Coal miners backed Trump. He’s dismantled their safety net

OAK HILL, WEST VIRGINIA CNN —

After decades of mining coal deep below the mountains of West Virginia, David Bounds now struggles to carry a gallon of milk to the breakfast table without gasping for breath. The black lung disease that forced him to retire eventually may kill him, Bounds believes.

He’s proud of being a coal miner. But he doesn’t want anyone else to face his fate – or the myriad other dangers miners confront on the job.

“It’s getting worse, and worse, and worse as I go along. I don’t want to see nobody in that shape, if it can be prevented,” he told CNN.

So Bounds has watched in dismay as the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have slashed protections for coal miners.

A CNN investigation has found that in just five months, Presid