WASHINGTON, DC (WTRF) - U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, says mine workers have powered our country.
He says they have powered not only our homes but also our economy with the work they've done for years.
He said they've also protected our nation in World War II, Vietnam and Korea.
So Brown said he is working on fixing their pension system.
"If we can't get the President involved and the Republicans in the Senate and House involved--and Senator Portman has tried--but if we can't get them involved, this is a huge cut to miners' pensions and we can't let that happen. Senator Manchin and I are committed to making sure we fix this."
"I'm very committed to helping our miners secure their pensions as they were promised, as they worked for, as they contributed to," said Senator Shelley Moore-Capito, R-West Virginia. "I'm working obviously with Senator Manchin on this. It's important. Time is running out here."
Senator Moore-Capito said the pension fund is due to become insufficient in 2021 or 2022, and in her words, "that's pretty close."
Senator Sherrod Brown urges retired miners and miners' widows to speak out and tell their stories.
He says the loss of their promised funding would hurt not only those families, but the communities where they live, because not as much money would be spent at the grocery store, the hardware store or the drugstore.