US coalminers plead for benefits as black-lung cases surge
The gist
US coalminers are pleading for benefits as black-lung cases hit a 50-year high.
Sick miners face benefit delays, and auditors can't verify claimed savings.
How it unfolded
- 2023Paid-leave workdays for federal employees totaled about 4 million.
- 2025Federal agencies spent an estimated $9.5 billion keeping employees on paid administrative leave, a 435% jump from 2023. About $6.7 billion of that covered roughly 144,000 workers who accepted a buyout known as the Deferred Resignation Program, staying on the payroll for months without reporting to work.
- Sep 20, 2026The Guardian reports US coalminers are pleading for benefits as black-lung disease cases surge, with pneumoconiosis at a 50-year high and sick miners mired in benefit delays. A GAO review of federal payroll records found $9.5 billion spent on paid administrative leave in 2025.