Lawmakers: Congress close to deal on coal miners’ benefits

WASHINGTON, DC (Matthew Daly, Associated Press. Please click to read the full story. Here is an excerpt) Congress is close to a deal to extend health benefits for more than 22,000 retired miners and widows whose medical coverage is set to expire Sunday, coal-state lawmakers said Wednesday. A “permanent” fix will be included in a measure to keep the government open, said Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and other lawmakers. The fix would cost $1.3 billion over 10 years. Manchin said at a rally sponsored by the United Mine Workers of America that President Donald Trump called him Wednesday morning to express support for the miners. Trump, who has repeatedly vowed to revive the struggling coal industry, won West Virginia, Kentucky and other coal-producing states by wide margins last fall.