Joe Manchin

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. First of all, there is not a whole lot that needs to be said that hasn't been said, but one thing I want to say to my dear friend Tom Coburn is that he made Washington happen for me, if you will. He made it more tolerable. I had a hard time in transitioning. Tom reached out. He saw that. We talked about this before, but Tom made this place more palatable. Tom, you have expanded my area of friendships with more people than you know and the right type of people, and I appreciate it I think more than you even know. I will end with this, and I don't mean to say a lot. I have been asked about Tom Coburn. How would I explain him? Tom Coburn's got soul. Tom Coburn's got soul. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart, brother. You have soul, and I thank you for what soul you brought to this place. God bless.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. All of us came here at one time or another, and the first impression you have is how they kind of ingratiate you and bring you into the fold. I am often asked--I am sure most of our colleagues are asked the same question--whom do you consider your best and closest friend and whom do you associate with and whom do you feel comfortable with? In any category, without a doubt, it is always Mary Landrieu. We come from a similar background--rural States. We come from the same culture-- hard-working people who basically don't ask for an awful lot and give a lot more back. Both of us come from large Catholic families, and we have an awful lot in common. We and our spouses have bonded, and we have done things together. That was the way I heard the place used to work, that you build relationships and there is camaraderie and you share dinners at people's homes. It is such a different atmosphere when that happens because you really do forge a bond that is so much missing in this body. Let me say one other thing. The great losers in this whole election process we just had were the great people of Louisiana. They lost a champion. They lost a fighter. That is what Senator Merkley said. There is nobody who said: I think you ought to be careful about that because I think Mary is interested. We knew there could be problems. With that being said, the best thing to do is to go talk to Mary on this subject or issue, and we would work through it. How do we compromise and bring everybody together? And Mary would say: We will work through it. Coming from an energy State and Mary having an energy State and the two of us being Democrats, on our side sometimes our individual caucus is not as large as we would like for it to be--let's put it that way-- but we talk an awful lot about how we are moving an energy policy. As Mary said, we need it all in this country. We should be totally energy independent. We shouldn't be looking to other countries and buying their products and giving them the resources to be used against us, and we don't have to do that. We can do it in a sensible and balanced way with the economy and the environment. Mary has always had the economy and environment first and foremost. That type of balance is hard to find, and it is definitely hard to find in Washington. So I just want her to know that there is nobody who is going to miss Mary Landrieu more than I, being in this body, going shoulder to shoulder with her and trying to bring an even keel to this whole process. Mary, I feel for the people of Louisiana. I truly do. I am hoping somebody can come along and have the same spirit and fight that you have, but no one is going to be able to replace you and what you have been able to do and what you have been able to make us aware of. My little State was involved in helping Katrina, helping the State of Louisiana. The State of West Virginia came immediately. When that happened, we were so proud to be part of that, and we now have a lot of people from Louisiana living in West Virginia today because of that effort. There has been a wonderful relationship and a wonderful friendship, but more importantly, there has been a wonderful person who has graced the Halls in this tremendous body for 18 years who will not be replaced in this Senate and this body. Again, the people of Louisiana should be extremely proud to have someone who is a fighter, who gave every drop she had of public service for her State and never forgot where she come from. So with that, that is a tremendous tribute in itself. I say to my dear friend, thank you for your service on behalf of the great State of Louisiana. Thank you for all the important work you have done for our country. God bless you, and I love you.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. First, I would say I have only been in the Senate for 4 years. When I came, let's just say it was not what I expected. For that, you look for a little bit of respite, if you will. I looked at my colleagues and my friends on the Republican side. I didn't come to the Senate looking at what side you were on. I looked at basically the person I was dealing with. There was a person who befriended me almost from my first day, knowing that the transition was a challenge. He stepped up to the plate with a few of my other friends over there--I see Senator Coburn behind him--and basically took me under the wing and said: Listen, we can all work together and get along. What we do here is bigger and for the greater good than what we do for ourself. Saxby not only showed me, but basically I was able to follow and watch what he did. This Chamber should be filled right now--it really should be from all sides--but the bottom line is the Senator is loved by everybody. I never heard an ill word said about Saxby Chambliss, the distinction he carries as far as the Senate and as a human being. I say to the Senator, your family and your priorities are correct. Your moral compass is working and working well. I can only tell you thank you. As someone from the other side of the aisle and as a fellow colleague and a fellow American, you are an inspiration to us all. Saxby, there will not be another Saxby, but I am glad they gave you to me for this short period of time of 4 years. Some of you--I look at Johnny, and I envy Johnny. For 52 years he has been your close friend. There is your partner in crime back there, Senator Burr. We hope he doesn't tell it all when he gets up. But with that being said, there are so many people who have a relationship that is unmatched and that is because of you. I say, my dear friend, my hat is off to you. Thank you, and God bless you for what you have done for the United States of America, for Georgia, but most importantly for all of us. Thank you.

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, first I thank my colleague for giving me this time, and I acknowledge the hard work he has done. Weiss Nomination I represent the great State of West Virginia. It is a rural State where we believe in commonsense solutions and values. In the Mountain State, we understand the importance of leveling the playing field for community institutions and helping small businesses create and keep jobs. As a Senator from West Virginia, I was sent here to represent the people of Main Street. For those reasons, I rise today to explain why I must oppose the nomination of Wall Street investment banker Antonio Weiss to be Under Secretary for Domestic Finance at the Department of the Treasury. I cannot and will not support his nomination because I do not believe he possesses the characteristics and the background we need in an Under Secretary to push for strong Wall Street oversight and to protect our small businesses and financial institutions on Main Streets all across America. The position to which Mr. Weiss has been nominated is one that would put him at the head of the Treasury's decisionmaking on issues of domestic finance, fiscal policy, government liability, and other related domestic matters. He would oversee critical issues such as Wall Street reform, financing the national debt, housing finance reform, and small business credit. I have serious doubts that Mr. Weiss has the right experience to take on such a role. It is clear that as the global head of investment banking at Lazard, Mr. Weiss is very talented and experienced in working in financial markets and economic institutions, but as an investment banker on Wall Street, he does not have the experience for this particular oversight position. He has dealt almost entirely with European investment banking, not domestic finance or community banking or regulatory issues of any kind, all of which fall under the jurisdiction of this important position. Besides not having the right background for the job, the fact that Mr. Weiss is a top corporate dealmaker with a specialization in international financing is in itself troubling to me. He has spent a good deal of his professional career working on mergers and acquisitions for the world's largest corporations. He has spent time in Paris running the firm's European division. There is not a thing wrong with that, but this fits the administration's pattern of choosing Wall Street insiders for senior policy positions instead of those with strong consumer protection or community bank and credit union experience, plain-spoken people who have worked on Main Street. To make matters worse, the substantial compensation Lazard plans to offer Mr. Weiss upon his confirmation is another reason to be very skeptical. The financial giant is planning to pay him $20 million if he can win confirmation and come into government service. This kind of arrangement and human nature suggests he will be especially sympathetic to Lazard's lobbying efforts. Public service is a noble cause. A $20 million golden parachute makes it very hard to gain the public's trust. With that being said, I do not believe Mr. Weiss can fulfill the duties of Under Secretary of the Treasury Department. Since joining the Senate banking committee, I have tried to make our banking and financial system work better for small businesses, banks, and middle-class West Virginians and Americans. I will continue to do so. That is why I cannot support this nomination. Mr. Weiss does not have the experience for this particular job. It is important to send a message that we will no longer allow Wall Street to exclusively make our fiscal policy decisions, especially when they affect so many around this country on Main Street. Economic and banking policies have too often been made without the input of our Nation's midsized banks, community banks, and credit unions. We must strive to have a balanced view of engaging voices on all sides of these important issues. By confirming Mr. Weiss as the Under Secretary, we are putting Wall Street before Main Street. We have already seen from the 2008 crisis how that harmed the Nation as a whole. We do not need to repeat that picture again. I yield the floor.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Let me just state to all of my colleagues on all sides of this issue, I appreciate this very much. It is a great debate. It is a great way for us to learn of our differences and try to find the middle, if you will. I come from the little State of West Virginia where basically the people are pretty commonsense, if you will, oriented. They look at something from the standpoint--our greatest trading partner in our State of West Virginia is Canada. Thirty-five States in the United States look at Canada as our favored nation to trade with. We have been doing more trading than ever before. We will continue to do so. I am coming at this from security. How do we remain secure as a nation? How do we become less dependent? If you look at what is going on in the world, maybe it will give you a picture of what we are dealing with, the facts of life. We all want to use the technology and we all can, through research and development, improve our technology to use the resources that are going to be used that the world has produced for us in a cleaner fashion. With that being said, I do not look at Keystone as being an export pipeline. Even the State Department's environmental impact statement states that export is unlikely to be economically justified for any significant time. Cost-to-market conditions dictate that this oil will go to domestic refiners and will be used in our country, the United States of America. By getting more Canadian oil, we can displace oil that we currently get from less reliable and sometimes hostile countries. Let me read for you how much oil we import right now; How dependent are we on this foreign oil? We should look at basically--of the 7.7 million barrels per day of crude oil imports--mind you, we are getting 7.7 million barrels per day into our country. I understand the pipeline's capacity would be about 870,000 barrels. That is the capacity--if they used the entire capacity. So we are getting 7.7 million barrels per day. Let's see where it is coming from. When you look at that, 3.5 million barrels per day or 45 percent comes from OPEC countries. Of course, Saudi Arabia is our largest OPEC supplier at 1.3 million barrels per day, 17 percent of the crude import total. But our biggest supplier of crude continues to be Canada. It is already our biggest supplier. We are afraid that this is somehow going to tip the balance? Let's look at some of the countries that we get this oil from on a daily basis, the 7.7. Of course, we talked about the OPEC countries. But Venezuela, Colombia, Nigeria, Angola. These are not the model citizens of how they treat their citizens in their country, the humane treatment that goes on. With that being said, those countries I just mentioned, the five countries, that is 1.57 million barrels a day we buy from those countries. So, yes, I am looking at it from the standpoint that this has pulled us into conflicts around the world where we should not be. We have all said we have been pulled into these countries, been pulled into war because of oil. I think we all agree on that. This gives us a chance to be more secure as a nation and more independent from foreign oil. That is what we are talking about. The global supply of energy relies on oil producers in deeply unstable regions. I think we all agree on that too. In West Virginia, it just makes common sense. Would you not rather buy from your friends than from your enemies? Would you not rather buy from people who basically help your economy and are not willing to do harm to your economy or harm to your people? This makes sense to us in West Virginia. We would not be standing here having this debate right now if it had not been for your good Senator and our good friend from Louisiana, Ms. Landrieu. It would not have come up. It would have been moot. It might have gone in the next Congress. Who knows? I just appreciate so much Senator Landrieu being able to bring this to the forefront today. I really do. Whether we win or lose it does not matter. Basically the American people will lose if we do not pass this piece of legislation. If for whatever reason it is not passed, we are going to be more vulnerable, more insecure, more dependent than ever before. It is one thing to live in a perfect world--Utopia. Some of my colleagues have talked about that. I appreciate that. But the bottom line is, it is not the real world. The real world we are living in--I have talked about coal too. There are 8 billion tons of coal being burned in the world. People say: Well, I do not want to use coal in America. That is fine. If you quit using every kind of coal in America, you are not going to change the environment that much. But on the other hand, there will be more coal burned than ever before. We do not want to build any more coal-fired plants in America. We are done. That is fine. Twelve hundred new coal-fired plants will be built around the world in the next 3 to 4 years. Would not it be better to find the technology--would not it be better to have control of that, be able to have a whole other industry around the technology that uses the coal cleaner not just in America but around the world? Would it not be better to have control of this oil coming to the gulf coast? If we have control of it, it will be used here. The fear tactic is that it is going to go somewhere else in the world. Markets will dictate where everything goes. But the bottom line is, we use most of Canada's oil now. They are the largest exporter to our country. So all we are saying is to take a good, hard look at this. Think before you vote today, my colleagues, of what we are doing and what we are doing for the security of our Nation, what we are doing for the best trading partner we have ever had. That oil is going to go somewhere. It is being shipped now in a highly unstable type of condition that is more vulnerable. It takes more oil to move that product today than ever before. Pipelines are by far the safest way to do it. I have said this: If we can move oil in the most demanding and probably the most hostile, if you will, environmental conditions that we have as far as nature produces in the Arctic, and we as the United States benefit by that oil that is being produced in the Arctic by us in America, for all of us in the lower 48, if they are able to, do you not think that it can be done here? I look at it from the standpoint that they are saying enough is enough. I thank Senator Landrieu for bringing the bill to the floor, for having a very informative debate that we can move forward on. I would hope that my colleagues would see fit that the United States of America will benefit, the security of our Nation will benefit, wars could be prevented and conflicts around the world. Maybe we could use our might, if you will, to help other parts of the world without having to fight, defend, and liberate from that standpoint. But I do not believe that we should be in parts of the world where we are today because of the oil that we have been chasing. I believe that by having our own ability to work with the best trading partner we have, which is Canada, that would definitely benefit the security of our Nation. I look forward to this vote this afternoon or later this evening, whenever it may come. I enjoy the debate that is going on and the information I am gaining. I look forward to a more spirited debate for the rest of the day. With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Let me say to all of our colleagues and all of my friends on the Republican side and my friends on the Democratic side that this is the greatest opportunity we have had in the 4 years since I have been in the Senate to have truly a jobs bill, a quality jobs bill that pays high wages. Almost every State in the Nation benefits by the Keystone Pipeline. If you want to take politics out of this, take all of our names off. Senator Landrieu says take her name off. Take my name off. Take everybody's name off, and let's find out who really rises to help Americans. This is one bill that we have been trying to bring to the forefront. Senator Landrieu has brought it how many times? She was the first person--I said yesterday--who, 4 years ago when I came to the Senate, explained to me how important it was and how it interconnected all of us. I am very appreciative of that. Now Mary is in the political fight of her life. I pray to the good Lord that the good people of Louisiana understand the fighter she is and what she produces for America every day. With all that being said, she is willing to take her name off if this piece of legislation will move forward so that the Presiding Officer in Montana and I in West Virginia can get some high-quality jobs. We all benefit from this. Next, it makes our Nation secure. If you want to protect your people, have a secure nation and don't go chasing energy all over the world. It takes us places we don't want to be and shouldn't be. This does all of that as far as securing our energy and making us energy independent. But I just saw after the election--and we accept that. I am on the Democratic side. I heard loud and clear the people of West Virginia and the changes they want. What they really told us is: We want you all to do something. If you have a chance to help us with a good job, do it. Don't argue over your politics. It seems as if you are more concerned about your own status of being a politician or being an elected official than you are about mine, which is basically paying my bills, taking care of my family, and being able to be a good American. What we are saying, we thought we heard that loud and clear. So I will say to all of my friends on the Republican side and all of us on the Democratic side, take a moment and listen to what was just told to us. What was told to us is to do our job--that is what Senator Landrieu was trying to do--move this important piece of legislation forward and do the job we are supposed to. The best politics is good government. If we do something good as a Republican and as a Democrat, we all get credit for it. We do something bad, and then we try to blame each other--who did it worse than the other. We all get blamed for it. This is the best thing we have had for the last 4 or 5 years. We have had a hard time getting to this point, to almost get a vote for it, and now they want to say: Well, one- upmanship--we will see if it can come over from the House side with a person who is involved in a race against Senator Landrieu. Forget about those people. Forget about all of us who cosigned and cosponsored this bill, apparently. Just pass it. Give us a vote and pass it. That is all we are asking for. I think if we do that, the people will say: I think they heard us, and I think they are starting to do something. That is why I am on the floor with Senator Landrieu and the people willing to fight for the jobs that Americans need--not just in Louisiana but in West Virginia, too, and also in Montana.

Mr. MANCHIN. Will the Senator yield?

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. The other thing I wanted to say is this. I know the Senator was in parades yesterday, and I can only imagine her schedule. It has to be unbelievable. But with all that said, people still want jobs. All they want is jobs and an opportunity to work with certainty. This gives Americans a lot of certainty about jobs and future economic growth in our country.

Mr. MANCHIN. I think that basically the Senator touched on something very important and we want to go back to that--transportation of the oil today. The oil is coming down into the refineries anyway. We have had some explosions by our rail carriers. It is coming by truck, and it is coming in so many different forms. We have been told this is the safest way to transport. When people talk about safe transport, we know this was not the first pipeline we have in America. I think if you ever look at a map--the Senator has had the map on the floor--there is a crisscross. We have pipelines all across America, and I think that is the perfect map to see. So the bottom line is it is something we have done. If we take it in the harshest environment in Alaska, the Alaskan pipeline--that means so much to us in America--it has been done in the harshest of environments and has been done safely. So I am concerned about that. I am also concerned with--the Senator talked about it directly going to Texas, but you all benefit; everyone benefits.

Mr. MANCHIN. Senator, if I could just touch on one thing because we have here our good friend Senator Tester of Montana, who also knows a thing or two about an energy-producing State. I think on the environment, you touched on that. Most people believe that people who come from energy States throw caution to the wind on environmental issues. There is no one in this body--I don't believe on either side of the aisle--who doesn't want the best for themselves, their children, families, and future generations. With that being said, I think this pipeline has passed every hurdle the environmental community--rightfully so--has put out so that we should make sure we were protecting the environment and trying to find a balance between the environment and the economics, if you will. The economy is so vitally important. I don't know if there is any environmental impact study standing in the way that would prevent this.

Mr. MANCHIN. Let me say the Senator from Montana, and all of us-- there are quite a few of us--are on this bill for a reason. It is about the opportunities for jobs that we have. And it doesn't have an environmental detriment to our country. That has already been proven. So with all of this, what is the hangup? Why can't we get this vote we are hoping to get by tomorrow at the latest? I can only talk about the jobs with the thousand American companies that are providing the goods it takes to build this pipeline. I have a chance in West Virginia--we are doing an awful lot of the work right now because we come from an energy State that does an awful lot of the support work for any type of energy throughout the country and around the world. But the bottom line is, again, if you are going to have a secure nation, you have to have control of your own destiny. This gives us the control we don't have, it gives us the ability to say, listen, we may not have to go around the world and engage in the different conflicts we see going on right now. That is what we are talking about. So the security of the Nation, I think, is the most important thing Keystone does, is it helps us be more secure with the greatest trading partner we have. Canada is the best and the largest trading partner for 35 States out of the 50. People take jaunts all over the world trying to develop a market here and there. But when it comes down to it, the No. 1 trading partner for 35 States is Canada. And Canada is working with us. I know Canada has pressure from around the world to go somewhere else. So if we have the best partner--the best outlook we have ever had or can imagine--working with us to help develop this product the whole world seems to need and want and we need in America, why not have control? The Senator from Louisiana talked about this. Why shouldn't we bring that oil into America and do all the heavy lifting and then ship it somewhere else? It is supply and demand. When you have control of supply, when you have the supply in your own back yard--and there might be demand, but you have a need also within our country--that gives a pretty good hand to play. That is what we are saying. Why would we let any of these advantages be turned to a disadvantage? The only thing I can do is hope we can get this vote. And I would say to my good friends on the other side of the aisle, my Republican colleagues, this would be the best gesture to move the ball forward. This would be the best gesture they could make, coming off of the changes, the shift we saw from Tuesday's election. People are speaking. They want us to work. It is the same for the Senator from Montana, the same for the Presiding Officer. They want us to do something. They want us to work. We are not going to agree all the time with people. The best we can do is try. We had a football game we played the other day at WVU. We played TCU. We were ahead. We should have won the game. Going into the last half of the fourth quarter, for some reason the play calling wasn't as aggressive as it had been the first three quarters. We sat on the ball and we got beat 31 to 30. People don't want us to sit on the ball in the Senate. It is time for us to do something. It is time for us to move forward. After Tuesday's election, we can work together. We have heard you loud and clear. We are willing to take a vote. We know the environment will be protected. We know we can find a balance between the environment and the economy. We know we can reap thousands and thousands and thousands of jobs and put millions and millions of dollars into the economy. That is what we do know. There will still be some people who don't support this piece of legislation, and they have all their reasons to speak about that. But give us a reason to vote for something that will help America and help our States individually. That is what we are asking for. That is what the good Senator has been fighting for since the day I have been here. Senator Landrieu being the chairman of the energy committee has made a difference from my standpoint, looking at our energy policy as a whole. But how do we keep the United States of America secure and out of troubled spots in the world? I appreciate her efforts on this, and I look forward to working with her on this. I endorsed the bill, I am a cosponsor, and I will definitely proudly vote for this piece of legislation as soon as we can get it on the floor.

Mr. MANCHIN. I thank the Chair. My good friend, the Senator from Louisiana, has been working on this for many years--I think even before I came up. I have been here 4 years now. When I first came, I talked to Senator Landrieu, my friend from Louisiana, and asked her about this and basically I think she explained to me at the time that first of all the sovereign nation of Canada, the country, was going to produce it so we had no say in the production of this product. It is going to be produced. Next of all, it is going to go somewhere because there is demand for the product in the marketplace. There is a demand for it. With all that being said, it didn't take me too long to reply to the Senator, she will recall, 4 years ago, that in West Virginia we have common sense and we have good people like Louisiana and we felt if this product is going to be sold and we are buying this type of a product around the world, then why wouldn't we buy from our friends versus the enemies we have supplied resources to, to be used against us? That is the one that resonates with West Virginians. I know it resonates with Louisianians. The other thing is I understand there are 1,000 American companies in West Virginia--not to say what you have been able to do and help the people in Louisiana, all the jobs they have gotten from this, it would be a tremendous windfall for all of us if it is something we can count on. I can't for the life of me understand why we haven't to date been able to move this piece of legislation forward. I did hear both the minority leader and the majority leader and the minority whip and majority whip talk about it is time for us to start working together. There is not a better piece of legislation to show that we heard the results of Tuesday's election. We heard. If we heard nothing more from that roar of Americans, whether they voted or didn't vote, they basically told us do something. Start doing what we are supposed to do. Start governing. Do something. We may not agree with you, but we would like to see this open dialogue, this transparency, this beautiful body, the Senate, that the whole world watches. But when they see us doing nothing--it is not something we are very good at or look very good doing. That day is gone. I would ask my Senate colleagues that if they would be so kind as to give us a chance to show me we are starting anew. We are going to have a piece of legislation that is going to help us be more secure as a nation, and that is why I am here. I wish to hear the Senator's comments. The security of our Nation--the Senator has been here. She has been seeing what has been going on, the demand we had for foreign oil, what it has done to us, the areas of the world it has taken us to, and the amount of resources we have spent in blood and treasure fighting for resources--whether people believe it or not. This is a chance for us to secure that. So if the Senator could talk to us about that.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. First, I wish to thank my good friend Senator Pat Toomey for working with me on this critical legislation to make sure our kids remain safe in every single school across this great country of ours. I am a father of three and grandfather of eight, and there is nothing more important to me than protecting our children and grandchildren. Our bill is just common sense and has already passed by a voice vote with not one in opposition in the House. This legislation makes sure all employees who work with our students pass a background check to make sure they have no criminal records or an abusive history. That includes everyone from principals, teachers, and secretaries to cafeteria workers and janitors. Since January 1, 410 teachers across America have been arrested for sexual misconduct--just since January 1 of this year. That is more than one teacher per day who has sexually assaulted a student. And that only includes those who have been caught and detained. Do we dare wonder how many predators we could have prevented from harming our students if this bill had been passed years ago, including the outcome of the rape of a young West Virginia student named Jeremy Bell? Twelve-year-old Jeremy was a fifth grade student from Fayette County, WV, who had been on an overnight fishing trip with his elementary principal when he mysteriously died from a head injury in 1997. Nearly 8 years later, investigators discovered that Jeremy was raped and murdered by none other than Edward Friedrichs, Jr. That was Jeremy's principal and supervisor on the trip. Thankfully, Mr. Friedrichs is now serving a life sentence in connection with Jeremy's death. Although Jeremy's death is in and of itself disturbing, Mr. Friedrichs' past proves to be even more troublesome. Prior to working as Fayette County's principal, Mr. Friedrichs had previously been dismissed by a school in Delaware County, PA, on suspicion of sexual misconduct. That school then helped him land a new teaching position in Fayette County, WV. He taught for 26 years in West Virginia--26 years-- before he was finally dismissed in 2001 when he was indicted for sexually abusing four boys--not one but four we know of. This story is heartbreaking and simply unacceptable today. As a parent and grandparent and as a representative of the great State of West Virginia, inaction is not an option. There are more than 4 million teachers and school staff employed by our public school districts across the United States. There are millions of additional workers who have direct access to students, including busdrivers, cafeteria workers, and janitors. Yet there is no national background check policy in place for the people who work directly with our kids everyday. Even worse, not all of our States require checks of child abuse and neglect registries or sex-offender registries. Not all of them. Some do. A lot don't. A recent report by the Government Accountability Office found that five States don't require background checks at all--nothing at all--for applicants seeking employment in our schools. In addition, not all States use both Federal and State sources of criminal data, such as a State law enforcement criminal database or the FBI's Interstate Identification Index. Our bill would simply require mandatory background checks of State criminal registries, State child abuse and neglect registries, an FBI fingerprint check, and a check of the National Sex Offender Registry for existing and prospective employees. Every child deserves to have at least one place where they feel safe and comfortable. For many of our kids these days, that place is at school. This is truly a commonsense bill that aims to help protect our kids from sexual assault predators or any individual who inappropriately behaves in our schools. It only makes sense that we do everything we can to allow our children to have one safe place in their life, and unfortunately that is our schools. If we can make even the smallest difference in changing the outcomes of the lives of students like Jeremy Bell, then we have done our jobs. I hope all my colleagues will consider this when they are thinking of saying: Well, we already do it in our State. Well, guess what, there are many States that do not for whatever reason. We are just asking to make it uniform across our country. I yield the floor.

Mr. MANCHIN. I would say a good half hour.

Mr. MANCHIN. Senator Toomey?

Mr. MANCHIN. I can't speak for others. I will be about 3 to 5 minutes. Senator Harkin?

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. I ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 15 minutes or until my remarks are complete.

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

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I rise today to discuss the gravest and most important issue we can debate in Congress. I am here to talk about America's involvement in the Middle East and President Obama's plan to defeat ISIS. Make no mistake, we must defeat and destroy ISIS. But how we destroy them is what we must get right. I applaud the President for presenting a plan to the American people. I support airstrikes against ISIS. I support providing humanitarian aid. I support cutting off terrorist funding sources. Doing these things has already helped to prevent genocide and has already begun to roll back ISIS's gains in Iraq. I also support in engaging the world community, but most importantly Turkey and the Arab League nations. Unfortunately, I have not seen signs from the region that tell me we have their full support. This should be an Arab ground war and a U.S. air war, but I cannot and will not support arming or training the Syrian opposition forces. I did not come to this decision easily. I spoke with military and foreign policy experts. I attended classified briefings and asked questions of this administration--but, most importantly, I studied our history. We have been at war in that part of the world for the past 13 years. If money and military might could have made a difference, it would have by now. In Iraq alone, we spent the better part of 8 years training the Iraqi police and military force of a 280,000-person army at the cost of $20 billion to the American people--$20 billion. The first time they had to step up and defend their country, their people, and their way of life, what did they do? They folded in the face of ISIS, abandoning their equipment and facilities to the enemy. I ask my colleagues and the President, why do we think that training the rebels would turn out any differently? In West Virginia, we understand the definition of insanity. We get it. The first principle of war is to know your enemy. And we certainly know our enemy. ISIS is a barbaric terrorist with no respect for humanity, and they deserve to die. I have seen the videos and, like every American, I was disgusted and outraged. But as it is most important to know your enemy, it is equally important to know your allies--and I am not confident we know who our allies are. To illustrate that point, I refer my colleagues to press reports that moderate Syrian opposition forces sold American journalist Steven Sotloff to ISIS, who beheaded him and put the video on the Internet. Are those people our allies? Who are our other allies in this fight? As of today, we have only hints of military support from Arab countries that themselves face a greater threat from ISIS than any one of us. Syria's neighbors have the technical ability and the financial resources to support and train the Syrian opposition forces. If that is the correct course of action we should take, they have the wherewithal to do it. In the 1991 Iraq war, we had commitments from our allies around the world, but most importantly from the Arab community. We had a total buy-in. I know Secretary of State Kerry has been working tirelessly to build a similar coalition and to recruit support from Iraq's neighbors, because it is their neighborhood and theirs to defend. I hope it is successful because, as our intelligence community has said repeatedly, ISIS could soon become a direct threat to the United States of America. But I strongly believe that if our military arms and trains Syrian rebels, we will be involving ourselves in a ground conflict that we cannot resolve where potentially everyone involved is our enemy. To my mind, the reasons not to arm Syrian rebels today are very clear. No. 1, first, the weapons we give to moderate opposition may not remain in their hands. If my colleagues have seen the videos of ISIS shipping U.S. Army humvees and MRAPs out of Iraq that we gave to the Iraqi Army, they will understand what I mean. No. 2, I have seen no evidence that the Syrian rebels we plan to train and arm will remain committed to American goals or our interests. The vast majority of national level Syrian rebel groups are Islamist, none of whom are interested in allying with the United States. This is not to their best interests--and not in their interest--and none of whom we should be associating with. Further, the opposition fighters we will train care more about overthrowing Assad's regime than they do about defeating ISIS. Assad is evil, make no mistake about it, but he is not a threat to America. If the moderate opposition has to choose between defeating Assad and defeating ISIS, why do we believe--think about this--they will choose our priority over their own? Why would we even think that? How do we know they won't join forces with ISIS if it helps them overthrow Assad, their main objective? No. 3, authorizing military support for Syrian rebels will inextricably draw us into a civil war we have no way to end--and we have seen this picture unfold before. Our fight is against ISIS and the Islamist terrorist groups that threaten the United States. A limit of that fight should be doing what we need to do to protect Americans and to prevent genocide. Every further step we take from that basic principle of protecting Americans and preventing genocide takes us back down the road of Middle Eastern nation-building. That means we should support others with counterterrorism forces, intelligence gathering, air power, and diplomatic efforts--and it means stopping the flow of illicit oil, money, and fighters across Syria's borders. We do not need to arm and train Syrian rebels to protect Americans. I would ask my colleagues to consider America's history of intervention in the Middle East. It has not been a successful one. Interventions have failed in Lebanon, Somalia, Libya, Iraq, and Afghanistan is on the brink of failure. What did we learn from our actions? Certainly not that going into Muslim countries to restore order or restore democracy is a winning strategy for us. I have been very clear: We have every right to and we must--we must-- defend ourselves and protect American citizens and interests against terrorists anywhere in the world. I again voice my strong support for the counterterrorism efforts already ongoing to protect Americans, but we have proven by blood and treasure already spent that we have not made a difference with American boots on the ground in this part of the world. Some have used the examples of our garrisons in Germany, Japan, Korea, and the Balkans as examples of where the United States successfully established the rule of law with residual military forces, but such comparisons have little basis in history. Once our mission was achieved and occupation began, our troops did not face the threat of violence from the same people we had just defended and liberated. Others have said if we had kept a residual force in Iraq that ISIS would never have taken hold, and I respectfully disagree. How can I fault a President for pulling troops out after 8 years, billions spent, and thousands of lives lost, with no end in sight? Again we trained in Iraq a military of 280,000 persons at a cost of $20 billion, and when they faced their first test, they folded. That was a fraction of the total cost of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I wish to give a rundown of where we stand today. In Iraq, conservatively, we have spent $818 billion. In Afghanistan, we have spent $747 billion, and that is continuing to grow. The total cost of our recent wars: $1.6 trillion, and that is growing. That doesn't include the cost of long-term care of wounded veterans, over 50,000. But the cost in money is nothing compared to the cost of lives. In Iraq, 4,400 dead, 36,000 wounded. In Afghanistan and still counting, 2,200 dead and 21,000 wounded. I know my vote comes with a price. I know that. It is my understanding that the same vote we make to train and fund the Syrian opposition forces will also be one to pass a CR to fund our government. I do not believe we should be forced to decide between funding our government and arming Syrian rebels in the same vote. We should be ashamed for failing to pass appropriations bills to finance government operations for the fiscal year that starts 2 weeks from now, and more ashamed that for the sake of expediency--expediency because of an election coming up--that we are using a stopgap continuing resolution as a vehicle for authorizing major military activity that will have repercussions for generations to come. Asking us to make this choice is a disservice to the American people. But if that is a decision I am forced to make--and I will say if that is a decision I am forced to make--it is one I am committed to making. I understand my vote will likely not be the deciding vote, but even if it were, I would still cast the same vote. I believe these votes should be separate and debated. We owe that to the American people. We have this time to do it. I believe with all my heart we have more than enough time to do this. I am prepared, as some of my colleagues, to stay in session so we can give the American people the debate and transparent transition they deserve. We must learn from our past mistakes and we must not repeat them. I believe our country deserves this debate. Let me make it clear, I believe ISIS is a grave threat to the region and could become a direct threat to the United States. We must confront and defeat them. I just do not believe that arming the Syrian opposition forces is the correct approach, because I can foresee a Senate debate a few years from now-- not that far off--I can see this coming about how to defeat the next group of Islamist terrorists we helped to train and install. I have not come to this decision easily, and I know it comes with consequences, but I believe the people of West Virginia sent me to the Senate to make tough decisions and vote to do what is best for not only all West Virginians but for every American. I yield the floor and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I wish to honor Jack Rossi, who is not only a truly remarkable West Virginian, but he is also one of my dearest friends and closest confidants. After tirelessly working his entire life, Jack has finally surrendered to a well-deserved retirement having stepped down as presiding member of West Virginia's largest accounting and consulting firm, Arnett Foster Toothman, and as chairman of the Charleston Area Alliance, a multi-faceted economic, business and community development organization. But these prominent titles just breach the tip of the iceberg since Jack's story is based on a lifetime of accomplishments and a lifetime of service that ceaselessly has helped our great State of West Virginia thrive and prosper. A native of the small town of Coalton in Randolph County, WV, just a few counties away from my hometown area in Marion County, Jack learned at an early age the importance of hard work and embraced West Virginia's cultural practice of neighbors helping neighbors. As the son of an Italian coal miner who shared a roof with 13 siblings, Jack was no stranger to staying busy with chores and helping out around the neighborhood until he was old enough to work at Coalton's general store at the ripe age of 12. As he grew older and became intrigued by how to run a business, Jack watched the local accountant balance the store's numbers. Soon enough, Jack was finishing the accounting work himself until he set out to attain a higher education at West Virginia University, where it just so happened that our paths crossed. I will never forget that day. I was hobbling down the hallway on crutches after I blew out my knee on the football field. Juggling books, bags and crutches on one leg, a fellow student approached me to offer assistance. His name was Jack. I will never forget his selfless act of kindness and how naturally it seemed for him to see a person in need and immediately want to help. But, as I learned quickly and throughout the years of a beautiful friendship, that is just who Jack is--amiable, loyal, and gracious. We hear about lifetime achievers, but Jack is a lifetime giver. At every turn of the road, whether it be as a young boy, as an enthusiastic college student, a Vietnam veteran or as a professional, Jack has devoted his time and his efforts to helping others and helping his surrounding communities. Jack's unwavering dedication to the Mountain State, accompanied by his innovative vision, inspirational spirit, and savvy aptitude, have helped countless West Virginians, their businesses and our communities statewide. Because of his passion, discipline, and staunch work ethic, everyone who meets Jack immediately recognizes his aptitude for success and knows he will work day and night until the job is done. His loyalty, trustworthiness and dedication know no bounds. Jack has not only played the roles of accomplished certified public accountant and savvy business and community developer, but he is a devoted volunteer who has always spent his free time joining organizations that impact our local communities. He has served as president of the Charleston Chapter of CPAs, the WV Society of CPAs and the WV Board of Accountancy. He has supported his profession through service on numerous committees on statewide and national levels. Jack spends countless hours each year in service to West Virginia State government. He currently serves on the West Virginia Board of Treasury Investments and the West Virginia Racing Commission. And of course, never forgetting his Mountaineer roots, Jack currently also serves on the Board of Directors of the West Virginia University Alumni Association as Immediate Past Chairman. He previously served 5 years as Treasurer and was heavily involved in the successful fundraising campaign to build a new Alumni Center at WVU. Due to Jack's unwavering commitment to his community and the organizations in which he dedicated his time and energy toward year after year, he is also no stranger to receiving prestigious awards. To name a few, he has been the recipient of the State Journal's Who's Who award for making a difference in the business climate, the National Association of Athletic Development Directors 2009 ``Volunteer of the Year'' award for volunteering and fundraising for the WVU Mountaineer Athletic Club, the WVU Alumni ``Most Loyal Mountaineer'' award and the ``Life Time Achievement'' award, the highest honor given out to a West Virginia CPA by the West Virginia Society of CPAs. Time and again, Jack has shown how greatly an individual can contribute to his community through passion, commitment and hard work. Although Jack and his wife, Joy, temporarily left for a job opportunity in North Carolina right after college, they quickly returned to the place they call home and there has never been a doubt that Jack's roots are truly imbedded in the Mountain State. West Virginia is his home and I am forever grateful for his dedication to the state. Jack's career and accomplishments are a testament to his hard work and commitment to the State of West Virginia. It is a privilege to know a man who has contributed so much of his life to strengthening our West Virginia communities. I am honored to call Jack my friend and I congratulate him on a long and happy retirement.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I wish to extend warm wishes and gratitude to my dear friend, Tasso de Castro Lugon, who is retiring after a lifetime of outstanding public service as a southwestern Brazilian judge in his State of Espirito Santo and as a member and former chairman of the Partners of the Americas. I first met Tasso when I served as Secretary of State of West Virginia and have had the pleasure of working with him continuously as Governor and now as a Senator. We immediately established a friendship over shared philosophies, including the importance of forging meaningful relationships, working together for the common good, and creating lasting connections with the people we represent--something I also like to call retail government. In West Virginia we value hard work, loyalty, and our cultural practice of neighbors helping neighbors. These values depict who we are as West Virginians and as Americans, which is why I am so very honored to congratulate Tasso on not only his countless achievements throughout his professional career but also his devotion to always staying true to those defining principles. Always committed to the rule of law, Tasso served as a judge in the Brazilian court throughout his career. But true to his staunch dedication to building long-lasting relationships with local communities and those abroad, Tasso also became a member of the Partners of the Americas for 36 years before reaching the pinnacle of his career serving as chairman of the board. Throughout his tenure, Tasso has upheld an unfailing devotion to the friendship between the sister States of Espirito Santo and West Virginia. From the shores and peaks of Espirito Santo to the mountains, valleys, and rivers of the Mountain State, our friendship grew out of a common bond of respect to strengthening the relationship between our sister States. I cannot thank Tasso enough for cultivating that respect through a lifetime of unwavering service and dedication. West Virginians will continue to advance in many endeavors based on the new relationships and contacts that Tasso has formed, and our State will continue to benefit from his promotion of cultural, economic, and educational development between North and South America. I join my fellow West Virginians in sending our warmest regards to Tasso and his family for a happy and healthy retirement. We are deeply grateful for his loving and carefree spirit that he has dedicated to a lifetime of public service.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I wish to recognize a dear friend, a proud American and a passionate West Virginia leader, Jim Haught, who is celebrating his 90th birthday on August 6, 2014. I am incredibly grateful for Jim, for his loyal friendship and his unwavering support over the years. I am proud to celebrate his vast achievements and his many years of dedicated service to his community, to West Virginia, and to our Nation. A native West Virginian, Jim was born in the small town of Weston and was raised in New Martinsville. He was the proud son of Ben and Orpha Haught. With 11 siblings, there is no doubt that Jim learned early on about the meaning of life's most important concepts, including leadership, sacrifice, and commitment. True to Jim's character, he also had an eagerness and a passion for policy and government affairs from a very young age. Throughout his 90 years, and still today, Jim has always answered the call of service--whether it was for our great Nation or for the beautiful people of West Virginia. After graduating from Pine Grove High School, he joined the Navy and served proudly and honorably for 3 years. After returning home from the Navy, he left his hometown of New Martinsville to focus on his education at Salem College and then at George Washington University in Washington, DC, where he was classmates with Margaret Truman, the daughter of President Harry S. Truman. Jim then went on to study law at West Virginia University and while there, founded the university's Young Democratic Club in 1948. It was also at West Virginia University that Jim first met my uncle, A. James Manchin. The two became lifelong best friends. Jim's commitment to his family and to the community continued after leaving West Virginia University. In 1952, Jim met his beautiful wife Melba in Parkersburg and soon thereafter the loving couple had their four boys, Greg, Cameron, Benji, and Danny. To this day, his commitment to his family has undoubtedly always been his No. 1 priority in life. Steadfast to his smalltown values, Jim has never been afraid to stand for the principles he was taught at an early age, never forgetting his West Virginia roots. He has always strived to make a positive difference across our great State, and in 1958, Jim decided to run for public office to represent Wood County in the West Virginia House of Delegates. He served for 2 years, until Jim embarked on a new journey in 1960. As a staunch Democratic supporter, Jim and A. James together played an extraordinarily significant role in John F. Kennedy's Presidential campaign in West Virginia. The duo worked tirelessly setting up county organizations in all of our State's 55 counties. They worked day and night laying the groundwork, coordinating statewide efforts, and gathering the support that directly resulted in Kennedy's Presidential victory. It was Jim's perseverance and energy that helped make JFK's Presidency a reality. Jim and A. James' hard work and commitment to the campaign did not go unnoticed. When President Kennedy arrived in the White House, he personally called Jim and offered him a position as the Director of Federal Housing, while A. James became the State Director of the Farmers Home Administration. Honored, Jim accepted the position and moved to St. Albans in Kanawha County, where he remained active in his community while working for the President. It is not surprising to anyone who has had the pleasure of knowing him, but Jim's success and his tremendous accomplishments have been recognized on many levels. Today, Jim continues to serve the people of West Virginia through the Hansford Senior Center, a community center he established in St. Albans to help care for aging seniors in the area. It has been an honor and privilege to know such an exceptional West Virginian. Jim's imprint will always be marked by his countless contributions to the State of West Virginia. I join all West Virginians in wishing Jim a happy birthday and in celebrating his 90 years of success, and I look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with my dear friend for years to come.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I came to the floor to speak on these two commonsense pieces of legislation. My dear friends Senator Shaheen and Senator Portman--Democrat and Republican--have worked so hard in a bipartisan way, which we don't always see anymore on the floor here or over on the House side. It is a shame. People tell me about how things used to be. I have been here not quite 4 years, and I haven't seen it yet. I am still waiting for it to happen. But we have a bill, the Shaheen-Portman bill. It is basically a bill that creates jobs, saves money, makes significant strides toward a more energy-efficient nation, which we should be. I am from an energy-producing State, the great State of West Virginia. My dear friend Senator Heitkamp is from the great State of North Dakota, which is a tremendous energy-producing State. We believe in energy policies. We believe we should be using everything we have to make sure we have the economic engine so we can compete globally and in a very competitive way. With that being said, this is the low-hanging fruit. This is truly low-hanging fruit. And we all agree--why shouldn't we pass a piece of legislation that basically we all benefit--all 50 States will benefit. The bill will put us on a path toward a more sustainable future. It has broad support, as we can see. And our colleague Senator Cornyn from Texas will tell you that if it got voted on, it would pass overwhelmingly. Now, that is hard for me, coming from West Virginia where there is a lot of common sense. People say: Well, if it would pass, why don't you just vote on it and pass it? That is what I am saying. It is a shame that politics has trumped good policy in this body and in this city, and we have to get back to some order of common sense. I am a tremendous supporter of this piece of legislation. I thank Senator Shaheen for all the hard work she has done. She has not given up. She will not give up. And that is what it takes--the tenacity to make sure a good piece of legislation which not only helps the great people of New Hampshire, it helps all of us. That is what I am looking forward to. Then we look at the Keystone Pipeline. I have never seen a piece of legislation that makes more sense than this piece of legislation, the Keystone Pipeline. When I first heard about this, people said: Senator Manchin, what do you think about this? The only thing I can say is that in West Virginia we would rather buy from our friends than our enemies. So we are going to buy the oil. The oil is going to be sold somewhere in the world. Why shouldn't we have access to that? Why shouldn't we have control of that? Why shouldn't we benefit from the jobs? We are talking 20,000 direct jobs during construction, 118,000 indirect and spinoff jobs after construction, contributing $20 billion of economic stimulus to the United States. Every State, including my State of West Virginia--new Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island--we are all going to benefit. It is something we find almost reprehensible, for us not to be able to vote on legislation. And I understand the amendment process. I understand all of that. But when we have very clearly defined pieces of legislation that really create good policy for all of America, that is something for which sometimes maybe we push the politics aside, we vote on the policies and the contents of these other pieces of legislation, which I know West Virginia would be happy for me to vote on, and I will be in very much support of these two pieces. With that, I thank Senator Shaheen for her hard work. I thank her for her not-give-up attitude, that New Hampshire commitment she has. She is going to work and fight. We are going to be right behind her and work with our bipartisan friends on the other side. Senator Portman has committed the same way. So we hope we can get something reasonably done. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I want to thank a longtime and dedicated member of my staff, Travis Mollohan, and to wish him the best on his next professional venture--as director of State, corporate and community relations for West Virginia University. Raised by caring parents, Todd and Brenda Mollohan, in the geographic heart of our State, Braxton County, Travis learned from a young age the value of being involved in his community and the importance of being a team player. As a proud Braxton County Eagle, Travis was a member of the high school's award-winning band, speech and debate team and president of the National Honor Society. Travis even volunteered for me during my unsuccessful 1996 gubernatorial run. Travis graduated from Braxton County High School in 2000 and then attended college at West Virginia University. There, he was treasurer of the WVU Young Democrats, head of the Student Government Association's campus safety committee and studied abroad at Dublin City University in Ireland. Travis volunteered during my successful campaign for Governor in 2004 and began working for me in 2005 as deputy scheduler. From my first days as the 34th Governor of the great State of West Virginia, my top priority was to deliver excellent customer service to our fellow West Virginians. Travis was ideally suited for my team--he was hardworking, smart and always there to lend a helping hand to those in need. Travis served my gubernatorial administration in various capacities, and whether it was through tragedy or triumph, Travis represented my office with the utmost distinction. After winning the unexpired term for the U.S. Senate in 2010, I asked Travis to help me bring our commonsense West Virginia values to Washington. He served as my director of scheduling in 2011, before returning to my State operations as director of outreach. He did an amazing job visiting the beautiful communities of the Mountain State and listening to our citizens' ideas and concerns. Recently, I asked Travis to serve as my director of constituent services. I was confident yet again that he could do the job because Travis truly understands what West Virginians need--someone who is compassionate, thoughtful and knowledgeable about our state and the complexities of government. Not a day passes that Travis is not dedicated to making West Virginia a better place to live, work and raise a family. I am sad to see Travis leave my office, but I am so excited for his future. He has accepted a position with his alma mater, West Virginia University--our State's flagship university. No one is better suited for the task ahead of him than Travis. WVU has made a significant and positive impact on the Mountain State. It offers a first-class learning experience and its graduates are spread around the world making a difference. But it is more than just an incredible institution of higher learning. WVU's programs and services improve the lives of our citizens and our communities. In our daily lives, we can always do more, and I am so proud to know that Travis will be helping WVU reach the next level. It is very difficult to imagine my office without Travis, but I know he will bring the same level of excitement, energy, and dedication to his new position as he brought to my office for more than 9 years. He is a responsive, critical thinker who truly cares about our State and fellow citizens. He is a West Virginian through and through and a proud Mountaineer. Travis has a bright future ahead of him, and I am pleased to say that very soon he will be marrying the love of his life, Lindsey Bennett-- from my hometown of Fairmont--who is a beautiful and intelligent young lady. I know that they will have a long and happy life together, and I am proud to say that they will always remain a part of the Manchin family.

Mr. MANCHIN

Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I wish to honor the remarkable life of a young West Virginian, Michael Carroll, who sadly lost his life to cancer on July 3. Although he said goodbye to family, friends and loved ones far too early, Michael led a tremendously accomplished life during his 17 years, and he truly touched the lives of so many with his heartfelt and inspirational efforts to help other children around the world battle cancer. Although we are all heartbroken about Michael's passing, it is a privilege to celebrate his extraordinary achievements. A Wheeling native, Michael Paul Carroll was diagnosed with leukemia in 2003. After 3 years of treatment, he won his battle with cancer. Unfortunately in 2013, after years in remission, Michael was diagnosed with a glioblastoma grade IV brain tumor due to the radiation from previous treatment. Yet, even though he was once again fighting for his own life, Michael's illness never stopped him from making a difference in the lives of other children suffering from cancer. While battling his brain tumor, Michael came up with the idea to design a stress relief toy that helps kids cope with cancer. The idea is that anytime young cancer patients feel frustrated with their treatment or have a bad day, they can exert their anger into these toys. After some thought and help from the community, he created Michael's Meanies so ``a child with cancer can give it back to their sickness,'' he said. Michael invented three beanies after the three types of childhood cancers: Terry the Terrible Tumor, Lily Lymphoma, and Lousy Louie Leukemia. Michael once said: I wanted to give something to the kids that they could take their anger out on. I thought of making these into a stress ball-like toy that the kids can squeeze hard, punch or even throw them. My ultimate goal is for every child diagnosed with cancer to get one during their treatment. Although his ultimate goal has yet to be achieved, Michael's reach knows no bounds and he was able to help children around the world. With 15,000 meanies made, it is not rare to see a child holding one of Michael's Meanies in a children's hospital in all 50 States, Puerto Rico, Canada, England, Australia, and New Zealand. Through his meanies, Michael continues to make children's daily battle with cancer a little easier. While making a difference throughout West Virginia, the United States and the world, Michael also made a significant impact in his hometown of Wheeling. He truly touched each person he met. Michael attended Wheeling Park High School, and also volunteered at the Ohio Valley Medical Center and St. Alphonsus Catholic Church. He often visited children's hospitals to spread laughter and joy while meeting with cancer patients. Michael said, ``I take everything with humor,'' and wisely stated that laughter is the best medicine. The strength that Michael mustered every day should inspire not only our sick young, but his resilience and goodwill should inspire all of us. His legacy and influence will live on through his meanies as they comfort children fighting for their lives around the world. Michael, thank you for the gift you have left for us all.