High Country Times

Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx has addressed a letter to Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, requesting detailed information regarding the management of the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund. This fund is crucial for providing benefits to coal miners disabled by black lung disease.

Chairwoman Foxx expressed concerns about the financial stability of the Trust Fund, attributing some of its difficulties to actions taken by the Biden-Harris administration. According to Foxx, "the Biden-Harris administration's war on coal" has worsened existing issues by increasing administrative burdens and not addressing longstanding debts.

Foxx's letter stated: “The Committee on Education and the Workforce (Committee) is conducting oversight on the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) and its administration of the [Trust Fund]. The Committee is concerned that growing administrative costs and longstanding, unaddressed debt and interest payments will compromise future benefits."

The letter further criticized the current administration for reversing reforms initiated during Trump's presidency aimed at stabilizing the Trust Fund. It noted: "While the Trump administration took concrete steps to correct these issues, within weeks of taking office, the Biden-Harris administration reversed course by withdrawing these important reforms."

Foxx also accused OWCP under this administration of misplacing blame for financial challenges on coal mining entities as part of an ongoing conflict against coal industries. She remarked: "It is clear that woke politics is more important to this administration than the livelihoods of all hardworking American families touched by the coal industry.”

To evaluate potential legislative measures needed for supporting black lung beneficiaries, Foxx requested specific data from DOL related to beneficiary numbers and administrative cost increases from FY 1982 through FY 2023.