Appalachian Voices applauds Senate Appropriations Committee for pushing back against cuts for black lung and miner safety programs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2025

CONTACT
Dan Radmacher, Media Specialist, (276) 289-1018, dan@appvoices.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to advance its Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2026 funding bill. The package includes funding for mine safety and black lung programs, including the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund and black lung clinics. 

The president’s budget request for FY26 proposed severe cuts to vital programs. The Senate committee declined to cut MSHA’s budget by $40 million from the previous fiscal year as the president requested. Instead, the committee proposes to keep funding consistent at $387.8 million for MSHA— an agency tasked with keeping miners safe by reviewing ventilation, roof and other mine safety plans. It also must perform at least four inspections per year for every underground mine. Over the last decade, the number of mine inspectors has declined. Soon, a new rule to protect miners from deadly silica dust that causes black lung will go into effect, and MSHA will need more inspectors to ensure the rule is implemented properly. 

The bill includes $12 million for black lung clinics that provide lifesaving services to miners across the country. These clinics also provide counseling for miners who request support in applying for the black lung program. 

The Senate committee also proposed to increase funding for NIOSH and the mining research division that conducts important research on mine safety and advises MSHA and companies on best practices to keep miners safe and healthy. Earlier this year, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. laid off most NIOSH workers, including those who work on mine safety and black lung disease like the Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program. Some of those cuts were reversed after coal community advocates made their voices heard about the harm this would have on coal miners. 

The funding bill comes after Appalachian advocates sent a letter to Congress this past March, requesting continued support for various black lung and mine safety programs. 

The bill now advances to the Senate floor. Congress must pass a funding bill or extend current levels of funding by Sept. 30, or risk a shutdown of government services. 

Statement by Government Affairs Specialist Quenton King:“After five months of uncertainty for mine safety programs that are a lifeline for coal communities, it’s a relief to see Congress push back on the onslaught of attacks and rollbacks. Black lung is at epidemic levels, and now isn’t the time to reduce screenings and counseling or downsize MSHA, which is supposed to watch out for miners and keep them safe. While the funding level for MSHA is not what Appalachian advocates requested earlier this year, Appalachian Voices applauds Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., for maintaining funding from previous years for MSHA and the black lung clinics. It’s important that Congress pass a funding bill in September that will do right by the miners who have done so much for the country. The Senate’s proposal to fund MSHA is especially crucial now, as House members this week asked the agency to consider rolling back the silica rule that will save miners’ lives from black lung.”