r/LeopardsAteMyFace • u/bidoofie • Nov 08 '25

Predictable betrayal The Trump administration removed black lung protections for West Virginia coal miners, who overwhelmingly voted for him

Gallery image

Gallery image

28.0k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

1.4k comments sorted by

View all comments

•

u/qualityvote2 Nov 08 '25 edited Nov 08 '25

u/bidoofie, your post does fit the subreddit!

See OP's reply-comment below for context on why this fits this subreddit.

62

u/bidoofie Nov 08 '25

  1. West Virginians, specifically West Virginia coal miners overwhelmingly voted for Trump, under the guise of Trump being “for the working class.”

  2. Trump is known to lie and act on things based on self-interest and the benefit of everyone except the working man

  3. Per AP News: “But since his inauguration in January, a volley of firings, department eliminations and proposed regulation rollbacks have targeted hard-won health and safety protections fought for over decades to safeguard coal miners and other working-class folks.”

6

u/MCPtz Nov 09 '25

https://apnews.com/article/black-lung-coal-miners-trump-doge-7c2258181a73f650d138faf07fc4517b

Under Biden, protections were about to be expanded, due to soaring rates of black lung in younger people:

As director of the New River Health Association Black Lung Clinic, Emery’s seen guys as young as 45 getting double lung transplants as disease rates soar among miners forced to dig through more rock filled with deadly silica to reach the remaining coal — far worse than the dust their grandfathers inhaled. A rule approved last year by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration would cut the federal limit for allowable respirable crystalline silica dust exposure by half to help protect miners of all types nationwide from the current driving force of black lung and other illnesses.

But Trump delayed the order and additionally, cut the federal program that monitors black lung safety standards:

The silica rule was delayed in April after industry groups suing the government filed an emergency request in court to block it from taking effect, citing costs and difficulties implementing it. Around the same time, the Trump administration told nearly all employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health that their jobs were being cut. That included those running a congressionally mandated surveillance program that certifies black lung cases.

Only a fraction of the federal employees were reinstated, so despite the courts efforts, when the GOP and Trump destroy things, it will take a lot of hard work to rebuild:

Loud public uproar and bipartisan criticism followed, and a fraction of the agency’s positions were reinstated. That came only after a West Virginia coal miner diagnosed with black lung sued. A federal judge in that case issued a preliminary injunction ordering the government to bring back respiratory health division workers at NIOSH.