Morgan McGarvey, the lone congressional Democrat from the coal-producing state of Kentucky, says that while President Donald Trump and Hill Republicans are focused on reviving coal, he’s leaning in on worker health and safety.
Since taking office in 2023, replacing the retiring Democrat John Yarmuth, McGarvey has staked out a different path from his Republican colleagues, who have fought to shield coal from environmental rules and market pressures.
Instead, he’s focused on remedying the industry’s past harms and helping coal communities transition into Democrats’ envisioned clean energy economy.
McGarvey’s past legislative efforts — including the “Relief for Survivors of Miners Act,” which he has led, and the “Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act,” which he co-sponsored — aimed to strengthen benefits for miners suffering from debilitating diseases tied to years in the mines. He plans to reintroduce the survivors of miners bill this Congress.
