Central Appalachian coal miners powered the country for generations, but now, deadly black lung disease is on the rise. Thousands of miners are suffering with this terrible disease, caused by inhaling coal and silica dust.

Coal miners disabled by black lung disease are eligible to receive a monthly disability payment as compensation. But these payments haven’t kept up with inflation, especially as costs for key necessities like food, electricity and gasoline continue to skyrocket.

A new bill — the Support Our Miners Act — aims to fix this by increasing the disability benefit from $794 to $1,252 per month for a single person. This would provide additional $458 per month — or $5,500 per year — to help these miners make ends meet after they became sick helping to power our country.

Coal miners and their families rely on this monthly payment to afford groceries and housing, and for years have been asking lawmakers to raise black lung benefits.

But many members of Congress are pushing for a billion-dollar ballroom and tax breaks for billionaires, have voted in support of building a golden arch, and have given hundreds of millions of dollars in tax cuts to coal and gas companies — all while ignoring the hardworking coal miners with black lung who sacrificed their health.

In a nation as wealthy as the United States, the men and women who’ve spent their lives working to power the company deserve so much better.

Tell your lawmakers: Support a black lung benefits increase NOW!