Does Joe Manchin Know That Build Back Better Would Extend Vital Aid for Sick Coal Miners?

Tucked away in the version of the Build Back Better Act passed by the House—Section 138502, to be precise—there is a small paragraph extending an excise tax that funds a trust providing benefits to certain coal miners with black lung disease. The current rate for the tax, the primary revenue source for the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, is set to expire at the end of the year; the Build Back Better Act includes an extension through the end of 2025.

The extension is but one of many unobtrusive measures sandwiched into a massive package addressing health care, child care, education, climate change, and tax policy. But without congressional action before the end of the year, the excise tax rate will be cut roughly by half, diminishing a key source of revenue for a fund that is already riddled with debt.

But movement on the Build Back Better Act is stalled in large part due to objections from a moderate Democratic senator from West Virginia, one of the states whose citizens are most affected by black lung disease. Senator Joe Manchin has balked at the long-term costs of the bill and worried about the implementation of some social programs, such as the child tax credit. Barring some Christmas miracle, it appears that the Senate will recess for the rest of the year without voting on either the Build Back Better Act, or a bill introduced by Manchin earlier this year that would extend the excise tax by ten years. The excise tax rate is almost certain to be reduced by 55 percent as a consequence.