Joe Manchin

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a resolution that would recognize September as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. In the United States, more than 15,000 kids are diagnosed with cancer every single year, and more than 300,000 children are diagnosed globally. On average, more than 75 children in West Virginia alone are diagnosed with cancer every year, which has been a steady increase over the last 10 years. We have made a lot of progress over the last few decades in research for prevention and care, but there is more work to be done. That is why I am here today to continue the drumbeat and elevate the issue. I will share a story of a young man I met just last week. On Friday, I had the honor of visiting with students and teachers at George Washington High School in Charleston, WV. One student by the name of Nicholas ``Nick'' Spence came up to me during my visit and shared that at age 15 he was diagnosed with cancer. He later sent me a letter telling me about his story and asked me to help raise awareness of childhood cancer, which I assumed we had already done since we have done it for adult cancer. Nick's letter goes like this: Dear Senator Manchin, Thank you for visiting my school on Friday. It was really cool to meet you. As I shared with you in person, at age 15 my life was changed forever. Before then, it never crossed my mind that I would become a cancer patient, much less a pediatric one. I was diagnosed with cancer and underwent chemotherapy. As a result, in May 2018, I had to have my leg amputated. After two long years, I am proud to say that I finally overcame and defeated my cancer, and I'm currently a senior at George Washington High School. I feel very strongly that there needs to be more awareness about childhood cancer in West Virginia, and I appreciated speaking with you about that during your visit. That's why I'm writing today to ask you to continue fighting for West Virginians and to do whatever you can to help raise awareness about childhood cancer. Signed, Nick Spence Thank you, Nick, for standing up and reaching out to me. I will never forget how you walked across the gym after we were done with the meeting with all of the students at your high school, and I was impressed by your willingness to stand up and come over and tell me, basically, what you were concerned about and what you want to change. In addition, I would also like to recognize some very special guests who have driven here today from West Virginia, and they are in the Senate Chamber today. From Charleston, WV, we have Kelly Wymer, Ali Wymer, and Cherie White. I thank them for attending and being here. They are in town representing the West Virginia Kids Cancer Crusaders at the CureFest here in DC on the National Mall. When Ali was just 6\1/2\ years old, she was diagnosed with cancer. She underwent 2\1/2\ years of treatment, including two surgeries and chemotherapy. We are so proud to have Ali here in the Chamber with us today. She is currently 21 years old and healthy as can be. They said ``healthy as a horse.'' I say ``healthy as can be.'' She is a student at BridgeValley Community and Technical College, majoring in healthcare--what else? Nick, I know you are at home watching this now, and I just want to thank you. I really want to thank you for sharing your story with me. It really touched me how brave you are for speaking up and advocating for people other than yourself. I am glad we were able to do this in such quick order. Usually things don't happen this quickly in Washington, but, truly, when it comes to the children of our country and our home State, it means so much to us. I am proud to say that this is a bipartisan resolution, and I have teamed up with Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri to introduce this resolution. This resolution is also supported by Senator Jack Reed from Rhode Island and my fellow West Virginia Senator, Shelley Moore Capito. In addition to recognizing September as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, this resolution calls on Federal, State, and local governments, along with nonprofit organizations, to create and host programs and activities that focus on increasing public knowledge on the risks of cancer. Finally, this resolution recognizes the human toll of cancer and makes a pledge that the United States of America will make the prevention and cure of cancer a public health priority. I am proud to introduce this resolution. And, Nick, thank you again. Ali, thank you, and thanks to all of those who are so brave and the families who support them and help raise awareness for childhood cancer. I urge all of my colleagues--all of my colleagues--to join me in supporting this resolution. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I thank my colleague Senator Capito. We are very proud West Virginians, born and raised in West Virginia, as you can tell by our presentations. It is a special day where we can say happy birthday to Wheeling. Wheeling is an unbelievable historical city, when you think about it. When you think about the State of West Virginia, we were the only State forged out of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln's handprint was all over our State, and basically he was involved in our becoming a State in 1863. The significance of the formation of our State--and Wheeling being a major economic stronghold because of the river, because of the gateway--can you believe that in 1949, when the suspension bridge was built, it was called the Gateway to the West? It is not that far from here, maybe 4 hours' drive. So you can see how our country has expanded and how quickly it expanded. The lessons learned during the construction of the bridge were later used to build the Brooklyn Bridge. I want to tell Senator Schumer that we helped. I am sure he would be pleased with that. In 1933, the Wheeling Jamboree--the Wheeling Jamboree was the longest. People will tell you, during World War II, they would hear-- because it was 50,000 watts, they would hear it on the battleships. It was unbelievable. The music, the talent, the country music that came out of there from some of the most famous artists of the time and still yet to this day passed through Wheeling. These points in time showcase the importance of the city of Wheeling and the State of West Virginia throughout American history. I keep thinking about the Marsh Wheeling stogies. Anybody who maybe liked to smoke a cigar every now and then--that was 1840, and it is still in operation. It is unbelievable. Of course Senator Capito talked about Wheeling Steel. It had a tremendous industrial might there for many, many years. As talked about also, the Zane brothers established a settlement in 1769. Continuing to join the Zane brothers, people came from all over. A small settlement kept growing and growing like the country was at that time. Wheeling's Fort Henry played a role in what is considered the last battle of the Revolutionary War. It was a significant strategic point for us. The Restored Government of Virginia at that time--Virginia seceded in 1861. In 1861, there was no Virginia as we know Virginia today. They moved over to Western Virginia, which is where Wheeling is. That was the restored government, and that is where the capital was. That was all through Arthur Boreman. In 1863--we have a statue in the capital that has Abraham Lincoln walking at midnight deciding whether he is going to sign the proclamation. The country is already divided; now he is going to divide a State. That had not been done because basically, up until then, the Constitution was very clear: You had to have permission from the territory you were in or from another State to secede. But Abraham Lincoln took it upon himself. If you see the beautiful, unusual shape of our State, there are very few straight lines. Especially when you see the zoning of the eastern panhandle--it is an hour-and-10-minute drive from here--you have Harpers Ferry and John Brown's raid in 1859, which kicked off the Civil War. Then you have the railroads, the confluence of the Shenandoah and the Potomac. It is just unbelievable. He knew he needed that arsenal. This is the folklore. I don't know if it is true or not, but it is a good story. The three counties we have over there are Morgan, Berkeley, and Jefferson. It was said that after the war, they were supposed to have a referendum and a vote to see if it would go back to the State of Virginia. Well, I am understanding that Ulysses S. Grant, who was then the President--it is said that he stationed quite a few troops that had voting rights, and the rest is history because it is still West Virginia. There are really some good anecdotes about that. Wheeling became the provisional capital for the split in the western part of Virginia during the Civil War. There are so many parts of Wheeling that I have become so fond of, and the people. The ``Wheeling feeling'' is a saying they have. They have a Wheeling Jamboree. They have a Wheeling Italian festival. The ethnicity of that community is unbelievable. It brings everybody together, and it has brought everybody together. Having been raised in Farmington--Shelley was raised about 2 hours north of me. Back in those days, it was a good 2-hour drive. I am a little bit farther in the north-central part of the State, closer to Fairmont-Morgantown. But knowing about that--Wheeling was the hub. It was the place to go. It was basically the gateway also at that time into Pittsburgh, and it is still considered a distant suburb of Pittsburgh to a certain extent. The economy, the history, the people-- some famous people, some productive people--a lot of our leaders come from that area. When Wheeling became the first capital--we couldn't decide where the capital of West Virginia should be, so they floated up and down the Ohio River, back to Charleston and back to Wheeling, Charleston and Wheeling, until it settled in Charleston, WV. I am just proud to be standing here with my colleague today. For those who live in Wheeling today and those who have lived in Wheeling at some time in their lives or have family--because all the good- quality jobs are there, good union jobs, well-paying jobs and benefits--to all of them, there is a special place in our hearts for Wheeling, WV, a special place in American history for Wheeling, WV, and a special place in all of our hearts for the State of West Virginia. I say thank you and happy birthday to a great city of ours and to the great State of West Virginia. We are proud this has become a resolution that has been entered and accepted. With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, today I wish to honor the legacy of a member of our Greatest Generation: Pearl Harbor survivor, Purple Heart recipient, and World War II Veteran--American Hero--Wetzel ``Sundown'' Sanders. Born on June 25, 1923, in East Lynn, to Barney and Emma Jane Sanders, Wetzel grew up working in his father's coal mines. He was humble and kind with an unparalleled sense of humor, and his devotion to God, State, and country was unmatched. I was honored to call him a friend, and I know I join so many when I say West Virginia has lost a shining star. He is dearly missed. Ever since the historic beginning of our State, we have never failed to answer our country's call. No demand has been too great, no danger too daunting, and no trial too threatening. Wetzel wanted so dearly to serve our country that, when he was 17, he lied about his age to join the Army. It was in the military that he received the nickname ``Sundown'' because of a childhood story he told his Army buddies. As a boy, he and a friend would occasionally sneak into a chicken pen, grab one of the birds, then sneak off to the woods where they would butcher their ill-gotten fowl and have a chicken fry. A sergeant asked him, ``When's the best time to steal a chicken?'' He replied, ``Well, any time after sundown.'' The name stuck. Wetzel served as an anti-aircraft gunner stationed at Hospital Point at Pearl Harbor on the day of the Japanese attack, December 7, 1941. During the attack, he shot down Japanese fighter planes that were about to attack the hospital. Wetzel was wounded during the attack, and it was an absolute honor to work on his behalf and present him with the Purple Heart nearly 76 years later. Along with so many of his friends and fellow veterans, we presented Wetzel with the Purple Heart that he so rightfully earned on that fateful day. We all hold that memory dear and are deeply thankful to have presented that award to Wetzel in person. Wetzel remained in Hawaii until March of 1942. From there, he traversed the Pacific, fighting the Japanese on Guadalcanal and Bougainville Island. His outfit was about to head to the invasion of the Philippines when a colonel from Morgantown sent him home. The colonel asked how long he had been away, and when Wetzel told him, he responded, ``Lord, how do you stand it? I've been out of West Virginia for six months, and it's about to kill me. If you've got anything to pack, pack it.'' Wetzel agreed with him, and after 3 years and 4 months overseas, he finally made it back home. After serving in the military, Wetzel worked for and retired from the Department of Highways. Never one to be comfortable in retirement, he became a bus driver for Tri-River Transit System, where he earned the title of, at the age of 89, the oldest bus driver in America. Throughout the rest of his extraordinary life, Wetzel continued to pay homage to his fallen comrades, attending multiple anniversary ceremonies of Pearl Harbor. When visitors come to West Virginia, I jump at the chance to tell them we are home to the most hard-working and patriotic people in the Nation. We have fought in more wars, shed more blood, and lost more lives for the cause of freedom than most any State. We have always done the heavy lifting and never complained. We have mined the coal and forged the steel that built the guns, ships, and factories that have protected and continue to protect our country to this day. I am so deeply proud of what West Virginians, like Wetzel, have accomplished and what they will continue to accomplish to protect the freedoms we hold dear. We have every reason to be proud and to stand tall knowing that West Virginia is the reason Americans sleep peacefully at night. Wetzel is survived by three children, Sherry Handley, Beverly Sanders, and Greg (Regina) Sanders; two grandchildren, B.J. (Tracey) and Ashley Sanders; three great-grandchildren, Savannah (Kyle) Handley- Watts, Georgia, and Macon Handley; his sister Willa Faye Fry; and a host of many, many extended family and dear friends. I know he and Kathleen are smiling down on each of you. West Virginia is great because our people are great--Mountaineers who will always be free. We are tough, independent, inventive, and honest, our character shaped by the wilderness of our State--its rushing streams, its boundless blue skies, its divine forests, and its majestic mountains. We are West Virginians, and like the brave, loyal patriots who made our State the 35th star on Old Glory, our love of God and country and family and State is unshakeable. I know that 20, 50, or another 156 years from now, that will always remain the same. That legacy laid the groundwork for heroes like Wetzel, and now he serves as an inspiration to all who wish to follow in his footsteps and live a life filled with patriotism, service, faith, and family. There are so few of our American heroes left from Wetzel's generation. It is our responsibility and our privilege to ensure that their service and sacrifice is never forgotten. It is an honor to have called Wetzel a friend and to have helped him receive the recognition he very much earned and deserved. The sun will never set on Wetzel's legacy of service, his generosity, his love for his family, and his devotion to God, our home State, and our beautiful country.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, it is an honor to recognize the legacy of Steve Antoline as fearless leader in business, a dedicated philanthropist, and a proud West Virginian who has made substantial contributions to our home State. One of the greatest milestones we achieved when I was West Virginia's Governor was when the Boy Scouts of America committed to bringing a world-class scouting facility to the Mountain State, and Steve was a vital part of that process. Today, the Summit Bechtel Reserve is homebase every 4 years for tens of thousands of Boy Scouts from across the country. I assembled government officials, business leaders, and private volunteers into what I called the West Virginia Project Arrow Task Force in order to convince the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America of what we already knew--that the ideal place for this facility was in the adventurous terrains and magnificent mountains of West Virginia. The Boy Scouts and West Virginia truly are a perfect match--an organization that builds character, inspires reverences, and promotes the values of hard work and compassion, and a State whose people live and breathe those values every day. Steve was able to create and manage so many wonderful programs through the camp. He worked on the Reaching the Summit Boy Scout Community Service Initiative, organizing and garnering support for more than 34 projects that utilized countless hours of community service for Nicholas County. Also in Nicholas County, he serves as the chairman of the Young Life Wild Ridge Camp Executive Committee and also as a sponsor of the Young Life organization for the county. With Steve's input, Young Life is currently in the early stages of building the Wild Ridge Camp, which will host more than 22,000 children per year, providing educational opportunities to develop leadership skills, civic responsibility, and moral values. As one of the founding fathers of the Summit Bechtel Reserve Scout Camp, I cannot think of a more fitting tribute to his legacy than the Steve Antoline Family Conservation Center and Trail. The coal from that property helped build the Panama Canal. The timber that from that property helped build the boats that helped win WWII. It has so much historical value, and now it builds the tallest timber--our future leaders. And as Scouts walk by the newly dedicated bronze tribute in honor of Steve's legacy, it is my hope they are inspired by the man who has surrounded them with opportunities here in West Virginia. The Conservation Center will offer hands-on exhibits, projects, and a laboratory for Scouts and youth to further understand and promote conservation efforts. This project is being designed and built by Steve, along with collaborative efforts from the Boy Scouts of America and West Virginia University. Beyond the camp, Steve has contributed greatly to the surrounding region. He has founded and operated various companies that include operations in natural gas, production, excavation, contracting, property development and biosciences research companies. Among his many accomplishments for West Virginia is Superior Highwall Miners, Inc., a business based in Beckley that grew into the world's largest manufacturer of highwall mining equipment. His efforts brought in countless jobs and showcased West Virginia's vast potential across the globe. Steve serves as cochairman of the new WVU Children's Hospital Building Campaign and also serves on the hospital's advisory board. He is the owner of New River Labs, LLC and KEM Research Group, LLC, a cancer research company performing state-of-the-art diagnostic services for esophageal, cervical, melanoma, pancreatic, prostate, and many other forms of cancer. At Summit Resources, Inc., Steve serves as owner and president, specializing on excavation, land management, and investment. Other organizations he has been involved with include the Remember the Miners Organization, the Norma Mae Huggins Cancer Research Foundation, Summersville Youth Athletics, Raleigh County, YMCA, Beckley Chamber of Commerce, and the Fayette and Nicholas County chapter of the American Red Cross. Put simply, Steve is a West Virginian, through and through. He knows our communities inside and out and has strived throughout his endeavors to give back to the people of West Virginia, particularly to our future leaders. He has a passion for providing our State's youth with every opportunity possible to achieve success. With thanks to his efforts at Summit Bechtel and beyond, countless opportunities have been created and will continue to come to fruition in the days and years ahead. I wish the very best for Steve and his family: his wife, Jamie; his children, Emily, Madison, and Kristopher; and his grandchildren Nina and Hunter. I am honored to join them and all West Virginians in celebrating Steve's lifelong commitment to excellence in the Mountain State.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, once again I am here to announce a looming deadline hanging over the heads of our hard-working and patriotic coal miners. It is a shame that we have to do this again, and the reason is that we didn't fix it the first time. If we don't pass the American Miners Act, there will be 1,200 retired coal miners who will lose their healthcare by the end of this year. Those 1,200 coal miners spent a lifetime underground, in part, digging the coal that we needed to become the strongest and greatest Nation the world has ever seen. They have always done the heavy lifting. They gave up raises and bonuses year after year in exchange for the promise of economic security when they retired. So they paid for this. They held up their end of the bargain, and it is time that we held up ours. Why is the healthcare of retired coal miners once again on the chopping block? We have gone through this before. It is because of the courts. Our court system has again allowed coal companies to break their promises to their workers. Through bankruptcy, they were able to shed their obligations to pay for these hard-earned healthcare and pension benefits, and then they were able to reemerge from bankruptcy as a profitable company once all the money was basically taken from them. This time around, it was Westmoreland Coal Company and Mission Coal Company that both declared bankruptcy approximately at the same time in 2018. For those of you who think this is another big government program, let me share a little history with you. In 1946, due to the horrendous working conditions our miners faced every day, there was a nationwide strike. It brought our Nation's economy to its knees. President Truman dispatched the Secretary of the Interior, Julius Krug, to meet with the president of the United Mine Workers of America, John L. Lewis. They ended that strike by signing the Krug-Lewis Agreement, which created a retirement fund and healthcare benefits for our Nation's miners and their families that had the full backing of the U.S. Government. It was not coming from government tax dollars. It did not come from the people of the United States paying for this retirement and pension plan and healthcare. It came from every ton of coal that was sold. From that time forward, there would be a certain amount of that set aside. So they worked for it, and they paid for it. It was part of their compensation. Unfortunately, over 70 years later, we are still fighting to make good on that promise. Then, in the 1980s, with the bankruptcy laws changing the way they did, people were basically walking away. This money was there. Somebody got it. Usually, through the bankruptcy, it was dispersed to the creditors and not to the miners who had earned it. That is what we are really talking about. We have the chance today to pass my bill, the American Miners Act, along with all of my colleagues who worked so hard with us on that, to ensure that once and for all these coal miners and their wives and children will not lose their healthcare and pension benefits and will get them back. It is fully offset and will not cost the taxpayers a dime. We are using money that we are not only borrowing, but basically it is from abandoned mine land money, of which we have excesses, which can still take care of the obligations we have to use it for those who mine the coal. The entire Democratic caucus cosponsored this bill when it was filed on the National Defense Authorization Act last month. Everybody signed off. If our colleague here, the Senator from Kentucky, would just put it on the agenda, it would pass. It came out of the Finance Committee last year in a bipartisan vote--a very strong bipartisan vote. We all know we have made a commitment to the people who work so hard. I am asking all of us to keep our promise the way we did when we passed the Miners Protection Act, which saved the healthcare of 22,600 miners. We need to finish the job, but guess what. We still have 87,000 miners who are going to lose their pensions by no later than 2022 if we don't do something. This adds another 1,200 who are going to lose their healthcare by the end of the year. So the crunch time is here. These people have worked hard. Let me tell you about the pensions. The people who would receive the pensions are mostly widows. Do you know what the average pension is? Less than $600 a month--less than $600 a month for the people who have worked for 20, 30, 40 years underground and have provided the energy to keep the lights on in the country and have kept our country strong enough to help us win every war. I am happy that my colleagues have joined me here today. I am happy that my neighboring Senator from the great State of Virginia is right here beside me. Senator Kaine has been a champion working very hard for the coal miners in Southwest Virginia who have contributed so much to our country and basically worked very closely with the miners in West Virginia. We are proud to have him here. So without further conversation from me, I am going to now turn it over to my good friend and colleague Senator Tim Kaine from Virginia. I yield the floor.

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, if I could, first of all, thank my colleague from Virginia, my dear friend Senator Kaine. I just want to touch on one thing before we have Senator Casey speak on behalf of all the coal miners he represents in the State of Pennsylvania. On the Black Lung Fund, a lot of people don't know, the House of Representatives basically, 2 years ago, passed a bill reducing the fund from $1.10 to 55 cents. I called over to my friends and colleagues in the House, and I said: You would think we don't need the money anymore because we have cured black lung--but it is just the contrary. We have more diseases and more younger people getting black lung, and I will tell you the reason why. When mining coal, you are cutting through a lot of rock, and you get silica coming out from that. We are cutting into more rock than ever before. We have even more younger miners contracting black lung. We need to fund more now than ever before, and this is not the time to cut it. That 55 cents a ton makes a difference between solvency or not, curing people or the Federal Government having to step in. The coal miners have been proud to pay their own way. They paid for their pension. They paid for their healthcare. They didn't take money home because when they negotiated, this is how much stayed in the fund. Basically, somebody received that money, the benefit, but not the people who worked for it. Now they are willing to try to fix that with the coal they mined from the abandoned mine land money. That is all we are asking for. We will take care of our own problems. We are begging the majority leader of this respected body to please put this bill on the floor and let the body vote on it because we have had good bipartisan support. Everybody respects the person providing the energy who protected this country, and that is all we are asking for. There is no one who has fought harder and worked harder on this than Senator Casey from Pennsylvania, and that is another State that borders West Virginia that we are proud of and are very close with, and they have given so much. With that, I yield the floor to Senator Casey.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I can't express enough what Chris Cline meant to our home State of West Virginia. He represented the very best of the Mountain State, which is saying a lot. Born in McDowell County and raised a stone's throw from the train tracks in the coalfields of Beckley, Chris's family was wealthy beyond measure in the only currency that truly matters: love, work ethic, and profound strength of character. One of my favorite stories about Chris is, when he was a child, he filled bags with dirt for his father, Paul, to use for blasting holes at the mine. His father paid him a penny per bag. It was once the front porch caved in that his father realized he had been getting the dirt from beneath it. Chris said that was how he learned the importance of infrastructure. He never lost touch with the days he would come home from a shift in the mines as a young man of only 15, his face caked in coal dust. In fact, he kept his first hard hat, battered from years of hard labor, in a place of honor at his home in Beckley. From this foundation, he built an opportunity empire. From the early days of Pioneer Fuel to when Chris founded Foresight Energy, much of the success he gained was returned to the men and women who keep the lights on. He treated his workforce as family, knowing very well what it was like to be in their shoes, and so he invested in the safest, most innovative, and efficient tools and methods. His coal enterprises took him from Appalachia to Illinois to Canada. He offered cash incentives to his miners, installed advanced and safe mining equipment, and was ahead of his time in anticipating the market for coal. Chris believed it was not enough to be innovative, you need a little luck. At Foresight, his four mine complexes were the most productive underground operations in the Nation. He bought docks on the Mississippi River and built rail spurs to haul coal onto ships bound for India, Europe, and Asia. Chris understood opponents of burning coal while defending coal and his role in supplying the world with it. He believed that people deserved the cheapest energy they could get. He had a curious mind, was eager to learn about everything, and never stopped learning. As committed as he was to coal energy, for his Big Grand Cay property, he installed solar panels and batteries. Where renewable energy sources made sense, he was eager to embrace them. There is no greater accomplishment in the world than to be in a position to give back to the community you love, that made you who you are. That is what made Chris the wonderful, inspiring, and generous person he was. Through the Cline Family Foundation, founded in 2009, Chris made a profound impact on Marshal University and West Virginia University. His legacy will remain forever in the hearts of all who had the privilege of knowing him, and he will be remembered through the countless lives he benefited with his generosity to our academic institutions. Chris believed with all his heart that West Virginians are the most hard-working, ethical people in our Nation, and he wanted to ensure they had every opportunity to utilize their skills with the best possible resources to build their lives from the ground up, just as he did. His mission was for each of his accomplishments to pave the way for others to go even further than he did. Chris was generous with his philanthropy publicly through the Cline Family Foundation, but most importantly, he was generous and compassionate privately, almost daily. The foundation focuses on donations throughout West Virginia in recognition of the community's contribution to his success. It offers scholarships and grants, endows universities, and financially supports charitable organizations that make life better for children and older youth. Chris once said that everyone in West Virginia contributed to his success, and he was determined to repay the favor. He certainly did, and our statewide community is better for it. Among other donations, the Cline Family Foundation supported Place of Hope, a foster care and adoption organization; Peacehaven Community Farm, a home for disabled adults; orphanages in West Virginia and Haiti; Save the Children; humanitarian aid organizations in Tanzania; churches; and the Raleigh County YMCA, among other organizations, and many needy individuals over the years. He also supported the Benjamin School from which his daughter Kameron graduated in 2015. Few people beyond the recipients know details of Mr. Cline's many and constant personal acts of private charity. Sharing his adventures with his four children and his lifelong friends was his absolute favorite way to spend his time. He would take crowds of friends and family to the Super Bowl, the Big East Tournament, countless other sporting events, and on his frequent world travels. Chris was an adventure junkie, always looking forward to the next time he could drive a fast car or ride a four-wheeler through the West Virginia hills. I can't speak enough to what a good-hearted, wonderful person he truly was. I always thought of him as a man for all seasons. No matter the circumstances, he kept a cool head and a warm demeanor, always able to discern the most honorable path forward. It was an honor to call him my friend, and I miss him dearly. I join all West Virginians in extending my deepest condolences to his children, Candice and her husband James, Christopher, and Alex, for the loss of their loving father and their sister, Kameron. I also extend my condolences to Chris's brothers Greg and Kenneth. It is my hope the entire Cline family is able to find peace, strength, and support in one another.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I come before this body, I come before all of those in America to explain a little bit of what we had before the Affordable Care Act and where we are today. I wasn't here in 2009 when they passed the Affordable Care Act. I was the Governor of the State of West Virginia, my beautiful State. I can tell you about the type of healthcare in a rural State--a rural, hard- working State--where people have worked hard all their lives. They have been challenged, but they really have given so much to this great country. Most of them did not have insurance. A lot of people across America had some really good insurance, but a lot of working people--hard-working people or people of less means, poor people--did not have access. Let me tell you what they used. They used the emergency room--the highest cost of entry with no preventive care, nothing at all to maintain health or wellness--but they would go there in an emergency. That is what most people who didn't have any insurance used. Let me tell you about the people who basically were working and could not afford the copays where they worked or weren't afforded insurance at places where they worked. If they were ill or if they got hurt at home, working, they would go into work on Monday and make a worker's comp claim, again, at a very high cost to all of the States. At the end of the year, and I think this is in most States, they would come to you--every hospital, every rural clinic would come to their Governor and their legislature; we would call them DSH payments, disproportionate share--and say: Governor Manchin, if you don't help me with $10 million or $12 million--I have given away $20 million in charity care--we are going to have to close. We had to scramble around, using taxpayer dollars to keep every rural clinic and hospital open for the people. People forget about all of that. For those who had wonderful access to insurance or were offered insurance, that was wonderful. We want to make sure they still have that opportunity. Guess what. We have a way to fix this. There have been two bills sitting on Senator McConnell's desk for almost 3 years that would reduce the cost--what we know is wrong with the bill--the Affordable Care Act. Let me tell you what is right with the Affordable Care Act. I wasn't here in 2009. I would like to have seen changes, but now that I am here, I know what I had before, which wasn't working, and I know what we have now can be a lot better. In a bipartisan way we have tried to fix this. We have tried to find ways to make sure that people who had good insurance are not going to be exorbitantly charged out of the market or priced out of the market. We are doing everything we possibly can. I am asking everybody, please, for the sake of humanity, if a person for the first time has ever gotten insurance--and I have told people this. We gave people the greatest wealth card you could ever get, which is a health card, but we didn't give them one shred of evidence as far as information about how to use it--the instructions. I compare it to this: If you bought a box of Cracker Jacks, you would get the prize inside, and they would show you how to use that little prize. We never took the time, but now they want to throw it out. Let's make an effort to basically teach people how to live a healthier lifestyle, how to use preventive care, how to have a more productive and a healthier life. We haven't done any of that. For the first time, we know, scientifically, if a person is addicted to drugs--if they are addicted--it is basically a health problem. It is an illness. An illness needs treatment. For the first time, in a State that has been inundated with opioid addiction and drug addiction, people are able to get treatment, get back into a productive lifestyle and get their lives cleaned up. For the first time they want to take that away. Out of 1.8 million people who live in my State, there are 800,000 West Virginians who have some form of preexisting condition because they have worked in the mines and the factories. They were hard workers. Those people, if you have ever talked to them, if you have ever talked to rural Americans in any State, you can ask: How are you doing? I am OK. I am OK. How is your health? Well, I don't want to be a burden to my family. Let me tell you what they are telling you when they say ``I don't want to be a burden to my family.'' They are saying: I can't afford insurance. I don't have insurance. I am not going to break my family and put them in bankruptcy to try to keep me alive. So whatever the good Lord has planned for me, I will accept. That is not who we are as Americans. It is just not who we are. This is what we are trying to change. We have 20 attorneys general, Republican attorneys general. These are people I know. I don't think they are mean-spirited, but to be this insensitive to the real world and what is going to happen--every hospital, every clinic, every provider is going to be in jeopardy of not having a job or being able to provide the services people need. This thing will come unraveled--unraveled. We are fighting and hoping and praying that this is not upheld in the court system. How it has gotten this far I do not know. I can tell you, reasonable people would not make this type of decision. When you look at what is going on--let me tell you, in a bipartisan way, my Republican colleagues have admitted that millions of Americans will lose their health insurance if the Republican attorneys general succeed. They have admitted this. It is bipartisan because we all have the same challenges. Senator Tillis from North Carolina and nine other Republicans stated that oral arguments in Texas v. United States will begin September 5, and if a judge rules in favor of the plaintiffs, protections for patients with preexisting conditions could be eliminated. We know that. My good friend Senator Murkowski from Alaska said, in her own words, that this lawsuit will take away healthcare coverage from people with preexisting conditions. Senator Murkowski said: ``With the uncertainty of the outcome in the upcoming Texas v. United States case, this legislation is needed now more than ever to give Alaskans, and all Americans, the certainty they need that protections for those with pre- existing conditions will remain intact.'' My Republican colleagues know that if these attorneys general win, it will devastate households, our economy, and millions and millions of Americans' health. That is why I have been working with them to fix the problems of the Affordable Care Act. I introduced the Premium Reduction Act with my Republican colleague and dear friend Senator Susan Collins from Maine. It would reduce the cost of health insurance in the individual market by supporting and expanding State-based health insurance. We owe it to every West Virginian with a preexisting condition to fix our healthcare system. I would like to introduce you to Aiden Jackson Williams. This is Aiden Jackson Williams right here. Aiden is a 6-year-old cancer survivor from West Virginia. At 9 months old, he was diagnosed with an optic glioma and underwent chemotherapy for 16 months. At 2 years old, he was in remission. Aiden continues to get MRIs every 3 to 6 months, and there is a high chance of recurrence of other tumors in his body due to his condition. With that said, Aiden doesn't let it bother him. His parents are proud to say that today Aiden is doing great. He and his twin sister Reagan both enjoy sports, and he moves around just as well as anybody. To this day, Aiden is their hero and inspiration. Kids like Aiden have fought and beat cancer. They shouldn't also have to fight to keep their health insurance. What we are saying is that if the ACA goes away, Aiden will not have the certainty to be able to have health insurance, to have the MRIs to detect early enough to save his life. That is what we are talking about. This is life and death. This is life and death. This is not just a matter of the ideological differences that we have. We are going to fight and fight hard, and that is why I am here--for Aiden and all West Virginians with preexisting conditions. They are trusting us to do the right thing, along with my colleagues, the Republicans, in a bipartisan way, to fix what, basically, we have to know and what we do know that can be fixed with the bill before us, the Affordable Care Act, but not throw the baby out with the bath water. I hope that each one of my colleagues will take this seriously and that they will work with us in a bipartisan way to fix the healthcare for Americans that is so needed. With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, today I wish to honor a proud West Virginian, a dedicated public servant, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and a dear friend to all who had the pleasure of knowing her. It is a privilege to recognize the life and legacy of Mayor Reba Joy Honaker for her many years of dedicated service to the city of Welch and to our home State. A lifelong resident of McDowell County, growing up on Belcher Mountain, Mayor Honaker graduated from Welch High School and Concord College and was also a dedicated member of the Elkhorn Old Regular Baptist Church. Upon graduating from college, she taught home economics at Big Creek High School until the birth of her son. Later she began directing weddings and designing wedding cakes, a skill she taught to others. She was active with the American Association of University Women's McDowell Chapter, where she took the lead on the yearly arts and crafts festival with proceeds benefitting the advancement of women in higher education. In 1984, Mayor Honaker opened Flowers by Reba, a small business she owned and operated until 2006. Her volunteerism spanned the community, from helping to start the very successful Coal Camp Creations Company, to volunteering with the McDowell County Chamber of Commerce at various festivals and events. Mayor Honaker truly wanted the very best for McDowell County, helping to recreate events that took place in other areas of the State. She assumed her role as mayor of Welch in 2011 and was able to put her vision for the community to even greater use. Whether working with the Welch Kiwanis Club or the American Legion Post 8 Ladies Auxiliary, she was able to make a tremendous impact on the lives of countless families in the area. Most recently, we celebrated the opening of the Jack Caffrey Arts Center, a project near and dear to Mayor Honaker's heart that serves as a hub for cultural programs in McDowell County. Mayor Honaker represented the very best of West Virginia, which is saying quite a lot. In the Mountain State, if you are hungry, you will be fed. If you are lost, someone will not only give you directions but will offer to drive you to your destination. That is just who we are, and that is who Mayor Honaker was. We have lost a shining star in McDowell County, but her impact, vision, and her passion for this special community will last forever. It was an honor to have known her and to call her a friend. What is most important is that she lived a full life, surrounded by dear friends and family. It is my hope that her family and friends are able to find peace, strength, and support in one another. I extend my condolences to Charles, her loving husband of 57 years; her children, Darren and Patty, and Joi and Jeremy; her grandchildren, Christopher, Erik, Mason, Wyatt, and Paige; and her numerous extended family members and dear friends with the city of Welch. Again, I extend to you my most sincere condolences for our loss of this wonderful person. The unwavering love she had for her family, friends, community, and our home State will live on forever in the hearts of all who knew her.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the 75th anniversary of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park as a part of the National Park Service. It is no secret that my home State of West Virginia is one of the most naturally beautiful States in the Nation. As a native West Virginian and an outdoor enthusiast, I know just how important our wild and wonderful outdoor heritage is to our great State. Our sparkling rivers, sweeping valleys, and majestic mountains make our small State a true gem and beckon sports and outdoor enthusiasts from all over the world. It is vital to the Mountain State that the natural beauty of our home State is protected and that we consistently strive to promote our endless tourism opportunities. For more than a century, the National Park Service has played a major role in this success by engaging communities through recreation, conservation, and historic preservation programs. To name just one significant contribution, the National Park Service has been working with the Fish and Wildlife Service and other experts and volunteers to help protect peregrine falcons and reintroduce them to the area. The use of DDT as a pesticide had all but caused the extinction of the species. Since the ban of DDT in the 1970s, the population of peregrine falcons have recovered significantly to due extensive conservation efforts. I am so deeply proud of what our citizens have accomplished and what they will continue to accomplish to preserve our forests, rivers, wildlife, and historic sites in the days and years ahead. Harpers Ferry, itself, has been a location that has greatly influenced our Nation's history. This community saw the arrival of the first successful American railroad, was the site of John Brown's raid on the Harpers Ferry Armory, saw the largest surrender of Federal troops during the Civil War, and was among the first locations to support the education of former slaves in one of the earliest integrated schools in the United States. It was of such significance that it changed hands seven times during the Civil War. Visiting this historic community is like stepping into the past. Whether visiting the park, strolling through the picturesque streets, visiting museums and battlefields, or hiking the trails, it reflects the West Virginia heritage and principles you just can't find anywhere else in the world. All of Harpers Ferry's features collectively make it one of West Virginia's most treasured destinations. Of course, even more special than our national historical monuments are the people who take such pride in maintaining the knowledge of our history and traditions and preserving the locations and commonsense values we hold dear. Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is treasured in the hearts of all West Virginians as a statewide community and beyond, and it is a privilege to recognize its 75th year in the National Park Service.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I rise today to call for immediate action on the American Miners Act. We have an obligation to the coal miners across America who served our Nation by providing us with energy through our greatest advancements. They deserve to know that the pensions they rightfully worked for will be funded fully. They deserve to have acceptable healthcare, which was guaranteed to them, and they paid for it. As the Senate fails to act, we continue to put our retired miners' healthcare and pension benefits in jeopardy yet again. I have been working with everyone from every angle in order to prevent our miners from losing their healthcare and retirement benefits, but, once again, they are facing a deadline that puts their whole livelihood at risk. This has been a long fight, and it is far from over. Everyone--and I mean everyone--who has joined me in this journey understands that they are fighting for the working people, and that is what we were sent here to do. These retired miners are walking the halls and fighting for what is rightfully theirs. I am doing this for them. I promised them that this body will not abandon them. I refuse to let them down. The 1974 pension plan will be insolvent by 2022 if we do not act now. Miners who receive their healthcare through companies that went bankrupt in 2018 are at risk of losing their coverage in the coming months if we fail to act soon. Unlike many other public-private pension plans, the 1974 pension plan was well managed and 94 percent funded prior to the crash of 2008. However, the 2008 crash hit at a time when the plan had its highest payment obligations to the retirees. If the plan becomes insolvent, these beneficiaries will face benefit cuts and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation will assume billions of dollars in liabilities. To address these issues, the American Miners Act would shore up the 1974 pension plan, which is headed for insolvency due to coal company bankruptcies and the 2008 financial crisis. It would ensure that the miners who are at risk due to the 2018 coal company bankruptcies will not lose their healthcare. It would extend the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund tax at $1.10 per ton of underground-mined coal and 55 cents per ton of surface-mined coal for 10 years. West Virginia has more retired miners than any other State. More than 27,000 retirees live in West Virginia alone. Most of those who are receiving these pensions are widows. The pensions for these widows-- basically, it is a family affair when someone in the family mines--on average is less than $600 per month--less than $600. They have worked for it. Their husbands worked for it. They have been counting on it. Basically, it is a lifeline for them. Because of the bankruptcies that have allowed companies to walk away from the legacy costs and leave them with nothing after they negotiated to not take home the pay to take care of this themselves, they are left in a very vulnerable position, which we should never have let happen. I have a letter from a retired coal miner to read to you today. I think it puts everything in perspective. This is Delbert from West Virginia, who was a miner for 35 years. He said: To the members of the Senate and House: Months ago, I walked the corridors of Washington, D.C., asking many members of Congress for help. I spoke with Mitch McConnell and bled my heart out to him, how this was not only the right thing to do but it was also a matter of life and death to many thousands of coal miners. If this letter is read on the Senate and House floors, I plead with each and every one of you to search your hearts and souls today. Close your eyes and imagine giving your youth and your entire working life to the coal industry, and the only promise you were given was a small retirement check and medical insurance. I know a favorable ruling for these miners will cost the taxpayers nothing. It will not lead to an increase in the deficit. I realize all we are asking for is the interest earned off the unused reclamation fund. Most coal companies are even on board with this. These miners have black lung. Many have to use oxygen 24 hours a day. Many have to use wheelchairs, walkers, and canes. Their bodies are broken. Please don't break their hearts, spirits, and souls also. Please save their lives and pass this bill today. He is a proud veteran of the Vietnam War, a proud coal miner, and a proud American. Please don't say no to these deserving miners and spouses. Let me give to you in a nutshell what they are asking for. In 1946, when Harry Truman was President, the Krug-Lewis Agreement was signed. That was John L. Lewis. The miners had to work for our industry and our economy to keep moving forward. Until that time they had no pension and no retirement. From that day forward it was promised to every miner that for every ton of coal that would be mined, there would be a certain set-aside on the price of coal that would go into their pension and retirement because it was an important industry and important commodity for the economy of our great country. After World War II, when the economy fell, miners were on strike, and they couldn't take care of themselves. This is how we got this bill, a guarantee from the Federal Government that they would be taken care of. It was not that the Federal taxpayer and government were going to pay for it. It was basically funded through the product they were mining and the products being sold, which gave them the resources to take care of their retirement and pensions. Somebody got this money when there was a bankruptcy, and it wasn't the people who worked for it. The bankruptcy laws in this country are so messed up that they don't give money to the human beings--they don't give it to the workers who basically worked for this and didn't take money home to their families because it was based in their retirement and pension plan, and then, all of a sudden, it is gone. All of the financial institutions line up first. It is not the working person at the front of the line. They are in the back of the line getting nothing. That is what we are trying to change here. We are trying to make sure that the people who have given everything they have for this great country--they are patriotic, they fought in the war, and they mined the coal that basically built America. Now we are about ready to let it go down. We had this bill fixed 3 years ago. I talked with Majority Leader McConnell about both the pension and the healthcare, but they separated it. We got the healthcare benefits for a certain portion of those people but not the pension plan. If there is one bankruptcy between now and 2022, this whole thing collapses immediately. On the other hand, the guaranteed funding that the Federal Government does pay for will be hit hard, and it could break down. So we have a crisis looming. We can avoid it or we can allow this to happen, as we do so many things around here. Why has this become a political fight? It shouldn't be. We have bipartisan support. We had almost every member on the Finance Committee from both parties--Democrats and Republicans--support it, but it never made it past the person who is responsible for putting it on the floor. I hope that all my colleagues will consider the widows and their $600 pensions, which means the difference between having a life and basically worrying from day to day whether they are going to have food or medical care for whatever they need. These pensions are not extravagant. These pensions are a necessity and something that is needed. So I implore all of my colleagues to look at this very hard and try to get this on the NDAA. This is something we all should be fighting for and helping the people who fought for us, who gave us the quality of life we have and the great country we have. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I rise today to call for immediate action on the American Miners Act. We have an obligation to the miners across America who served our Nation by providing us with the energy throughout our greatest advancements. They deserve to know that their pensions, which they rightfully worked for, will be funded fully, and they deserve to have accessible healthcare, which was guaranteed to them as well. As the Senate fails to act, we continue to put our retired miners' healthcare and pension benefits in jeopardy yet again. I have been working with everyone and from every angle in order to prevent our miners from losing their healthcare and retirement benefits, but, once again, they are facing a deadline that puts their whole livelihood at risk. This has been a long fight, and it is far from over. Everyone who has joined me on this journey understands that fighting for working people is what we were sent here to do. These retired miners are walking the halls and fighting for what is rightfully theirs. I am doing this for them and their families. I promised them that this body would not abandon them, and I refuse to let them down. The 1974 Pension Plan will be insolvent by 2022 if we do not act now. Miners who receive their healthcare through companies who went bankrupt in 2018 are at risk of losing coverage in the coming months if we fail to act soon. Unlike many other public and private pension plans, the 1974 Pension Plan was well managed and 94 percent funded prior to the crash of 2008. However, the 2008 financial crisis hit at a time when this plan had its highest payment obligations due to retirements. If the plan becomes insolvent, these beneficiaries face benefit cuts, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation will assume billions of dollars in liabilities. To address this, we have to shore up the 1974 Pension Plan, which is heading for insolvency due to the coal company bankruptcies and the 2008 financial crisis; ensure that the miners who are at risk due to 2018 coal company bankruptcies will not lose their healthcare; and extend the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund tax at $1.10 per ton of underground-mined coal and 55 cents per ton of surface-mined coal for 10 years. West Virginia has more retired union miners than any other State. More than 27,000 retirees live in West Virginia alone. I have two letters that I would like to read into the Record that explain what we are dealing with in all parts of our State. This is Roy from West Virginia, and he says: I am a 63 year old, 3rd generation coal miner. I started in the mine 3 days prior to graduating from high school. Unfortunately, I had to find other employment in 1999 after 27 years of mining because my mine shut down. Although the job that I was hired at paid a lot less (75% less), I felt that we would survive because of the promise of lifetime healthcare. When I went into mining, I felt that if I put in my time, I would be taken care of in my older years. Now that I am approaching that stage of my life and am faced with the fact of healthcare concerns of people my age group, I am fearful of losing the security that my pension and health benefits will provide to me and my wife of 43 years. Fourteen years ago, my wife was diagnosed with severe rheumatoid arthritis. The cost of her medications alone would total more than my pension income, making retirement an impossibility. The idea of her not being able to receive the proper treatment for her condition is not an option. If necessary, I will continue to work to provide the medical care that she needs and deserves. Senator Manchin, for the concerns that have been mentioned in this letter, I deeply appreciate the support that you have lent to the passage of the Miner's Protection Act and hope that your fellow legislators will consider the same. This is Lisa from Fraziers Bottom, WV: My husband was employed by a UMWA represented mine for the 34 years he worked in the mining industry. He worked a 6 day workweek. He turned down some very promising job offers because we were always led to believe that after 20 years of UMWA service, we would have family insurance for life. A large part of the reason he stayed loyal to the mining industry was because of the retirement pension and family health insurance we would have upon his retirement. He was injured on the job in 2013 and was unable to return to work. We had the comfort of knowing that he would be able to receive his pension and that the two of us would have no worries about health insurance. In April 2015, I was diagnosed with breast cancer that spread to my lymph nodes. I had chemotherapy from May 2015 to November 2015, followed by radiation that lasted until February 2016. I was hospitalized three times during treatment, had to undergo a lot of diagnostic testing, and a blood transfusion. Unfortunately, I was unable to finish my treatment due to this rigorous and intense treatment damaging my heart. I have to follow up with regular treatment by a cardiologist and now have frequent testing to make sure the cancer hasn't come back. Another side effect I have from having had chemotherapy is chemo-induced peripheral neuropathy that effects both my hands and feet. My medications cost several hundred dollars a month. I am 53 years old and unable to work due to all the side effects from my having cancer. My medical bills and medications have cost many thousands of dollars and I don't have to worry about anything other than getting well, thanks to the UMWA insurance we have. Since my husband can no longer work and I too am unable to work, our income has taken a downward turn. The security of having this insurance means the world to us. We [are] neither asking nor expecting nothing other than what we were promised. Please, please pass this Senate Bill, not only for the two of us, but for the many other UMWA retirees and spouses that are also in the same situation. We have countless letters that come in on a weekly basis, and it is basically stories. The thing I would want to make sure that all my colleagues know and all of America knows is that the miners provided the energy that built the industrial might that we have--an industrial revolution. They built the factories. They mined the coal and made the steel to build the factories, and they built the guns and ships that defended this country. They have given everything they have had, and this was a promise by the U.S. Government in 1946. Because of the bankruptcy laws that erupted and basically evolved over the 1980s, they were left with nothing, and that is what they have. They didn't take home in the paycheck extra money. They didn't take home anything else except the promise and guarantee that they would have their healthcare and the benefits of a pension. The average pension for a miner retired is less than $600, and most of those are for widows. This is something that we promised. This is something we worked for, we are fighting for, and I am not going to give up until this promise is fulfilled. I yield the floor.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Prioritizing Our Workers Act, which will make changes to the current bankruptcy code, requiring companies going through bankruptcy proceedings to pay unpaid vested benefits, like workers' pensions, before they pay out other claims against them. I firmly believe that no one should be denied their pension because their employer goes bankrupt. Hard-working men and women across the country go to work every day for years, paying into these pension plans each paycheck with the expectation that one day they can retire and provide for their families. Companies offering pension plans made promises to their workers and need to live up to those promises, no matter what else happens to that company financially. In West Virginia, we are far too familiar with coal and steel companies leaving their workers out to dry in this way. This is absolutely unacceptable. That is why I am introducing this bill, and I look forward to my fellow Senators joining me to support and protect pensions across this country.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Prioritizing Our Workers Act, which will make changes to the current bankruptcy code, requiring companies going through bankruptcy proceedings to pay unpaid vested benefits, like workers' pensions, before they pay out other claims against them. I firmly believe that no one should be denied their pension because their employer goes bankrupt. Hard-working men and women across the country go to work every day for years, paying into these pension plans each paycheck with the expectation that one day they can retire and provide for their families. Companies offering pension plans made promises to their workers and need to live up to those promises, no matter what else happens to that company financially. In West Virginia, we are far too familiar with coal and steel companies leaving their workers out to dry in this way. This is absolutely unacceptable. That is why I am introducing this bill, and I look forward to my fellow Senators joining me to support and protect pensions across this country.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I rise today to call for immediate action on the American Miners Act. We have an obligation to the miners across America who have served our Nation by providing us with energy through our greatest advancements. They deserve to know that their pensions, which they rightfully worked for, will be funded fully, and they deserve to have accessible healthcare, which was guaranteed to them as well. As the Senate fails to act, we continue to put our retired miners' healthcare and pension benefits in jeopardy yet again. I have been working with everyone from every angle in order to prevent our miners from losing their healthcare and benefits. But, once again, they are facing a deadline that puts their whole livelihood at risk. This has been a long fight, and it is far from over. Everyone who has joined me in this journey understands that fighting for working people is what we were sent here to do. These retired miners are walking the halls and fighting for what is rightfully theirs. I am doing this for them. I promised them that this body will not abandon them, and I refuse to let them down. To give you some background, the 1974 pension plan will be insolvent by 2022 if we do not act. We needed to act a year ago or so, and we haven't done it. It is a shame. Miners who receive their healthcare through companies that went bankrupt in 2018 are at risk of losing coverage in the coming months if we fail to act soon. How did we get here? Unlike many other public and private pension plans, in 1974, the miners' pension plan was well managed and 94 percent funded prior to the crash of 2008. However, the financial crisis hit at a time when this plan had its highest payment obligations. If the plan becomes insolvent, these beneficiaries will face benefit cuts, and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation will assume billions of dollars in liabilities. To address these issues, the American Miners Act would shore up the 1974 pension plan, which is headed for insolvency due to coal company bankruptcies and the 2008 financial crisis. It would ensure that the miners who are at risk due to 2018 coal company bankruptcies will not lose their healthcare and extend the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund tax at $1.10 per ton of underground-mined coal and 55 cents per ton of surface-mined coal for 10 years. West Virginia has more retired union coal miners than any other State. More than 27,000 retirees live in West Virginia alone. I am going to read a letter to give you perspective on what we are dealing with. Richard from Morgantown, WV, said: I am writing this letter with respect and concern to preserve our pension. My name is Richard. I live in Morgantown, West Virginia. My career as an underground coal miner lasted 35 years. I am soon to be 68 years old. Working underground all those years, the physical labor tends to take a toll on a person's body. I receive a monthly pension of $1,466 a month from the UMWA Pension Fund. This monthly pension is used to pay utility bills, purchase groceries, and everyday necessities. I am also helping to support my five year old grandson and his mother, who doesn't earn enough for them to live on their own. You see, my daughter became addicted to prescription opioids after having serious medical problems. She has been clean for five years and is trying to rebuild her life, but we are supporting her and her son. My pension is a major source of income for my family and it would be devastating if I were to lose any of it. I can't imagine how we would survive. Our county and surrounding counties are heavily dependent on the coal miners' pension. Should we lose our pension, the economy in this area would plummet. I am also writing as a voice for those who are unable to write to you. I am asking your committee to carefully consider the bill to preserve our pensions. I have another one from Gary from Southern West Virginia who wrote: I have worked in the [United Mine Workers] since 1973 at Cannelton Coal. I worked about 13\1/2\ years, then had a lay- off in the early 80's, had to find work in another field, and got a job driving a school bus for 25 years. I'm retired now, but I still sub-drive for the county, was in [a] . . . bus driver association, and also drive a bus for Ace Adventure Resort. I am 74 now and still very active in the work force. I thank God for my health. I am still married to a wonderful woman, had 4 kids, 3 of them have passed away, one from cancer, one [from] allergy, my daughter died from a drug overdose. I am still paying on my daughter's funeral expenses. This retirement check that I get every month is a big help getting this bill paid, also had to pay on one of my son's funeral expenses. Since 2011 it has been very hard trying to keep your head above water. I only get $261 a month but I am so thankful for what I get. It really helps out a lot. Please find a way so we can keep our retirement check. We will keep on praying for all you guys who are fighting for us. I just want to finish by saying that these are people who have gone to work every day. They didn't take the money home because they were letting that go into their retirement pension, and they thought that was being taken care of and managed properly. It wasn't their fault. They have already paid, and now because of bankruptcies and financial collapses, they can't get the money. It is wrong. It is not who we are as a country. Through the bankruptcy laws that we have in America today, you can be in line if you are a financial institution--somebody that basically is in line before the person we are basically here to serve. The miners who get these pensions average $460 a month. That is the average pension they receive. That is not much. Most of these are widows, too, because the husbands have passed away. So I am asking--this has been a bipartisan bill. I appreciate all of my colleagues on the Republican side, all of my Democratic colleagues, and everybody for working and really trying to take care of the people whom we made a promise to. This was a pension that was guaranteed by Harry S. Truman with John L. Lewis at the time. It is in stone. It is there for us, and it is basically one we cannot walk away from. I thank the Presiding Officer. I yield the floor.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I am very honored to offer my support today for Kimberly Reed to be President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. I think the Presiding Officer is very proud, too. We are both proud that the first woman to lead the Ex-Im Bank will also be the first West Virginian. As a former West Virginia small business owner, I know this is an engine for economic growth and long-term stability and prosperity. It is truly beneficial for those businesses to reach broader markets and new customers. Rural states like West Virginia have a lot of talent and a lot of great businesses, but we need to make sure these companies are hitting global markets and building in sales and supporting more jobs here at home. The Ex-Im Bank creates jobs and helps businesses, both big and small, to sell their products overseas at no cost--I repeat, at no cost--to the Federal Government, in addition to providing loans and other forms of credit. The Bank can also help with market research and to identify potential buyers and distributors of products in foreign countries. It is like having your own reconnaissance team, PR team, and a sales force, everything wrapped up into one. In 2014, I invited the former Ex-Im Bank Chairman, Fred Hochberg, to West Virginia. Since then the Bank has worked with 14 West Virginia businesses throughout the State, providing $11 million in loans to support $18 million in exports. The people in West Virginia had no idea of the opportunities that a small business person would have with the Ex-Im Bank. They had no idea how to get into foreign markets. They didn't have any idea about the collections process or the legal expertise in that arena. This helped them immensely. I know Kimberly wants to do the same thing for our State and for small businesses across rural America. I can state that Kim's West Virginia roots shaped her to be the leader she is today. Growing up in Buckhannon, WV, and graduating from West Virginia Wesleyan College and West Virginia University, Kim checks all of the boxes for the best and brightest our State can offer. Every West Virginian will know what it means when I say that she was a Golden Horseshoe awardee and a Governor's Honors Academy graduate. She hasn't lost sight of those roots, either. She continues to serve on the Wesleyan board of trustees and has worked with West Virginians every step of her career, whether it was as the senior adviser to the Secretary of the Treasury or the head of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. Kim exemplifies bedrock Appalachian values, and her deep commitment to serving her Nation through the House of Representatives and the Department of Treasury is a true testament to her character. I have always been proud to call her a West Virginian, and I know that I and the Presiding Officer will be proud to call her the President and Chairwoman of the Ex-Im Bank. I urge my colleagues to support Kimberly Reed to lead the Export- Import Bank of the United States. Thank you, Madam President. I yield the floor.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, first of all, I want to thank MJ also, on behalf of Senator Durbin. His staff does a great job, and we always enjoy working with them. MJ, enjoy your new endeavor in life.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I thank my colleague. He has more institutional knowledge, has been here longer, and understands this process. I haven't been here as long, but I am trying to put a little common sense to it, and I am having a hard time. I am not naive enough to stand up thinking that if I could have given my speech before we took that vote, it might have made any difference. I wish it would have. I wish I could have. But it didn't happen that way. Words cannot express how disappointed I am--I truly am--to stand here as the only Member of the Senate who voted against the nuclear option in 2013 when it was a Democratic proposal and in 2017, the Republican proposal, and now what we did today. I have consistently voted against this because it is not who we are, and it is not about what we are about either. For those who don't know, the nuclear option is strictly a gimmick that allows the majority party to truly steal the power of debate and the power of the filibuster from individual Senators. Why does it matter? Because so much of our influence as Senators comes from our power to filibuster. It is also the most powerful tool we have to force compromise and to stand up for the people we represent. In spite of the importance of this power, everyone else in the body who has had the chance has voted to use the nuclear option to lower the votes required to end debate from 60 votes to a simple majority of 50 plus 1 on different types of nominees. That is a tragedy for our constituents. For this country, it is even more of a tragedy. For the institution of the Senate, it is a disaster. This debate is not new, and I would not be honoring the legacy of the late Senator Robert C. Byrd, whose seat I sit in, if I did not take the opportunity to at least recite a little history here on the floor of the Senate. The Founding Fathers always intended the Senate to be deliberate, and we are known as the most deliberate body in the world. George Washington himself was said to have told Thomas Jefferson that the Senate should serve as a ``cooling saucer'' for legislation from the House. As you know, the House works on a simple majority; 218 Democrats or 218 Republicans can do anything they wish. The Senate is supposed to temper that down. This body was created to protect the rights of individual States-- small States in particular. In the Federalist Papers, John Jay notes that ``in this spirit it may be remarked, that the equal vote allowed to each State, is at once a constitutional recognition of the portion of sovereignty remaining in the individual States, and an instrument for preserving that residuary sovereignty.'' The filibuster is essential to preserving that residual sovereignty, and diminishing that power should matter to anyone who comes from a small or rural State like my State of West Virginia. This power was also meant to empower individual Members, like me, who often find themselves in the minority of their own party. That doesn't mean we can't make changes for efficiency. But today's rule change and the two that came before it in 2013 and 2017 were not meant to make this place more efficient; they were meant to take power from each and every Senator. That means you and I have given up our power and our ability to represent our States. Before 1917, there was no way to end a debate in the Senate whatsoever, from our beginning, so one Member could grind this place to a halt for however long they felt necessary. Then, at the urging of President Woodrow Wilson, the Senate adopted rule XXII that year, 1917, and first used it 2 years later to end a filibuster against the Treaty of Versailles. For the next 80-plus years, some tweaks were made to the rule and its reach was expanded, but there was no real threat to the existence of the rule. In 2005, that all changed when then-Majority Leader Bill Frist made the first serious effort to change the rules of the Senate and reduce the power of every Member of this body by deploying the nuclear option. None other than John McCain and Robert C. Byrd, our dear departed friends, teamed up to form the Gang of 14 that cut a deal on a package of nominations that took the nuclear option off the table--but only for a little while. In 2013, when Harry Reid and Democrats--my side of the aisle--voted to end the filibuster for Presidential nominees, I was one of only three Democrats to fight and vote against it. The other two, Mark Pryor and Carl Levin, are no longer serving in the Senate today, but we represented all wings of the Democratic Party--from the liberal end, to the conservative end, to the moderate centrist end. We stood together despite our differences because we knew that it would forever lessen the institution of the Senate and that it would come back to bite us when we weren't in the majority. That was the point we made at that time. That was the argument we made and pleaded with our colleagues. For the past 5 years, we have seen the consequences of those actions. Today, our Republican friends are using the same excuse our Democrats used--historic obstruction. Democrats are using the same argument today that our Republican friends have used--unprecedented overreach. This is the hypocrisy that makes us understand why people think Washington sucks. It is on both sides. No one is innocent on this. In 2013, the current majority leader, Mitch McConnell, was furious about what the Democrats were threatening to do. He called it breaking the rules to change the rules. And I agreed with him. He was right. I voted with him. In 2013, I heard and listened to Leader McConnell when he said: The American people decided not to give the Democrats the House, or to restore the filibuster proof majority they had in the Senate back in 2009, and our Democratic colleagues don't like that one bit. They just don't like it. The American people are getting in the way of what they'd like to do. So they are trying to change the rules of the game to get their way anyway. This is precisely what the American people decided about Republicans in the 2018 election, and the Republicans have now gone down the same path Leader McConnell warned us against. You would think that at least we would understand the definition of ``insanity''--doing the same thing over and over, thinking we are going to get a different outcome. It doesn't work that way. Leader McConnell went on to say: ``So look, I realize this sort of wishful thinking might appeal to the uninitiated newcomers in the Democratic conference who served exactly zero days in the minority, but the rest of you guys should know better.'' And he is absolutely correct. Everyone should know better. Those of you who have been in the minority before should know better because what goes around comes around. His final warning, which I am disappointed my Republican friends didn't listen to, was this: If you think this is in the best interest of the United States Senate and the American people, to make advice and consent mean effectively nothing, obviously you can break the rules to change the rules to achieve that. That is what we have done. But some of us have been around here long enough to know that the shoe is sometimes on the other foot. While the majority leader and minority leader have flipped their positions and their perspective today, the lesson is clear: Breaking the Senate for political expedience will, over time, hurt all of us and, most importantly, our constituents and the American people. I firmly believe the filibuster is a vital protection of minority views and exactly why the Framers of our Constitution made the Senate the cooling saucer. Lately, both parties have lit the saucer on fire and thrown it out the window. The Senate was set up by our Founding Fathers to force us to work together. Think about that. They knew that whatever we receive from the House would be hot as a firecracker. Someone had to put out the flame. Someone had to know to say: That is not who we are as a country, and it is not basically who we want to be as a country. We are not the House of Representatives, and by golly, we are going there at a rapid pace--a rapid pace. It seems that when people come from the House, they bring that House mentality--scorched and burned earth. That is not what we were set up to be. This is a very different body. It is the most unique body in the world. As the late great Robert C. Byrd himself said in the months before his death, ``While I welcome needed reform, we must always be mindful of our responsibilities to preserve this institution's special purpose.'' And we are better than this, he said. I always tell people back home that I can't vote for something unless I can go home and explain it. I don't care if it is an idea that my friends on the Republican side have. It makes sense to me. My constituents understand it. I go home and vote and tell them why I voted with my Republican friends. If I vote with my Democratic friends and it makes sense, I tell them the same. If I vote against something of my Republican friends or Democrats, I explain to them. It has nothing to do with politics; it is policy. Does it make sense? Will it help the constituents of the State of West Virginia? Will it make my country stronger and better? That is really what I care about. That is the purpose of my being here. For the life of me, I can't figure out how anyone who voted for this can explain it when they go back home, because we have given our power away. Every time you do this, you continue to erode the powers you have as a Senate by the Constitution of the United States of America and by the Founding Fathers who created this body. Now, how we can do it in such a willing way makes no sense. How do you look people in the eye and say: I gave up my individual power to represent you. How do I do that? I am not going to do it. I am not going to do it, and I haven't done it, nor will I ever do it. You can say it was because of obstruction. Well, if there is an obstruction, there is a way around obstructions. You drive around obstructions. You have obstructions in your life every day. You learn to work around obstructions. It is basically by communicating. It is basically by sitting down and looking at the other side, the other point of view. I have always said that I am not always right. I need help. But I am not always wrong either. I have, hopefully, some input, and I try to make that as a balance as I approach these things. And Republicans are--what they have done today is basically the same. We don't have obstructions we can't overcome if we respect each other. You can't blame everybody for everything. You can't blame somebody else for something you are unwilling to do. You can't blame somebody else if you don't have the patience to sit down and talk through your problems and try to understand better. You can't blame somebody else if you are not willing to give and take. That is what the whole process is about if you are going to be successful in life--anyone who has been successful. It is not ``my way or the highway''; it is ``our way going down the highway together.'' This move is a betrayal of the people we represent, and everyone in this body is complicit. It is a shame that we are going to go back and try to explain our positions with the votes that were made today. It is just a shame. It should never have come to this. For hundreds of years, we have managed to overcome obstructions and preserve our Founders' vision for the Senate, but for the last 6 years, Members on both sides of this aisle have decided that is no longer possible. This abdication of our power and responsibility is nothing more than weakness in the face of partisanship. This is truly tribal. What tribe do you belong to? Do you belong to the Democratic tribe, or do you belong to the Republican tribe? I am sorry, I belong to the American tribe, and I am going to stay right in the tribe I belong to, and I am going to be loyal to the American tribe. This abdication of our power and responsibility is truly, truly a weakness in the face of partisanship, and my colleagues need to stand up to the leaders. We have given too much power to the leadership here. I remember the day when people used to talk about, oh, the committee chairman had so much power. They could run a bill and make sure it got on the floor and got voted on. Those days are gone. There is always a reason why something doesn't go to the floor, even if it goes through the committee process. Something comes out of the committee unanimously, and it still doesn't come to the floor. Try to explain that one. To protect the powers of the Senators as representatives for their States and to protect the institution of the Senate, that is not that hard, and I know because I have done it. I have voted against my colleagues on my side of the aisle. I was up front, and I was honest. I said: I am sorry; I can't go home and explain that. It doesn't make sense at all, and I am not voting for it. If they want to get my vote, they are going to have to sit down and say: What would it take to get your vote? And I would explain to them: You have to adjust this or adjust this and make sense. It is fair to the minority, and if we were in the majority, or vice versa, the majority should be fair to us. If you can work through that, you can make it. You can make it on this side. If not, it is going to be a miserable 6 years for every Senator who just got elected, if we don't come back to reality. I know I keep calling it an individual right, but it really isn't. It is a trust passed down from the Senators who preceded us. They had the will and they had the determination to make this place work, and we have given up on that. This belongs to our constituents, the power we have here, and we have no power to protect them now. The solution to obstruction isn't ruining the Senate. It is outreach. It is compromise. It is finding solutions that make a bunch of people on the far left and the far right very uncomfortable and mad sometimes. Until we are willing to do that, the hard work of this institution is going to get worse. So it is not that we are fractured, we are almost broken, and it was never intended. I have never seen anything broken that we couldn't fix. I hope we come to our senses. I hope we act as Americans. I hope we understand basically the whole thought process from our Founding Fathers, who had the great insight of having two bodies in a bicameral, not a unicameral, branch that was supposed to work to help each other and protect us from ourselves. Right now, we have become the worst enemy of ourselves. I hope we change. Thank you. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. It is. I thank my colleagues for their support of this critical legislation and for participating in the discussion here today.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, my home State has truly lost a shining star. We have lost a devoted West Virginian, a noble Army Veteran, a gifted performer, and a dear friend to all. George Daugherty's enthusiasm for life was infectious to anybody who had the privilege of knowing him, and it is an honor to recognize his life and legacy. You could often find George on Morgantown's High Street next to the bronze statue of Don Knotts singing a rousing chorus of ``Hail West Virginia.'' He would usually tack on a phrase at the end about beating Pitt that was met with rousing applause from those who stopped on the street to cheer him on. He was quite a character and best known as a musician, but he made a life for himself by practicing law. Despite his musical comedy role in the Charleston jamboree, George's professionalism working on medical malpractice cases never faltered. He said he never had a bad relationship with a doctor he sued, and he generally ended up becoming friends with them. That was just who he was. Another key component that made George the person he was, affecting his music and life, was his unwavering patriotism. His father was a World War I veteran and instilled in him the pride and, of course, the patriotic songs that George would perform on stage, dressed in American flag-themed attire. He instilled these values in his children and grandchildren, encouraging them to be grateful for our freedom and to always remember where they have come from, and our statewide community is better for it. It was an honor to call George my friend, a man who proudly showcased our State through performances across the Nation as ``the Earl of Elkview'' or ``the Duke of Dunbar.'' He and my Uncle A. James were dear friends for many years, and I know he would have been so very proud to see all that George did to promote the State we love. Whether performing on the Capitol City Jamboree and the Mountain Stage, contributing over 50 years of excellence and professionalism practicing law, or giving back to his community, George represented the best of West Virginia, which is saying quite a lot. He was a proud representative of our beautiful State no matter where life took him. What is most important is that he lived a full life, surrounded by dear friends and family. It is my hope that his loved ones are able to find peace, strength, and support in one another. I extend my condolences to Mary Jarvis Currence and their children, Dick, Nancy, Sallie, and Thomas, their grandchildren, Kiera, Devlin, Aidan, Jamie, and Beth, as well as to George's many dear friends and extended family. I know he is looking down on all of you with a smile. I am honored to join each of you in honoring George's memory, as well as the unwavering love he had for his family, our great Nation, and our home State.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.