hundreds of retirees in Southwest Virginia whose health benefits were expected to expire this month after the bankruptcy of Westmoreland Coal in October 2018.

None of this would have been possible without the hard work and leadership of the United Mine Workers of America, who made literally dozens if not hundreds of trips to Washington to make the case to my colleagues for this important fix. I’m proud to have worked with them, and with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), for years to turn this bill into a reality.

If you want to share your thoughts about an issue that’s important to you, you can send me an email any time using the form on my Senate website. You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,