releases: https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=D48E691C-CE49-440D-B4BF-D1D99F051F36
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=D48E691C-CE49-440D-B4BF-D1D99F051F36 | Heitkamp: Congress Must Protect Future for Coal, Workers’ & Miners’ Pensions & Health Care | 2016-12-09 | 2016 | 2016-12 | Democrat | House | ND | Heidi Heitkamp | H001069 | www.heitkamp.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today stood up for retired coal miners and workers, and the industry their livelihoods depend on, by refusing to vote for a short-term bill to fund the government. “It isn’t enough to talk about supporting a future for coal and the workers whose livelihoods depend on it – Congress needs to stand up for real results and for those workers,” said Heitkamp. “This bill fails thousands of retired coal miners – who for decades played by the rules, sacrificing their health to provide for their families – by refusing to guarantee the health and retirement benefits they earned and were promised. These miners face similar challenges to the thousands of North Dakota retirees whose pensions I’ve been working to protect as the Central States Pension Fund restructures. All of these workers and retirees helped build our country through their own sweat and labor, yet some in Congress are willing to just turn their backs on them. I’m not willing to do that – that isn’t who I am. And as so many families are struggling to get by, I also strongly support a continued freeze on the salaries of members of Congress, and I won’t take a salary increase.“Today’s short-term spending bill also fails to help support a realistic path forward for coal, the industry these miners work in, as it avoids including my commonsense bill that has broad bipartisan support to actually help accomplish that goal. When it comes to the future of the coal industry, and protecting workers and retirees down the road – anything but a long-term solution isn’t going to cut it. So I’m going to keep fighting for these workers and retirees. And anyone in Congress who cares about American workers, should stand up and fight, too.” Heitkamp has long championed a realistic path forward for coal as part of the nation’s energy mix, as well as solutions to protect the hard-earned health and pensions of workers, miners, and retirees. In July, she introduced bipartisan legislation to encourage long-term clean coal energy development and innovation by extending the 45Q tax credit, which encourages investment in carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration – her bill has the strong support of progressive and conservative senators, including Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Heitkamp has also been fighting against steep pension cuts to thousands of retirees in North Dakota and across the country who have paid into Central States Pension Plan – a multiemployer fund that covers a range of fields. After pressure from Heitkamp and workers nationwide, the U.S. Department of the Treasury rejected a proposal to restructure the multiemployer pension plan, which would have included pension cuts up to 60 percent.Because today’s legislative package doesn’t include her bipartisan bill or a fix to support the health and pensions for more than 16,000 retired coal miners who could lose the benefits they earned by the end of the month, Heitkamp voted against the legislation. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |