Dan Miller: “I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 2108, the Black Lung Benefits Restoration Act. This bill represents yet…”

“I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 2108, the Black Lung Benefits Restoration Act. This bill represents yet another expansion of entitlements without a single thought dedicated to paying for the new spending. The changes made by this legislation, far from enhancing the availability of benefits under the Black Lung Program, will only serve to undermine the long-run financial viability of the entire program. To those in this Congress who have fought to add fiscal responsibility to the Federal budget process, the history of the Black Lung Program in an all-too-familiar tale. A last minute add-on to another piece of legislation in 1969, the costs of this small, temporary entitlement ballooned far beyond original estimates. Each successive change expanded eligibility and benefits under the program, and by the late seventies, the Black Lung Program had become a permanent entitlement and a significant burden on U.S. taxpayers. It is easy to dole out new benefits to laudable causes, but few Members ever talk about the costs and tradeoffs each program expansion necessitates. Every new Federal dollar spent must be taken from somewhere else. All too often it comes from future generations of American taxpayers. Such careless compassion turns out not to be very compassionate at all, because it ignores the real costs associated with any budget decision.”