Joe Manchin

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, first, I say to my colleague from Ohio-- Senator Portman, who is a dear friend--that we all have it; you are right, it is nonpartisan. This has no home. This has affected every American family one way or another. There is not a person I know in my State or in the good State of Ohio that doesn't have a family member-- immediate family, extended family--or close friend who hasn't been affected by legal prescription drug abuse. We are looking at a whole cultural change that needs to go on, and I am on the floor to share letters with you. Senator Portman, I am sure you are getting the same letters. I would encourage all our colleagues to read just one letter a week from a family whose lives have been changed. They have lost a husband, they have lost their childhood, or they have lost a dear family member. It has destroyed their family life as they knew it. They can't get a job-- a first-time felony offense, and they are out of the workforce now. If you talk to law enforcement, there is not a law enforcement agency in America today that will not tell you that 80 percent of their crimes are drug related. Theft, arson, robbery--whatever it may be, it is around drug abuse. So I come to the floor to continue to share the story of millions of Americans--most importantly, of some of my very dear West Virginia family members--who have had this. I applaud the good Senator from Ohio. All of us are working. This will go through a normal process, I hope. It will be an open amendment process, and we are all going to make a piece of legislation and maybe for the first time start changing the culture in America, starting right here in Washington, DC, with the Food and Drug Administration. I will talk about that too. West Virginia has been hit the hardest per capita. Just this past year, 600 West Virginians have died--in a State with less than 2 million people. The American people are drowning under the weight of prescription opioid abuse. Nationally, more than 51 people die every day--in my State, Oklahoma, Ohio, all across this great Nation. The FDA must get serious about the dangers--we have been speaking about this--of prescription drugs, and this will not be accomplished without a significant change in the culture. It starts with them. Although the FDA announced that the agency will be taking steps in the right direction to address these problems, it is not enough and more needs to be done. Let me explain why. The FDA's No. 1 priority must be public health and well-being--nothing else. Yet time and again the FDA has stood in the way of efforts to address the opioid abuse epidemic and improve public health. The FDA plays a critical role in the epidemic as the agency overseeing the approval. Let me make sure we understand. This starts with a prescription. A legally licensed company makes medicine for pain reduction, if you will, pain suppressant, an opiate, and then they bring that to the FDA, and the FDA goes through a process of evaluating it to see if it should go on the market. They go through an evaluation--or their committee, basically an oversight committee--and then they say this is a product that should be on the market or should not. Many times the FDA has gone against the advice of their own advisory committee. These are things we have to protect the American public from. Why? So last week they decided to slightly improve the agency's response to the opioid epidemic. I am pleased at this small step, but let me tell you about this small step. They said that now they are going to be serious about the dangers of prescription drugs, and they said they are going to finally start listening--mind you, listening--to the advice of their advisory committee. Oh, that is wonderful; they are going to listen to them now. That means they haven't really been listening to them up until now, but they are going to start now. What they don't tell you is they are not going to be required to take the recommendation of their experts. A perfect example is Zohydro. It took us 3 years to get all opiates--Vicodin and Lortab, which are the most prescribed pain relievers and pain pills in the country--3 years to get the FDA to change that from a schedule III to a schedule II, even after I went personally, when I was first in the Senate 5 years ago, to the advisory committee and they voted overwhelmingly that, yes, this should be a schedule II. Within the bureaucracy, the FDA took 3 years. The day they did that and made that piece of legislation or that rule saying that now it will be schedule II, we saw the immediate effect. It took 1.1 billion--billion with a ``b''--pills off the market. Twenty-two percent of the amount of opioids on the market were reduced immediately within the first year. Within a week of their finally agreeing to go from a schedule III to a schedule II, which controlled the prescriptions, they came out and approved Zohydro against the wishes of their advisory committee, 11 to 2. Now you tell me why that product came to market. So I have legislation that says: Listen, when you are not going to take their advice and you don't recommend or you don't basically agree with your advisory committee, you have to come to the people's representatives--that is us--and tell us why you think this addictive drug needs to be on the market. I believe we have to do things and take important steps. What we have basically turned a blind eye to is unbelievable. Let me explain what I think goes on and what goes on. This is of such an epidemic proportion that we are afraid to talk about it. If you have a child in your family who is addicted, if your mother or father or maybe you or your wife is addicted, you are afraid to talk about it. It is kind of a shame, so we kind of try to take care of it. Guess what. We can't even find treatment centers to help people. And then you can't afford it if you can find it--most people in America--and most of the times you can't. So there are two things that have to be done. First, and I am as guilty as anybody here--the last 20 years I thought: Boy, if you are going to use these drugs and abuse them, that is a crime. I am going to put you in jail. You are going to pay the fine for that, a penalty. Well, guess what. It hasn't worked. They go in addicted and come out addicted. All we did by convicting them and putting them in jail is give them a felony. Now they can't get a job. Now they are out of the workforce. Next, they come out more addicted than when they went in. As Americans, we must say: Listen, this is an illness, and an illness must be treated. You can't just throw them in the jail and say out of sight, out of mind; it will take care of itself. So once we change that--and we have enough courage here politically to do that--then we will start moving in a cultural change that will basically be able to take on this epidemic. We are fighting on that. I continue to go into all of this, but I have always come here and I have said: Listen, all of you in the State of West Virginia, please get on my Web site, manchin.senate.gov. It is very simple. And all of us have our Senate Web sites. Share with me your life-altering letter. Tell me what happened. We have been getting them by the hundreds. They are coming from all over my State, and they are in every State. I am sure Oklahomans will send the Presiding Officer theirs too. I am going to read two stories. This brings to light everything we are talking about and why we must be successful in fighting this horrific epidemic. This is Kylie's story: In 1994 my dad broke his shoulder. We all have accidents in our families. He had to have surgery. He was on prescription narcotics from 1994-1996-- Now you tell me why he was allowed to be on them and why the doctor kept prescribing them for 2 years. That is the biggest problem-- he became addicted in those 2 years. After the doctor would no longer prescribe-- Finally, maybe the doctor came to his senses-- him pain medication, he'd illegally purchase them off of the street. His life literally revolved around his pain medication. His pain medication money came before our bills. There were a few times we could not have Christmas or Easter because he used all of our money to purchase these drugs. I have 2 sisters. Eventually, he started buying more potent drugs when he couldn't find anyone to buy prescription pain pills off of. Heroin, Cocaine, you name it, he'd buy it. My mother eventually filed for a divorce and that made him so much worse. He started using more and more. He used more because of depression on top of that addiction. On February 23, 2007, I stayed home from school, I was a junior in High school in Clarksburg. I woke up at 10am, went to check on my dad who had been having drug withdrawals, I found him dead. He'd found drugs and overdosed while I was asleep, leaving me there to find him. It's something I carry with me everyday. I don't have many memories of my father interacting with us kids as a father should. I only have the bad memories of him going above and beyond for drugs. Even back then, if the prescription drug problem wouldn't have been so bad, I feel like he'd still be here today. I remember exactly how he was laying when I found him. I remember everything. It's my first thought in the mornings and my last thought at night. It changed my life, taught me alot of life lessons but it also left me with alot of heartache. And unanswered questions--as I told you, the rescheduling took 2 years. Basically, you could get Vicodin and Lortab that were schedule III at this time, and all you had to do was keep calling in. You never had to see the doctor after the first visit. They can give them to you 90 days at a time or even longer. They were like M&M's. So when we went from schedule III to schedule II, that knocked it down. It took at least a billion that we know of off the market, and we are hoping maybe even more. So that is what happened. This is Helen's story: My husband and I were married for over 21 years. We had two daughters together and I expected to grow old with him and enjoy our grandchildren. He worked in a factory for over 18 years. Part of his job was moving 55 gallon drums of different types of fluids. He worked full time. Sometimes 6 days a week. He sprained his back and was prescribed pain medicine. The doctor he was going to gave him the maximum amount-- At that time it would have been more than 90 days probably, and he didn't have to go back because it felt so good-- allowed by law for about six years. As time went on, he needed a higher dose for it to be effective. Taking more caused him to run out before the next refill. He started going through withdrawals. Instead of going to the emergency room to get help, he took his life. Now I have no husband, my children have no father and my grandchildren do not have a grandpap. The stigma surrounding all of this is what kept him from getting the help he needed to get off those pills. We have said it is a silent killer. They were afraid to talk about it. They couldn't go to anybody, didn't know where to turn, and didn't have any types of treatment centers that would bring him off of that. The Friday before he ended his life, I spoke with a doctor and told him he needed to get off those pills and get dried out. He didn't want to be admitted and they let him go. They knew he was desperately hooked. Why do pharmaceutical companies market drugs that cause normal people to give up on their families and life? Why do doctors allow their patients to take something so long and build up such a tolerance for it? I will never find the answers to these questions and it is too late for him now. It sickens me to read of others going through this and there just doesn't seem to be an end to it. This is why I am standing here. I face it every day. I go home. There is not a person who doesn't come up to me knowing that basically their lives have been changed and knowing now that they can speak to somebody. I am making it a point to give them the comfort of speaking to me. I protect their identity. I try to get them help. There has to be a way. As my good friend from Ohio and the Presiding Officer, my good friend from Oklahoma--this is not partisan. This should not be bogged down because of who gets credit, who doesn't get credit, or whose fault it is. We are all to blame, and we all can share in changing the culture of drugs in America--legal drugs. Most drug addicts today--people who are addicted--will tell you if they are on heroin or illicit, harder drugs, they started with legal drugs that were in their prescription cabinet, in the medicine cabinet that their mom had or that they had. This is what has to change. This is why--Dr. Robert Califf is being recommended by the President; he is a good man with a stellar resume, a stellar performance, very honorable. But the culture that he comes from is basically from a research institution and a research university that has been funded by the pharmaceutical industry. That is just the way they say it is done. So they are funding the clinical research, and then we are expecting Mr. Califf to come into this industry, into the FDA, and make the wholesale changes. I need--and I think we all need--for America to find somebody who has gone through a life-changing event and who has all of the experience and all of the education to be able to go into that agency and say: Listen, we are not going to give you a prescription just as a frontline in the first line of defense because I know the chances of it changing your life are greater than my helping you and giving you relief. Until we have that and until that permeates clear down through, it will not change. Tell me how the CDC--the Centers for Disease Control within the agency of DHHS--is able to start responsibly recommending guideline changes for how we are going to prescribe and how doctors should be trained before they prescribe these life-altering drugs. Then, within the FDA they are fighting against it, and they are within the same agency of the HHS. So it is deep-rooted, and it has to be culturally changed from the top. It doesn't change from the bottom within. So if this good man would withdraw his name and let us move on, I would be tickled to death, because he is a good person and he can be very helpful in his knowledge. But I don't think he can drive the change that needs to be done for us to save the families and children and moms and dads across America. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, today I wish to honor Forrest R. ``Dick'' Jarvis, a beloved native of north central West Virginia who passed away on January 27, 2016. Dick was a remarkable community leader, veteran, family man, and friend; and he left a tremendous legacy throughout my home State. Put simply, Dick stood out among others. He was the epitome of what West Virginians are all about, with his hospitable nature and unwavering commitment to helping those in need. Upon graduating from Rivesville High School in 1948, Dick enlisted in the U.S. Navy, where he reported aboard the Destroyer USS Brownson DD 868 during the Korean war. His selfless service to our State and Nation is truly admirable and will never be forgotten. Once discharged, he returned to West Virginia and entered the insurance business, where he retired as a sales manager after more than 25 years of service. Dick was an outstanding community leader and was also a member of numerous organizations. He was president of the Morgantown Life Underwriters Association and the West Virginia Association of Life Underwriters and was a Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow. He was active in the Democratic Party of Monongalia County and served two terms as county Democratic chairman. He served five terms on Star City Council and was president of the Monongalia County Volunteer Fire Companies Association for 10 years. Among his many accomplishments, Dick was instrumental in starting the MECCA 911 emergency dispatch center in Monongalia County and served as chairman of the policy board for more than 8 years. He was a lifetime member of the Star City Volunteer Fire Department, the VFW Post 548, the USS Brownson DD 868 Association, and the Tin Can Sailors Association. It is a very special individual who can sacrifice so much for our Nation, only to return home and continue the tradition of giving back to our communities. Dick led by example and treated his neighbors as friends and his friends as family. He instilled this same loyal community service mindset throughout his family. He leaves behind his loving wife, Willa; his daughter Rebecca and her husband Reverend Mark Combs; his grandsons, Matthew and Alexander; and his dear brother Robert. Dick was a beloved family man, friend, and inspiration to the Star City community. His glowing smile and positive attitude were contagious and will live on in the memories and hearts of all those who had the privilege of knowing him. Dick's service was greatly appreciated and will certainly never be forgotten.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I rise today to speak for the millions of Americans impacted by prescription drug abuse, particularly those in my home State of West Virginia, where 600 lives are lost every year to opioids. I believe the FDA must start taking prescription drug abuse seriously, and that will not happen without a cultural change in the agency. The Presiding Officer and I are taking on this issue in the drug prevention caucus and addressing how opioids have affected South Carolina, West Virginia, and the effect the epidemic has had on all of America. We have seen too many examples of the FDA standing in the way of efforts to address the opioid abuse epidemic. If you look at this chart, you can see the rise in deaths over the last 15 years and what it has done to our country and our States. It is unbelievable and unacceptable. We have been able to face and cure every other epidemic in this country. We seem to be keeping this one out of sight and out of mind. The FDA delayed for years before finally agreeing to reschedule hydrocodone. My first 3 years in the Senate were consumed by getting the FDA to come around on this important step. Since the change went into effect, we have seen a number of prescriptions for combination hydrocodone products, such as Vicodin and Lortab, fall by 22 percent. That is over 1 billion pills not being put on the market. After finally taking that step, to add insult to injury after taking so long to reschedule this from a schedule III to a schedule II, the FDA approved the dangerous drug Zohydro even after its own experts voted 11 to 2 against it. This drug has 10 times the hydrocodone of Vicodin and Lortab and has the capability of killing an individual with just two tablets. Can you imagine? Just recently, the FDA outrageously approved OxyContin for use for children as young as 11 years old. This decision means that Pharma is now legally allowed to advertise OxyContin to pediatricians under certain circumstances. We have seen this story before. We have seen the devastating impact of this type of advertising, and we have years of evidence that shows that drug use at an early age will make a child more likely to abuse drugs later in life. These decisions by the FDA are horrifying examples of the disconnect between the FDA's actions and the realities of this deadly epidemic. Leaders at the FDA, including the director of the division that oversees opioids, are now actively working against the Centers for Disease Control's efforts to reform prescribing guidelines, which represents a reasonable, commonsense approach to help doctors take into account the very real and prevalent danger of addiction and overdose when prescribing opioids. We have found out there is very little education done. Doctors aren't required to cover this as they go through medical school. Most will tell you they have less than 1 week of schooling for this. That is why last week I announced that I will filibuster any effort to confirm Dr. Robert Califf. This is a good man with a stellar reputation, but he just comes from the wrong end of this crisis for which we have to make the changes that need to be made. That is all I have said: Give us someone who is passionate about the change. The change must come from the top of the FDA. We need a cultural overhaul of the FDA. When we have the FDA fighting the CDC--the CDC is making recommendations for new guidelines of how drugs are prescribed and how we should protect the public, and the FDA is really taking the position that, no, what pharmaceuticals are putting out is something that we need as a product. It is a business plan. I am sorry, I cannot accept that, and I truly believe there needs to be a cultural change, and that starts at the top. Over the past week my office has been absolutely flooded with stories from West Virginians who want their voices to be heard. And, as I said, we need to make this real, and it will not be unless I can bring to my colleagues the real-life stories of the tragedies that people are enduring because of the prescription abuse that goes on. These letters have come from children who have seen their parents die from an overdose; grandparents who have been forced to raise their grandchildren when their kids went to jail, rehab, and the grave; and teachers and religious leaders who have seen their communities devastated by prescription drug abuse. These people need help from the FDA. They count on this regulatory committee--the Federal Drug Administration--to do what should be done to protect millions of Americans across the United States, as well as those who have been affected. I am going to read a story and basically bring a person's life to my colleagues--an opportunity to see what happens in a daily situation in an abusive scenario. The first story I wish to read comes from a West Virginian by the name of Haley. Haley lives in Princeton, WV, which is in the southern part, and she is a teacher in Beckley, WV. She is married and has a baby who is about to turn 1. This is Haley's story: Prescription drug addiction destroyed my childhood. Thanks to prescription drug abuse, I grew up much too quickly and still have trust issues today. My mom's one true love was Xanax and I will always come in second or after that, no matter what. When I was in fifth grade, my mom went to rehab two hours away from me. My parents are divorced and my step dad worked on the road, so I stayed with my grandparents. We visited my mom on the weekends and I didn't really understand why she was there. None of it made any sense to me and I just wanted my mom. One day, we received a phone call stating that she had checked herself out and we had no idea where she was for about 24 hours. This wasn't the first time my mom had unsuccessfully tried rehab and it would not be her last. There were times when I would get home from school and have no idea where my mother was, so my grandma and I would have to drive around and search for her. We would eventually find her passed out at one of her ``friends'' houses. There is one particular memory that traumatized me and is forever engrained in my memory. I was 10 years old when we found my mom. She was too high to even walk on her own. My 70-year-old grandmother and I had to virtually carry her to the car. When she got home, I took her shoes off so I could put her to bed. I remember being sick to my stomach with worry when I took off her shoe to find a sock completely soaked with blood. She had apparently stepped on glass and hadn't even felt the cut because she was too high on pain pills. This is something no one, especially an innocent 10- year-old, should have to deal with. My 12th birthday was the worst birthday of my entire life. I was supposed to have a pool party, but my mom did not show up to pay for it, so my 16-year-old sister had to step in. There was no food or drinks because my mom was supposed to handle all of that for me. When she finally showed up at the end of my party, equipped with her unbelievable excuses, her eyes were bloodshot and rolling around in her head. I was hurt, but I was mostly embarrassed that people felt so sorry for me. Everyone knew my mom was a drug addict and everyone always pitied my sister and me for the life we had to live. Yet again, my mother chose her beloved high over me. My mom's battle with drug addiction did not stop there. She went on to rehab again and jail several more times. When she wasn't home, I would search her room and find Xanax, Lortab, Oxycodone, and many other unknown pills. Nearby, I would always find cut up straws or even parts of a tampon applicator. She was creative, to say the least. When I was in 9th grade, my mom went to jail for stealing. She would get super high and then go into stores and steal ridiculous things like hair scrunchies, makeup, and whatever else she could get her hands on. I didn't know she was going to jail until two days before she left. She had been depressed and in her bed sick (probably going through withdrawal) for several days. She finally told me that she would be going to jail the day after Christmas. Once again, I would be without a mom. She was in jail the remainder of my 9th grade year until the end of my 10th grade year. I don't know how I passed the 9th grade. I failed almost every class except English and I would have failed that one too if it hadn't been for such an amazing teacher who helped me overcome so much. My mom went to jail for stealing again while I was in college, and my ex boyfriend had to bail her out of jail. I had a baby via C-Section less than a year ago. My mom and I were starting to have a relationship for the first time in my entire life, but drug addiction would soon ruin it for the millionth time. I was given pain medicine after having my baby and I was terrified to take it because of what I have lived through. I only took it when I absolutely had to, but I was in so much pain. My mom had just been to visit and I never thought to move my pain medication because it was in my bedroom out of sight. The next day I was lying in bed with my two week old baby and I was having terrible pains due to my incision. I reached to the end of the table for my pain medicine. When I opened the bottle, there was only one pill left. I had 8 pills when my mother came to visit and she took 7. My mom finally admitted to stealing my medicine and I refused to talk to her for months. In November, I received a phone call from my sister telling me the neighbor called and my mom was having a heart attack. When the paramedics arrived they couldn't find a pulse or a temperature. They flew her to the closest town and they had to shock her because her heart stopped. They found narcotics in her system and I will forever believe that years of using drugs is the reason for her heart attack. She spent a month in the hospital. I believe she may be drug free now, but I will never fully trust her. I can't. Each time I call and she doesn't answer, I picture her high somewhere stumbling around. I could give endless anecdotes and examples of how drug addiction ruined my life, but I don't think I can ever adequately describe what prescription drugs robbed me of. The only thing worse than not having a mother at all is having a mother who chooses drugs over you. Something needs to be done in West Virginia, where the prescription drug abuse is only going to get worse. All addicts have to do is go to a pain clinic and fool the doctors to receive medication. I know too many people who have easy access to drugs because of corrupt doctors in the area and because the pain clinics are not effective. I can only pray the problem is addressed and that my son doesn't have to grow up in an area so overtaken by drug abuse. Sincerely, a drug addict's daughter. I know the Presiding Officer has received these same letters, these same circumstances we live with every day. If someone doesn't rise up and say ``Enough is enough; we have to stop this abuse,'' it is going to be an epidemic that is going to ruin this country. I go to schools and tell them, there is not another country in the world that believes they can take on the United States of America militarily or economically. We are the greatest Nation. We are the hope of the world. Guess what. They don't believe they have to. They are going to sit back and watch. If we don't have education and we don't have skill sets because of a lack of education attainment, and if we are addicted, if we don't have a clean society, we are not going to be able to be the superpower. We can't let this generation down. We can't let it fail. I will be coming here every chance I get to read letters from West Virginians to let my colleagues know the epidemic that is going on, the ravaging that is happening in my State and taking away precious lives, whether directly or indirectly, through a child or a parent. I am hoping we can all change the FDA's direction, that we can get somebody in there that will change the culture of the FDA that will protect us and fight for us and not for the business plan of pharmaceuticals. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor to my good friend from Nevada.

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I ask to speak as in morning business.

Mr. MANCHIN. Upon my completion, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Heller be recognized.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I rise to voice my opposition to Dr. Robert Califf, the President's nominee to be the Commissioner of the FDA. I do this with all respect for Dr. Califf, his expertise, and all the work he has done. He is a quality human being. I am sure the administration is going to be able to find a position for him that suits his background better than being the head of the FDA, and I say that with all due respect. We had a thoughtful conversation when he came to visit with me. I do not believe he can be the leader we need to change the culture of the FDA. I say that coming from a State that has been ravaged by this opiate addiction. It is going to take someone who is totally committed through and through to make the changes that need to be made. The No. 1 priority of the FDA and its Commissioner should be public health. It is inappropriate for the FDA Commissioner to have such close financial ties with the pharmaceutical industry. I will give a little bit of background on this because what he has done I think is what most of them do. Between 2010 and 2014, Dr. Califf received money through his university salary as well as his consulting fees from 26 different pharmaceutical companies, including opioid manufacturers. Dr. Califf has described FDA regulations as a ``barrier''--not a safeguard--to public health. That is troubling in itself. In 2008, the FDA's approval of new marketing claims for existing drugs was 56 percent. In the first 8 months of 2015, it was 88 percent. This includes just last year approving OxyContin for children as young as 11 years old. At a time when opioid deaths are killing tens of thousands of Americans every day, our FDA would like to give these dangerous drugs to kids. Someone at the FDA needs to change this way of thinking. They are giving all of the excuses in the world, and it makes no sense whatsoever to me. Dr. Califf's past involvement with the pharmaceutical industry shows that he will not be able to be this person--the person of change who is needed. He will not have the impact or leadership capabilities that this Nation needs to stem the tide of the opioid crisis. These are the facts of what this horrific pain reduction, if you will--pain suppressor, opiates--does to Americans. With 51 Americans dying every day due to an opioid overdose--51 Americans die every day-- the FDA, now more than ever, needs a champion who is committed to dramatically changing the way this agency handles opioids. Every other Federal agency is fighting to address opioid addiction. Let me tell my colleagues about addiction. There is not one of us in the Senate, there is not one person who works here who doesn't have someone in their immediate family or extended family or a close friend who has been affected by prescription drug abuse or illicit drugs, but the FDA continues to approve stronger and more dangerous opioid drugs, endangering the public. In 2014, 18,893 people died due to a prescription opioid overdose. Again, as I have said, that is 51 people every day. That is a 16- percent increase from 2013 and it increased every year before that. We have lost almost 200,000 Americans to prescription opioid abuse since 1999. The FDA Commissioner is an important figure in the fight against prescription drug abuse, and he or she must be a public health official whose top priority is stopping the opioid abuse epidemic. We need to change the culture of the FDA to make them address the crisis seriously. That will not happen if the person at the helm is not a strong advocate--and I say a very strong advocate--who is committed to pushing back against the pressure to continually approve new opioid medications given the significant risks to public health, just for meeting a business model or a business plan. I believe the FDA needs new leadership, a new focus, and a new culture. This is not disparaging anybody who is there or who wishes to be there. When I talked to Dr. Califf, I found him to be most qualified and will do a good job in some other position, I am sure. I believe the FDA must break its close relationship with the pharmaceutical industry and instead start a relationship with the millions of Americans impacted by prescription drug abuse. It is just human nature for a person that basically has had all his research funded for many years from this industry, and it is going to be hard to change. It is because of this that I will filibuster any effort to confirm Dr. Califf instead of voting to confirm a nominee who will not address the concerns of the people of West Virginia and all of America. I will come to the floor and read letters from those who have had their lives devastated by opiate addiction. I will read letters from children who have seen their parents die from an overdose. I will read letters from grandparents who have been forced to raise their grandchildren when their kids went to jail, rehab, or the grave. I will read letters from teachers and religious leaders who have seen their communities devastated by prescription drug abuse. I will read letters from West Virginians who need help from the FDA--not by putting more of these opiate killers on the market. I urge all of my colleagues to examine the financial support Dr. Califf has received throughout his research career and ask themselves if he is the right person to change the culture of the FDA. This Senator is confident that when looking at all the facts, you will agree that we need a new nominee, one who will join us in the fight against this horrible epidemic affecting every nook and cranny of this country. I thank the Presiding Officer and yield the floor.

Mr. MANCHIN. If I may, Mr. President, let me first of all thank the Senator from Alaska for her leadership on the Energy bill. It has been a long time since we have had one on the floor, working in a most rational, commonsense approach trying to bring all parties together. She has done a great job working with Maria Cantwell, the Democrat on our side from the State of Washington. I think we are finding there is a little bit of something for everybody, understanding that the energy policy should be an all-in policy. I come from a fossil fuel State and she comes from a fossil fuel State, and people think they can live without it. I think they can live better with it if we use technology, and that is what we have tried to push in this piece of legislation. On the opiate issue, I have a passion. I have watched it, and it is devastating. When you have young kids coming to you and telling you that they have watched their parents die of overdose, they have watched their families split up, with the kids taken in different directions, it makes your heart bleed and makes you think about future generations and what we are going to face. Then to have the Food and Drug Administration--I will give one example. It took them working 3 years to get all opiates to be reclassified from a schedule III to a schedule II. It took 3 years to get that done. To show the success we have had, millions of prescriptions have been reduced because now it is a 30-day mandatory, but let me tell you, it is still a problem that we have. Not everybody needs 30 days. Unless we start doing a whole reeducation of the doctors who basically write the prescriptions to understand sometimes you need it only for 1 or 2 days of assistance, we are over-prescribing and the pharmaceuticals are over-enticing, if you will, with stronger and stronger medications. This Senator believes we need an FDA cultural change. That is it. I think if we can't do it here, if we don't drive it on the inside, then there is no one expected to do it on the outside. In States that do the heavy lifting--Alaska, West Virginia--people are going to get injured from time to time. They have pain, and they need help. There are other methods. We are trying to go in a different direction. I thank the Senator for recognizing that, but I also thank the Senator for coming to our State. We enjoyed having her, and I enjoyed being in her State.

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

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, today I wish to honor Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a distinguished African-American civil rights activist, author, editor, publisher, and historian who left a remarkable legacy across the Nation and in my home State of West Virginia. Dr. Woodson was born in New Canton, Buckingham County, VA, in 1875 to former slaves Anne Eliza and James Henry Woodson. Taking care of the family farm often took priority over his education; nevertheless, his thirst for knowledge drove him forward during the course of his life. He was a very bright student when he was able to attend school. Despite being taught theories of African-American inferiority of that time period, his well-grounded beliefs, credited to his father, kept his spirits high and only added fuel to the influence he would one day share with the world. James and Anne Eliza first moved into the region on the Ohio River that became Huntington, WV, in 1870. There, James Woodson worked with many other former slaves to complete the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad. Dr. Woodson and his older brother Robert Henry Woodson then delayed their move and took jobs working in the West Virginia coalfields of Fayette County. Here, Dr. Woodson, who had not yet attended high school, often read to his fellow coal miners who were illiterate, as he had been doing for his illiterate father. The collection of books and newspapers he accumulated for this task broadened his horizons about the world. Ambitious for more education, the largely self-taught Dr. Woodson enrolled in 1895 at Douglas High School and received a diploma in less than 2 years. He began his teaching career in 1897 in Fayette County and would later return to Huntington to become the principal of Douglas High School. In the years to come, he continued to travel across the United States and throughout Europe and Asia. He received degrees in history from the University of Chicago and Harvard University. He became the second African American to earn a Ph.D. at Harvard. Countless individuals inspired this great man. Whether citing a speech from Booker T. Washington or a friendship with a fellow coal miner, it is clear that Dr. Woodson saw education as the great equalizer. He could see beyond what he considered ``miseducation'' as a way to continually improve both the education of others and of himself--and ultimately generations of students of all races. He had fierce opinions and was unafraid to challenge what was then considered as ``known'' information. Dr. Woodson continued to travel in later years, lecturing to various African-American organizations and institutions. In 1921, he created the Associated Publishers, which was dedicated to issuing books by African-American authors. In 1926, he orchestrated Negro History Week, held in connection with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass and later extended to African-American History Month. Libraries and schools have been named in honor of this brilliant man--a testament to his commitment of embracing our knowledge of the history that shaped this great Nation. Particularly now, as we celebrate African-American History Month, it is fitting that we should honor such a man as Dr. Woodson. He has inspired countless leaders to fearlessly challenge what they believe is unjust and to inspire others to do the same. His legacy is one of constantly striving to better oneself and truly sets the standard for all leaders who have followed and will continue to follow in his footsteps.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I raise a point of order that the pending motion to concur violates section 311(a)(2)(B) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, all I am asking for in raising this point of order--the tax extender legislation will reduce revenues below the fiscal year 2016 budget agreement and would violate section 311. All I am asking for is to separate the votes. If you are proud and you want to vote for the extender, please do so. Voting no on this separates it, so you will have a vote on the extenders and a vote on the omnibus bill. Go home and explain it. There are good things in both. But give us a chance--basically, those who don't agree--and do not take the cowardly way out by putting them all into one. That is all we are doing. If Tom Brokaw writes his new book after ``The Greatest Generation,'' we are going to be the worst generation by saddling this debt on our children and grandchildren. What we are doing here is something unconscionable--2,200 pages all wrapped into one. All I am asking for is a ``no'' vote so we can separate it, go home, and explain it. I think we owe that to the people. We are at 16 percent now. We can't go much lower, but we are trying, I know that. So I appreciate that very much. I encourage a ``no'' vote on this. We will separate the two, vote them up or down, go home and explain them, and be proud of what we are doing in the Senate.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, my colleague and dear friend from Virginia, Senator Warner, has worked extensively on trying to reform our Tax Code. We had something called the Simpson-Bowles Commission, which I think he took the lead on and was very much instrumental. What does this do to give you the chance to basically fix the problems we have with the Tax Code?

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to enter into a colloquy.

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

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I rise to applaud my colleagues for being in the Christmas spirit. I have never seen so many gifts and presents given out in one bill. Let's be clear, we aren't voting on just a $1.1 trillion spending bill called the omnibus, we are not voting on just that bill. That bill, by itself, could have been acceptable because it helps veterans, middle-class families, our Defense Department, our border security, and a host of other valuable Federal programs, but we aren't voting on just the omnibus bill. We are forced to vote on both the omnibus and the tax extender package that adds an additional unpaid-for $680 billion of gifts for special interest groups. We are giving out $680 billion in irresponsible tax breaks, Christmas gifts to every special interest and corporation that asked for one. We gave Christmas presents to millionaire race car drivers and motorcycle riders, film, television, and theater producers, and even racehorse owners. Don't get me wrong. I like going to the movies, I like riding my motorcycle, and even going horseback riding from time to time, but I don't think many middle-class Americans will be happy to know we gave away billions of dollars in tax gifts to millionaires and billionaires at their expense. They should be especially upset that we did it by mortgaging the futures of their children and grandchildren. I have always said we are writing checks that our kids can't cash. I think a lot of Americans would want to know how we got here. How did we get to the point where we force ourselves to vote on a 2,000- page, trillion-dollar spending bill at the end of the year just so we can all rush home for the holidays? How did we add a $700 billion tax extender package that gives the wealthiest among us the gifts they want? The truth is that we stopped following regular order. A lot of us only heard about regular order. We have never actually governed by it. I only know about regular order because before I joined the Senate and before he passed away, Senator Robert C. Byrd told me how this place used to work. We used to talk about how things would happen. He would be disappointed in all of us on both sides, Democrats and Republicans, that we have run the body he loved so much the way we have. This is what regular order is supposed to look like. After receiving the President's budget--which we do, starting our new Congress-- Congress is supposed to respond with our view of what the budget should look like. Then we work through 12 appropriations committees and their subcommittees to develop 12 separate appropriations bills. The entire body should then consider each individual bill and make sure they meet the demands of our constituents while staying within the means of our set budget. We need to do that 12 separate times so we can honestly tell the American public that we were responsible with their money and we can answer to that. Instead, we are jammed at the last minute with a $1.1 trillion spending bill that is over 2,000 pages long and considers the priorities of those 12 committees all at one time, without talking about them and debating them individually. Not only that, as if that is not enough, this year we have a special treat of adding on a $700 billion tax gift Christmas tree package instead of actually doing the tax reform all of us talk about but never actually get around to. At some point, we are going to have to start setting our priorities based on our values, budgeting based on our priorities, and being responsible stewards of the taxpayers' money. It will happen sooner or later. Instead of working throughout the year in a bipartisan way, we continue to govern by crisis, one after another. We kick the can down the road all year and then add in more than half a trillion dollars in gifts to our special interest friends. Both parties are to blame. This is not just a bipartisan issue, both parties are at fault. The Christmas gift will add $2 trillion to our debt over the next two decades. My grandfather Papa Joe always taught me to base our priorities on our values and then budget based on our priorities. Well, we have sure shown the American people what our values are with this bill. We pay a lot of lip service on this floor, on cable news, and on campaign trails about our priorities, but when it comes down to it and time to govern based on the priorities, all we get is lip service. We had choices to make in this bill. We could have helped middle- class families or could have given tax breaks to multinational companies--notably the major banks--parking their money abroad. We could choose to make college debt free or we could choose to help the film, television, and theater producers deduct the cost of their movies, shows, and plays. We could choose to double our border security or we could allow racehorses to be depreciable. We could choose to give every American family $5,600 in tax relief or we could have chosen to give favorable tax treatment to racing complexes. We could have chosen to keep the promise that President Truman made to our patriotic coal miners in 1946 and protect their pension and health care guarantees or we could choose to give $680 billion in tax breaks to special interest groups, millionaires, and billionaires. We chose poorly. We truly chose poorly. Democrats and Republicans both say we need to help our hard-working American families, but we have completely ignored the most hard-working people out there I know, our coal miners, and we should be ashamed of ourselves. I know some of my colleagues don't like coal. They think they don't need it and want to get rid of it, but this isn't about coal. It is about the brave men and women who gave and who have gone into those mines every day for over a century to power our economy, produce the weapons to fight our wars, and provide the energy we all depend on today. It made us the greatest country on Earth, a superpower. Basically, with this God-given resource that we had, these brave men and women worked and worked hard, very patriotically, to make sure this country had the energy it needed to defend itself and to build the industrial might that we have to be the superpower of the world. They were guaranteed affordable health care and dignity in retirement in return for the blood, sweat, and tears they shed for our country. That was a guarantee, a written guarantee, in 1946. They were guaranteed affordable health care and retirement. I want you to know that by not being able to have that in this bill--as laden as it is with all of these giveaways, freebies, picking who is getting what, and all the millionaires and billionaires--we went back on our promise. We decided to help race car owners, film producers, horseracing professionals, foreign entities, and a host of other special interest groups, but we didn't help our own miners. We did not help our own people. Today we said that despite finding a fiscally responsible way to meet these obligations, our priorities were not in valuing their service. I cannot stand on the floor and vote for a bill that tells middle-class Americans, students and veterans, doctors and nurses, mothers and fathers, and our seniors that these are our values. They simply are not who we are and what we are about. They are not the values that the good people of West Virginia, Wisconsin or all the other 50 States that we have in this great Union basically value, and they are not the values the ``greatest generation'' and our miners fought for. I encourage all my colleagues to vote no and show the American people once and for all what our values should be and that our priorities are about them and not about special interest people and special people who don't need the help. They have already done very well in life. I would hope we would all think twice before voting on this absolutely irresponsible piece of legislation that adds another $700 billion of debt. It is uncalled for. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I have two of my colleagues with me; the three of us were former Governors. My good friend Senator King was the Governor of Maine, my good friend Senator Mark Warner was the Governor of Virginia, and I was previously the Governor of West Virginia. So we maybe think a little differently about how things should work in a budget. Unfortunately, we don't aim for the bipartisan success we had in 1997. In 1997, President Clinton, a Democrat, under his administration--at that time we had Governor Kasich, who was then a Congressman, a Republican, and they worked together to get a budget. And, I might say, it was the last time a balanced budget was negotiated. The government suffered budget deficits every year from 1970 through 1997, when a balanced budget was finally negotiated. In 1998, the President, along with a Republican-controlled Congress-- as we have today--recorded a surplus of $69 billion and continued to deliver surpluses. In 1999 it was $126 billion; in 2000 it was $236 billion; in 2001 it was $128 billion. The Congressional Budget Office in January of 2001 stated in their budget outlook that the Federal budget over the next decade continued to be bright and would build on a period of historic surpluses. Historic surpluses are what they predicted. That was in 2001. However, just a year later, CBO--the same people--changed their tone, projecting that long-term pressures on increased spending and decreasing revenues due to tax cuts would set the country on a path toward deficits. CBO even went so far as to warn President Bush and Congress, stating: Taking action sooner rather than later to address long-term budgetary pressures can make a significant difference. In particular, policies that encourage economic growth, such as running budget surpluses to boost national savings and investment, enacting tax and regulatory policies that encourage work and saving, and focusing more government spending on investment rather than on current consumption can help by increasing the total amount of resources available for all uses. But Washington ignored the warnings, and the budget deficits returned, along with the bipartisan blame that plagues the Nation's Capital today. Since 2002, the Nation has routinely suffered from irresponsible budgets, resulting in a growing national debt. Between 2008 and 2012, the deficits totaled $5.6 trillion, and in 4 of the 5 years, they were larger relative to the size of the economy than they had been in any year since 1946. In 2014, our spending was $3.5 trillion and our revenues were only $3 trillion--a deficit of $485 billion. In 2015, CBO projects our spending will be $3.67 trillion and our revenues will be only $3.2 trillion--a deficit of $426 billion. Our deficit is projected to decrease slightly in 2016, with spending at $3.9 trillion and revenues at $3.5, for a deficit of only $414 billion. However, beginning in 2017, they begin to rise again. With spending at over $4 trillion and revenues at $3.6 trillion, we are still adding $416 billion and climbing. The three of us have a hard time understanding that. Basically, we all had balanced budget amendments in our constitutions. Every Governor sits down at least once a week with the revenue, and the revenue people come in with all the tax people. Every Governor sits down, and they tell us where we are. They tell us where we are on projected revenues and if we can continue spending what we projected to spend or if we have to start cutting. As Governor, you have to start making those decisions on a weekly basis, sometimes on a daily basis. But that was our responsibility. On our current trajectory, we will be returning to trillion-dollar levels by 2025, with spending of $6 trillion and revenues of only $5 trillion. Our Federal debt now exceeds $18.7 trillion, equivalent to roughly 100 percent of GDP, and CBO projects budget deficits will rise steadily. By 2040, our Federal debt will reach a percentage of GDP seen at only one previous time in the history of this great country, and that was the final year of World War II. If we think back to World War II, our parents and grandparents were wondering: How do we survive? How does the world survive? We didn't worry about what we had spent and what revenue we had. We did whatever it took. This is all self-inflicted. This is truly self-inflicted, and it is not one party spending more than the other party or one party being more irresponsible. It is all of us not doing our job--just doing what we are doing today, voting on a combined omnibus with an extender bill wrapped into one, and saying: There is a lot of good, and we need to do it. If you don't do it, you are going to shut down the government. That is not the case. Somebody sooner or later has to say enough is enough. How can we go home and explain this to the people? I can't. We are leaving people behind and not doing the job we should be doing. That is why I am so pleased to be here with my dear friends. Senator Angus King from Maine--the job he did I think was exceptional. I yield to Senator Warner.

Mr. MANCHIN. As we finish up on the colloquy here, the House is going to vote twice. They are going to vote on the extenders bill and the omnibus bill. For the second time, we are going to roll them into one in the Senate. We will not have the opportunity to vote twice. The omnibus bill is something that I could have supported. The extenders bill is absolutely something I cannot support, for the future of our country and our children. It is a shame that we don't have a separate vote. With that, I thank the Senator from Maine and the Senator from Virginia for this colloquy. With that, we yield the floor.

Mr. MANCHIN

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

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the life of a dear friend and a remarkable West Virginian who passed away on December 9th, 2015. Former West Virginia State senator and house of delegates member, Thais F. O'Donnell Blatnik, was a dedicated public servant and an inspiring leader who was respected and admired by all who knew her. She led an extraordinary life that will always be remembered in the hearts of the countless individuals whose lives she touched. Thais was a proud West Virginian from our State's northern panhandle. She was born and raised in the town of Weirton, where she grew up with her loving parents and her two younger sisters, Eileen and Kay. It was there in the small town of Weirton that Thais would plant her roots and cultivate an inherent love and commitment to her community, the northern panhandle region, and her entire State. Thais went on to live a long and prosperous life, filled with immense success. But she never strayed too far from her loved ones and friends in Weirton and the northern panhandle. After graduating from high school, she attended and graduated from West Liberty University and launched a tireless career in journalism. After college, Thais returned to her beloved hometown to work for the Weirton Daily Times. She also spent part of her career working for the Wheeling Intelligencer and as an editor for the Dominion Post. During her journalism career, Thais developed her inquisitive nature along with her passion for asking the hard questions. She was a true force, and she was tough but fair when it came to telling the news. She covered all levels of politics, and she even had the opportunity to interview three U.S. Presidents: President Kennedy, President Ford, and President Roosevelt. As a result of her work in journalism, she was emboldened to run for office herself and to stand up for the northern panhandle communities she loved so dearly. Just as Thais was a fierce journalist, she became an equally strong and passionate public servant. Genuinely committed to improving the lives of all West Virginians, she represented Ohio County for 8 years in the house of delegates and another 8 years in the State senate. I was proud to work alongside her and call her my colleague during my time in the State senate. Thais spent her time at the statehouse fighting to improve the lives of all West Virginians, but specifically women and children and those struggling with mental health and disabilities. She was honored for her great work and for her service as Mental Health Directors Legislator of the Year and recognized by the West Virginia Association for the Developmentally Disabled for her faithful work helping children with exceptionalities. Thais also served as the executive director of the Wheeling Area Training Center for the Handicapped, WATCH. Thais was not only reputable and accomplished in her public life, but she was also an unparalleled example of a devoted wife, a proud mother, and a wonderful grandmother. She was married to the late Dr. Albert M. Blatnik for more than 48 years and paid tribute to him in a book she wrote titled ``Here's Al.'' Thais received love and support throughout her life from Al as well as her children--Floyd, Judy, and David--and her grandchildren--Katie, Jack, Joe, Maggie, and Sam--who lovingly called her ``Meme.'' During their lives, Thais and Al led their grandchildren across the country introducing them to exciting new experiences. Anyone who knew Thais Blatnik can tell you about her incredible passion for her community and her State and her ability to inspire each person she encountered. She made a difference throughout West Virginia and will be forever remembered for her many years of service. She was truly a hero to so many in our State, and though she will be greatly missed, her memory will always live on.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 2908.

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I rise again today to offer this important piece of legislation with my good friend Pat Toomey. It is a bipartisan piece of legislation. It makes all the sense in the world. Most of America supports the background checks that we are talking about. As a law-abiding gun owner, I can assure you that basically I have been taught not to sell my gun to a stranger, not to sell my gun to a criminal, and not to sell my gun to someone who is severely mentally ill. That is how we were trained, and that is how most American law- abiding gun owners are trained. All this bill does is not infringe upon the rights of a personal transaction. The only thing this piece of legislation does is to close a loophole in commercial transactions such as gun shows and Internet sales. I don't know if that person is a criminal. I don't know if that person is severely mentally ill. I just don't know that person. I was taught not to sell to that person or to give to that person unless I knew him. This is the most commonsense idea supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans and an overwhelming majority of law-abiding gun owners in America. I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in this bipartisan legislation to please support this. It is basically something that is long, long overdue, and these tragedies continue to happen.

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, I move to waive all applicable sections of that act for purposes of the pending amendment, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I wish to recognize with tremendous pride the life and legacy of a very dear friend and an extraordinary West Virginian, Roy Melvin Hancock. Melvin was an inspiration to so many because of his deep-rooted passion for the city of Beckley. It is a privilege to formally recognize the impact that Melvin had on southern West Virginia through his dedication and determination to building a stronger community. There was truly no one who loved Beckley more than Melvin. Throughout his life, Melvin had a persistent calling to make Raleigh County a better place. His love of Beckley even earned him the title of ``Mr. Beckley.'' It was through the YMCA of Southern West Virginia that Melvin launched his lifelong mission of community improvement. After graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School and Marshall University, Mel returned to Beckley in 1970 and started his remarkable 25-year career at the YMCA. Melvin's meaningful contributions and achievements during his career at the YMCA are truly immeasurable. As a leader at the YMCA, Melvin wanted to make sure that Beckley's finest residents were recognized for their inspirational work in the community; therefore, he created the Spirit of Beckley Award. For the past 29 years, this annual award has been given to those who strive to make Beckley a better place. This year, Melvin was posthumously honored with the award. There is truly no one more deserving. Because of Melvin's leadership and guidance, there are numerous YMCA programs that still exist today. Melvin understood that, in order to create a stronger community, it is critical to inspire our young ones. That is why he concentrated many of the Y's programs on expanding opportunities for our kids. He grew the organization's programs, camps, and tournaments in a variety of sports, and he established the Biddy-Buddy Basketball Tournament, the Annual Invitational Swim Meet, the YMCA Day Camps, and the YMCA Pre-School. He was also instrumental in the development of the Paul Cline Memorial Soccer Complex facility. In addition to his efforts to promote Beckley's youth, Melvin also was the organization's lead fundraiser, establishing the annual international dinner, coordinating the membership drive, and raising the funds for the current YMCA facility that serves local families. There is no doubt that the YMCA of Southern West Virginia would not be what it is today without the dream and devotion of Melvin Hancock. He went above and beyond in creating opportunities for Beckley residents through the YMCA and in reaching the goals he wanted to accomplish for the organization and for the area's families and kids. After ending a purposeful career at the YMCA, Melvin went on to lead the fundraising efforts at Mountain State University. There, he helped fulfill many university development projects, including the Robert C. Byrd Library, Carter Hall, the Max Lewin Bell Tower, the John W. Eye Conference Center, the gymnasium, and the dormitories. The university flourished under his direction. Melvin continued his great work after leaving Mountain State University through fundraising efforts at Friends of Coal, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Ronald Blue and Associates. After his retirement, he continued to be an active member of the community by pushing for the renovation of the Bobby Pruett Stadium and through substitute teaching in Raleigh and Fayette County schools. He especially loved the little ones in pre-K, kindergarten, special education and physical education. The students loved ``Mr. Mel.'' Melvin was dedicated to giving back to the Beckley community until his very final days. His last endeavor was a special project for the Women's Resource Center to help those who have been victims of domestic abuse. Melvin not only loved his community, but he was devoted to his family--his wife, children, and the many members of his extended family. He was active in his church, he loved history, he was passionate about antique automobiles, he enjoyed being outdoors, he was loyal to his alma maters, and, of course, he loved to dance. It is such an honor to celebrate Melvin's life and recognize his many accomplishments that have helped to shape the Beckley community. I will forever be grateful for Melvin's unwavering leadership and for his countless years of service. Melvin's memory will continue to serve as inspiration for me and so many others to dedicate ourselves to the betterment of our communities.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Ken Kern, a fellow in my office, be granted floor privileges during the consideration of the Congressional Review Act resolution.