FACT-CHECKING MORGAN GRIFFITH’S OCTOBER 16th E-NEWSLETTER ABOUT COAL:

Morgan Griffith’s Weekly E-Newsletter dated 10.16.26 is POLITICAL POSTURING AT BEST, and AT WORST IS A POLITICALLY SLANTED, PARTISAN NARRATIVE which exaggerates his personal influence and provides slanted explanations of coal economics.

Here are the first 6 paragraphs of the E-Newsletter as published:

American coal requires fighters in its corner. In our corner of Virginia, I am proud to be in the ring to support a vital industry for communities in Virginia’s Ninth Congressional District.

As such, I have supported legislation and signed many letters as one of the co-chairs of the United States House of Representatives Coal Caucus.

Some of those letters have gone to encourage the Trump Administration to be aggressive in promoting coal.

And the President, always a coal supporter, has heard our voice.

Perhaps no president this century has been as supportive of coal as President Donald Trump. 

Griffith states in his letter… “I am proud to be in the ring…I helped secure this trade win.”...implying that he personally influenced Trump’s coal negotiations with China yet there is no public record of Griffith having…

·       a private meeting with Trump about coal

·       direct involvement in trade negotiations

·       any influence over Trump’s coal policy

The facts are that the only thing Morgan Griffith did was sign group letters urging coal prioritization which likely went to the US trade negotiations team or the State Department; clearly overstating his influence and delivering a politically slanted message to his readers.

Griffith goes on to state… “Perhaps no other president this century has been as supportive of coal as President Donald Trump…the Obama-Biden “War on Coal” constrained American coal production.” which at best is political messaging rather than fact, and at worst is a partisan slogan seeking to mislead voters.

The facts are…

·       coal has declined under every president this century including Donald Trump

·       coal’s decline has been brought on by cheaper natural gas, global competition and oversupply, and international climate policies

·       even coal executives acknowledge market forces, not a “war on coal” by any president as the primary driver for the decline of coal

Griffith clearly oversimplifies the decline of coal to frame a political narrative and improve his position on coal in the eyes of voters who in a few short weeks will make a choice whether to send him back to Washington or not.

Griffith clearly misleads voters by implication “I helped lead efforts …Trump heard our voice…I helped secure this trade win.”Griffith implies that his personal leadership engaging the Trump administration enabled him to have a direct influence on prioritizing American coal in Chinese trade negotiations; and he then takes credit “I am proud to help secure this trade win” for new Chinese coal imports in 2027.

While the real-world facts are…

·       Griffith signed group letters

·       Griffith attended events

·       Griffith did not negotiate new trade deals

·       And there is no evidence he had any direct influence on Trump’s coal commitments

While blowing his own horn to mislead voters on his efforts to secure new coal trade deals, Griffith omits mentioning that Southwest Virginia coal production is less than 2% of total US coal production, and omits coal production jobs have declined under every administration…

Worst of all his voting for the H.R. 1 bill,Griffith, does more harm to coal miners and other SWVA low-income residents than any other legislation has during his entire 16-year tenure.

The FACTS are clear, the “big, beautiful H.R. 1 bill:

·       cuts SNAP food assistance

·       reduces SNAP benefit growth (i.e. keep pace with inflation)

·       increases risk of Medicaid coverage loss

·       harms the poorest people in Morgan Griffith’s VA-9 district