The U.S. government's program to assist coal miners who are diagnosed with black lung disease is running low on cash, according to an article published by CNN.
The government's Black Lung Disability Trust Fund is "beset by billions of dollars in debt," and the shortfall could result in miners losing their benefits, according to the June 4 article. CNN said that some 14,000 miners rely on the program to pay medical bills when they are too sick to work.
The fund is supposed to be paid for by a tax on coal companies, but there has never been enough money throughout the fund's 40-year history, and the remainder has to be paid for by taxpayers. The fund borrowed $1.3 billion from the U.S. Department of the Treasury last year, the article noted.
What's more, a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that by 2050, the fund may need to borrow as much as $15 billion to remain solvent. The GAO said there are several possible solutions to the deficit, including increasing the tax on coal companies or forgiving debt owed to taxpayers.
![Axial images from unenhanced calcium score cardiac CT (left) and curved planar reformation images from CT angiography (right) show that higher long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with greater coronary artery calcium and more obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Top row: Images in a 68-year-old male patient with higher 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (7.9 μg/m3 for particulate matter measuring ≤2.5 μm in diameter [PM2.5] and 17.4 parts per billion [ppb] for NO2) with extensive CAD (coronary artery calcium score [CACS] >1,000 and obstructive CAD [≥70% diameter stenosis]). Bottom row: Images in a 57-year-old female patient with lower 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (6.3 μg/m3 for PM2.5 and 4.6 ppb for NO2) with no CAD (CACS = 0 and no obstructive stenosis).](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/06/hanneman.r6SMLzkezo.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
