Setting the record straight: Black lung facts

World Combined Sources

In an effort to deflect attention away from GOP vice presidential Dick Cheney's record on black lung, George W. Bush's campaign last week falsely attacked Al Gore on the issue. Bush claimed that the Clinton administration proposed "massive cuts" to the black lung program - cutting the program from $4 million to $2 million.

The reality is that the Black Lung Clinic Program, has been supported by the administration. The Black Lung Clinic Program is much smaller than the program providing mandatory benefits to black lung victims. This larger program, the mandatory Black Lung Benefits Program, has been fully supported and funded by the administration. The much smaller Black Lung Clinic Program received $5 million in FY 1999 and will receive nearly $6 million in FY 2000 and FY 2001.

The Black Lung Benefits Program, the large, mandatory benefits program for victims of black lung disease, has been fully supported by the administration, which budgeted more than $1 billion for the program in FY 2000.

On the other hand, Cheney, while a member of Congress, voted against legislation important to back lung victims 18 times since 1979. Several of the votes included voting against Labor, Health, Education and Welfare appropriations, which included funding for black lung victims.

In 1980, Cheney voted against a bill sponsored by Rep. Carl Perkins (D-Ken.) to make the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund pay benefits to disabled miners who retired between Jan. 1, 1970 and June 30, 1973. The vote was against a motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill - essentially voting against the bill. The motion was agreed to 237-118, with Gore voting for it.

In 1979, Cheney voted against final House passage of the Labor, Health, Education and Welfare appropriations bill for FY 1980. Included in this bill was $1 billion in funding for black lung payments. The bill passed 327-84, with Gore voting for it. Cheney also voted against the conference report for $13.8 billion in supplemental appropriations to various federal agencies, which included an additional $300 million for the black lung benefits program. The conference report was approved 284-132.