Joe Manchin actually said...

"I appreciate the Department's willingness to take steps to make sure that miners can access the Federal benefits they deserve."

"When we tried to pass a reasonable piece of legislation--the Byrd bill--to strengthen our mine safety laws... we were blocked by the coal industry and their allies in Congress."

"the Democratic majority in Congress, along with President Obama, has taken action in recent years to improve our Black Lung system."

"Congress has long known that coal miners with Black Lung disease are at a tremendous disadvantage when attempting to access Federal benefits."