Donald Trump says he wants to help miners. But does Congress?

The Washington Post: Few pockets of America have been more fervently in support of President-elect Donald Trump than coal country. During his campaign, a hard-hat-wearing Trump made explicit appeals to miners, promising to reverse the recent and precipitous decline of the eastern coal industry centered in Appalachia.

Members of his party, meanwhile, have been reticent to help thousands of retired miners who could lose their health-care benefits on New Year’s Day.

About 12,500 former union miners and their families have been told their health benefits will lapse come Jan. 1, and an additional 10,000 are in danger of losing benefits at a later date. Congress could intervene to help the ex-miners, and a bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing to do just that.

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