Floor Statements

Madam President, I rise again to read letters from West Virginians about the concerns and fears they have over the ongoing lawsuit being led by 20 U.S. attorneys general, including West Virginia's own attorney general, that threatens to once again allow insurance companies to deny coverage to West Virginians with preexisting conditions.

In my State, 800,000 West Virginians, including 90,600 children, have a preexisting condition. Let me go over some of the things that qualify as a preexisting condition and insurance companies can rate you on: organ transplant, anxiety, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, Crohn's disease, Parkinson's disease, cystic fibrosis, pneumonia, epilepsy, anemia, depression, lupus, obsessive compulsive disorder, pregnancy, anorexia, diabetes, kidney disease, sleep apnea, obesity, bipolar disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, stroke, bulimia, asthma, and tuberculosis.

I have always said that our Nation's current healthcare system is in need of repair, but every West Virginian deserves access to quality, affordable healthcare, and I am very concerned that our country is at risk of moving backward instead of forward.

When people ask why I voted against repealing the healthcare law, I always say that it is because we need to make sure that those with preexisting conditions don't go bankrupt paying for basic healthcare.

What is happening today is an unfortunate political move. The only reason this lawsuit is moving forward is because they have failed to repeal the law through this process here in the Senate. Congress has voted more than 50 times to repeal, and it has not passed. So what you are telling us loud and clear is to fix it, repair it. It can be fixed and made better for everybody.

What makes this worse is that we do have this bipartisan compromise led by Senator Lamar Alexander, a Republican from Tennessee, and Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat from the State of Washington, with 12 Republicans and 12 Democrats. I am proud to say that I am one them.

This bill includes important steps that will help to reduce healthcare costs for West Virginia families, and this agreement shows what is possible when we put people before politics. Shame on us for not voting on that.

This is impacting real people. Last week I asked West Virginians to share their stories with me, and my office has been flooded with stories. I am going to share just a few of these stories with you today.

This is Whitney from Morgantown, WV:

Dear Senator Manchin,

Please protect our pre-existing conditions.

In August 2016, my then 15 year old child suffered a stroke

as a result of a brain AVM. He had to have emergency brain

surgery which left him in a medically induced coma for

several months.

When he woke up, he was unable to walk or talk. He had to

have continuous medical care including expensive MRI's and

angiograms.

This doesn't include his multiple therapies. If we did not

have insurance coverage I do not know what we would do.

I cannot afford all these medical bills without the help of

insurance. Due to the extensive medical needs I know if his

pre-existing condition is not protected he will eventually

lose benefits.

I beg you to stand up for my child and all those who

deserve a right to ongoing medical care. Please feel free to

contact [me] with any questions or follow up [concerning our

needs].

This is William from Martinsburg, WV:

Dear Senator Manchin,

It was imperative that insurance companies are not allowed

to screen members for pre-existing conditions.

I am a 20+year Type 2 Diabetic. I am currently taking five

medications for my diabetes. If I did not have coverage I

would be paying over $1000 a month, OUT OF POCKET, for just

my diabetes meds.

If insurance companies are allowed to start screening for

and disallowing pre-existing conditions I would not be able

to afford my medications and my diabetes would not be

controlled which could possibly lead to loss of limbs, loss

of vision and I could die.

How much would I cost the government if I was disabled? How

much would I cost an insurance company then if I had to have

feet, arms, and legs amputated because of my condition?

Bottom line, I cost my insurance company a lot less money

when they help me to keep my diabetes under control.

Thank you for taking a stand for those of us with pre-

existing conditions.

The final letter is from Kevin from Hinton:

Dear Senator Manchin,

I have lived with Crohn's Disease, a severe chronic illness

of the immune system that attacks the digestive system. The

condition is painful and treatments are expensive.

Like many West Virginians, I have dealt with insurance gaps

and few jobs with good pay and benefits.

Though many Americans struggle with the expenses of

healthcare, we remember the unfair practices before ACA [the

Affordable Care Act] was passed and improved the healthcare

system by ridding us of pre-existing conditions clauses,

which allowed insurance companies to overcharge sick people

for care or block them completely from getting coverage.

Please work for us to make sure that the steps taken in the

ACA are improved upon instead of allowing such beneficial

measures to be cut.

Those are just a few of the letters I have received, and I know we all have these preexisting conditions with people that are scared to death all over our country.

I hope that we can come together for the sake of America and maybe get off of this political roller coaster where we are blaming everybody and trying to find out who we can blame, especially when we can fix it.

What I am asking for is for all of us to work together as Americans, to forget whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, and to just help the people you represent.

These diseases don't have a home. They are not just because of a Democrat or a Republican. That is who they attack. They attack all of us.

So this needs, basically, the help and the cure from all of us also.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 2 minutes.

Mr. President, I rise today to offer an amendment that would appropriate funding for the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the Department of Treasury to investigate the illicit trade of synthetic opiates originating from the People's Republic of China.

In 2016, synthetic opiates killed 19,413 Americans. That is more than heroin, which killed 15,469, and prescription pain pills, which killed 14,487.

Between 2013 and 2016, deaths involving synthetic opioids increased 625 percent. Most illicit synthetic opioids found in street drugs originate in China, with some shipped through Mexico, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration and United Nations narcotics monitors.

China produces over 90 percent of the world's fentanyl and exports a range of fentanyl products to the United States, including raw fentanyl, fentanyl precursors, fentanyl analogues, and fentanyl-laced counterfeit prescription drugs, like oxycodone and pill pressers.

Unlike previous epidemics where there are a few underground sources, many manufacturers of fentanyl and fentanyl precursors in China are legitimate companies legally producing and exporting legitimate drugs and chemicals to the United States. According to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, ``the primary obstacles to controlling fentanyl and NPS flows lie in China''--China itself.

Unfortunately, China has yet to meaningfully crack down on the illicit production and export of these drugs and their derivatives, despite the urgings of the President of the United States and all of our officials. Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl will kill most people.

This amendment is simple. It dedicates $1 million for the Office of Terrorism Financial Intelligence within the Department of Treasury to study the illicit trade of synthetic opioids coming into our country from China. This is consistent with the office's dual mission safeguarding the financial system against illicit use and combating rogue nations, terrorist facilitators, weapons of mass destruction, money launderers, drug kingpins, and other national security threats.

I urge the adoption of this much needed amendment.

Thank you.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, today I wish to honor a Mountain State coaching legend from Raleigh County, Tex Williams. He is as legendary and as influential in West Virginia as two of his best friends, Jerry West and Logan High School Coaching legend Willie Akers.

Good coaches are able to show you what it takes to succeed in the game. Special coaches are able to put that human touch to it and go a step beyond to have a positive impact on your life. Tex was able to capture both. He was the longtime coach at St. Albans and also served as coach at Vinson High School, Nitro High School, the University of Charleston, Alderson-Broaddus, and the Charleston Gunners of the CBA. He was a star athlete in all sports, and has coached on every level-- high school, college, and pro basketball--and won more than 500 games in his career.

In 2014, I had the privilege of congratulating Tex upon the opening of the Tex Williams Museum in Artie, WV. There, the Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame member for both baseball and basketball and acclaimed coach's legacy is on display, housing 40,000 photos he collected throughout his long career. Making it even more special, the Tex Williams Museum is housed in the old post office building his father helped build and where his mother worked for 43 years.

Tex learned early on that sports can make you into so much more than a successful athlete if you have the right attitude. There is no greater achievement than to be in a position to give back to the community that helped shape who you are, and that is what we are celebrating today by honoring Tex. He started the Hoops Classic high school basketball tournament, which is played every year at the Charleston Civic Center. So many student-athletes have been inspired by Tex and have gone forward to build successful careers for themselves in our home State. Tex started the West Virginia Legends Sports Banquet 9 years ago, which reunites former players and coaches who once starred in West Virginia high school and college athletics. Tex has not only influenced and inspired student athletes for decades, but he has passed his knowledge and tradition of coaching excellence to his son, Adam, who also holds a strong legacy as a player and coach.

Tex is a perfect example of what makes West Virginia so very unique and special. Our people have this can-do spirit, a neighborly love that is unrelenting, and we are all grounded by the same core principle: to help others be the best they can be and to never forget where you came from. As I always say, if you can count your blessings, you can share your blessings, and Tex has embodied that sentiment beautifully.

Again, it is an honor to recognize the outstanding achievements of Tex Williams and all he has done for countless student athletes across our home State.

Mr. President, today I wish to honor the life and legacy of Clifford Carwood Lipton, a West Virginian and a national hero who fought on D-Day and at the Battle of the Bulge, a story made famous on the HBO series Band of Brothers. In the years since his passing, his heroism as one of the greatest Easy Company soldiers has remained a treasure to the Huntington community.

Carwood was born and raised in Huntington. He attended a year at Marshall University before joining the war effort as a paratrooper in 1942, and he quickly worked his way up the ranks. He was the jumpmaster of one of the C-47 Skytrains used to jump into Normandy. Eventually, Carwood received his battlefield commission as a second lieutenant. He and the rest of the Easy Company later liberated one of the Nazi camps at Landsberg.

Carwood remained with the Easy Company for the rest of the war and remained in the Reserves through the Korean war. Among the many recognitions he has received for his service are the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, World War II Victory Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, and the Orange Lanyard of the Royal Netherlands army.

After the war he was able to return to Marshall University and complete a degree in engineering. Carwood got a job with Owens Illinois, Inc., a glass and plastic production facility, where, staying true to his character, he quickly worked his way through the ranks until he became chief operator in 1952. He moved to New Jersey to work in a similar factory and then to London with his wife, where he was the director of manufacturing for eight different glass companies in England and Scotland for many years. In the early eighties, he moved to Toledo, OH, and retired as director of international development.

When visitors come to West Virginia, I jump at the chance to tell them we have more veterans per capita than most any State in the Nation. We have fought in more wars, shed more blood, and lost more lives for the cause of freedom than most any State. We have always done the heavy lifting and never complained. We have mined the coal and forged the steel that built the guns, ships, and factories that have protected and continue to protect our country to this day. I am so deeply proud of what West Virginians have accomplished and what they will continue to accomplish to preserve the freedoms we hold dear-- life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I am honored to recognize Carwood's memory, as well as the unwavering love he had for our home State and our great Nation.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor Dr. Edwin Welch upon his retirement as president of the University of Charleston after a 29-year legacy of innovation that has advanced the university into a world-class institution.

As a former White House employee during the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations, an ordained minister, a college professor, provost, and president, Dr. Welch brought a wealth of experience and drive to the Mountain State.

Since his first days at U.C. in 1989, Dr. Welch had a clear vision for the university, keeping in mind the needs of the Charleston community and of West Virginia. Our State is so unique to the rest of the Nation. We are home to the most hard-working, creative, hospitable people in the country--very much self-made people. Dr. Welch knows what a college education means to them and to their families, and so he has spent his career developing new opportunities for them to use to their advantage. Together, with faculty, staff, and the community, Dr. Welch sought to forecast challenges and opportunities and to create the best possible strategies for maintaining a strong institution. His collaborative vision brought the university back from the brink of financial peril and allowed it to grow and thrive.

Under his leadership, more than 20 construction projects have reinvigorated U.C., which has also seen a dramatic increase in enrollment throughout the years. In 1994, he secured one of the largest gifts in the university's history, which led to the construction of the Clay Tower Building. More recently, he oversaw the $20 million Russell and Martha Wehrle Innovation Center project, which serves to create a strong campus base for innovation that will extend into Charleston and the Greater Kanawha region. Additionally, Dr. Welch's wife, Dr. Janet Welch, has made exceptional contributions to education and the arts at U.C. and throughout the community. She received national recognition for the creation of the Erma Byrd Galley for West Virginia Women Artists, among her many accomplishments.

For his efforts, Dr. Welch has earned numerous recognitions, such as the YMCA's Spirit of the Valley Award for his community service efforts, and he was also the first recipient of the Charles L. Foreman Award for Innovation in Private Higher Education by the Foundation for Independent Higher Education. In fact, he's so beloved by the community that there is even a towboat named after him, which you can occasionally see floating down the Kanawha River.

Furthermore, one of the most respected aspects of Dr. Welch's tenure is his relationship with students, faculty, and staff. He once said that the life and work of the university is not what goes on in his office. It is what goes on in the interactions students have with faculty members, staff, and administrators. He frequently walked the campus or sat down for lunch in the cafeteria to hear students' concerns, problems, accomplishments, and their dreams. He kept all of this in the back of his mind when making any significant decision for the university.

Dr. Welch sees education for the ever-changing environment that it is. He has truly laid the groundwork for all who will follow in his footsteps, who will constantly strive to bring the very best opportunities to U.C. students and to strengthen the Kanawha Valley region. The effects of this close-knit city-university relationship are profound and serve as an outstanding model for all educational establishments.

While he is retiring and everyone is certain to miss his strong leadership, Dr. Welch's dedication and commitment to excellence will leave a lasting legacy with the countless lives he has touched.

Again, I congratulate and thank Dr. Welch for his remarkable years of service. I am honored to wish good health and much happiness to him and Dr. Janet Welch in the days and years ahead.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor Anthony ``Tony'' Paesano, an accomplished educator, Korean war veteran, a beloved public servant, and my dear friend, who left a significant imprint on my home State of West Virginia.

Born in Follansbee, in the scenic northern panhandle, Tony has always had a passion for the noble profession of education. He was a walk-on for the Duquesne University football team in 1948 where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in education. Following his discharge from the U.S. Army, Tony began his nearly 40-year career as an educator, serving as principal of Brooke High School for 16 years.

There is much to be said about someone who gives so much to our Nation, then comes home to give even more to their home State and community. Prior to the start of his teaching career, Tony put his Duquesne ROTC training to use in the Army serving as a second lieutenant in Korea from 1952 to 1954. In fact, in 2017, I was honored to recognize Tony when he was selected as Veteran of the Year by the Brooke County Veteran Memorial Park Foundation. He is well known for his work honoring his fellow veterans. He has also served as master of ceremonies at Memorial Day and Veterans Day services in Follansbee and led the efforts to

establish the Veterans Memorial Fountain at Follansbee Park and to bring the Moving Wall to the city for the annual Community Days festival.

Following his retirement from education, Tony served on the Brooke County School Board for 10 years, then stepped down to serve as mayor of Follansbee for another 10 years. He is the founder and former president of the Brooke County Schools Education Foundation, which has provided countless scholarships for Brooke County High School Seniors.

It would be difficult to find anyone as knowledgeable or dedicated to our home State as Tony. He has always given each project or challenge his all because it is for the good of his community: his hometown. He is an active member of the St. Anthony Catholic Church and the Follansbee Knights of Columbus and served 25 years as president of the Follansbee Chamber of Commerce. Throughout the years, we bonded over our passion for public service, for inspiring the next generation of leaders, and we share the common goal of helping the rest of the country discover all that West Virginia has to offer.

Tony has worn many hats, and I know he will carry the same passion for Brooke County and for West Virginia that he always has and will continue to make a difference in his community. It is my greatest honor to extend him, his lovely wife, Lorraine, their children, Toni, Frank, and John, and their families my very best wishes in the days and years ahead.

Mr. President, I have always said our Nation's current healthcare system is in need of repair. That is why we keep coming back to try to fix it and make it better. Every West Virginian deserves access to quality, affordable healthcare, and I am very concerned our country is at risk of moving backward instead of forward.

When people ask why I voted against repealing the healthcare law, I always say it is because we need to make sure those with preexisting conditions don't go bankrupt paying for basic healthcare. Most people today, if they don't have insurance, and especially those who have had preexisting insurance, are one healthcare crisis away from bankruptcy. What is happening today is an unfortunate political move. The only reason this lawsuit is moving forward is because my friends on the other side have failed more than 50 times trying to repeal it. On top of that, the tax cut bill that just went through had this in it, repealing basically the mandate on healthcare, which throws it into turmoil and is why we are in a lawsuit right now.

Right now, 20 State attorneys general, including the attorney general of West Virginia, are suing to allow insurance companies to once again deny coverage to West Virginians with preexisting conditions. Every single time they voted for repeal, this is exactly what they were trying to achieve.

What makes this worse is we have a bipartisan compromise, led by Senator Alexander and Senator Murray, with 12 Republicans and 12 Democrats. This bill includes important steps that will

help reduce healthcare costs for West Virginia families, and this agreement shows what is possible when we put people before politics. What we did is, after the last repeal on the floor failed, we got together and put a fix in. We have a reinsurance program. We have a way to maintain and try to educate people on how they would use their healthcare, their newfound wealth in healthcare, in a more effective and efficient way.

This is what we should be doing, but, no, there is a political promise to repeal so we keep fighting every angle there is that is being thrown at us. Now there is this last one going through the court system--and having also the judicial system being involved to stop this horrible scourge on the people of my State and all across the country.

Let me tell you how many West Virginians are impacted. In a State with a little over 1,800,000, this one move right here affects 800,000 West Virginians. We are talking with people who have all types of things that could exist. They could have a child with a heart defect, asthma, you name it. They are going to be able to say: I am sorry, preexisting. We are not going to insure you or the cost will be so high you can't afford it.

We are impacting too many West Virginians. On Monday, I asked them to share their stories with me and my office--people, real people with whom you can put a face, a name, a story, and also have some empathy for. I am going to read a few letters, if I may. I have one from Kim Kramer from Parkersburg. She said:

Dear Senator Manchin,

Again, I find myself writing to plea for a sane policy

related to healthcare for my family, my friends, my

community, my country and myself. When healthcare policy is

centered around quick profits at the cost of the long term

health of citizens, a medical tsunami is sure to follow.

I live with my adult son who was born with Down Syndrome.

He is 33 and I am 60. He is healthy for now but does have a

couple of pre-existing conditions and risk factors which

could very possibly need attention as he grows older. The

mere thought that I would have to pay out of pocket for his

healthcare due to policy changes in the years to come is mind

boggling. Perhaps today his care is not directly on the

table, but it has been this past year and will most likely be

again.

I am at pre-retirement age. I work full time and am in good

health. But I take medication to maintain a healthy blood

pressure. That is already a pre-existing condition. Medicare

is still down the road for me. As a nurse, I know the

importance of screening for certain conditions.

But removing coverage of pre-existing conditions puts me in

a very real catch 22 situation.

If I go for recommended health screenings and a condition

is found, I would be covered by my current insurance. If my

employment situation should change, as is possible for any of

us, then I would have a pre-existing condition that would

either not be covered or would make my premium so high that I

would have to wonder if I will be able to provide for other

basic needs like appropriate housing.

Many in my family, my circle of friends, my community and

state would be in this terrible predicament.

Any diagnosis would be a barrier to treatment in essence.

No insurance company apparently wants to cover sick people!

Makes me wonder why we would call it insurance at all!

Perhaps in Washington, too many of you have lost touch with

the very real stress and anxiety that is created when

healthcare accessibility is unobtainable.

Do any of you understand what is it is like to live

wondering when the medical tsunami will come? Because not

having healthcare coverage is like that. You hope that the

wave won't strike but it's just beyond the horizon and you

have no idea if or when it is coming, or how to survive it.

The current mandate for coverage of pre-existing conditions

assures better health and prevention treatments; better

outcomes and decreased expenses. It gives us all some peace

of mind if we become ill and allows us to focus on getting

healthy.

Please care about our people.

Please keep mandated coverage of pre-existing conditions.

Thank you.

I have Katelyn from Elkview.

Dear Senator Manchin,

I am a 22 year old West Virginian who grew up in northern

Kanawha County near Clendenin. I was diagnosed with anorexia

when I was 13, and have struggled with it for years. I am

thankful that the ACA created provisions that will allow me

to remain on my parents' health insurance until I am 26, but

worry that my pre-existing condition could prevent me from

getting insured in the future.

Losing health insurance would mean me losing access to my

mental health medication as well as making it really

difficult to access further treatment should I have a

relapse.

I also worry about how lack of coverage for my preexisting

condition could prevent me from affording care in the future.

I hope to devote my life to public service, which is very

fulfilling but does not pay well enough for me to afford to

pay high medical bills. This is something that particularly

worries me as I get older and am thinking about whether I

will be able to afford to start a family.

I hope that you will continue to defend the Affordable Care

Act, particularly its provisions that protect people with

preexisting conditions and women's health generally.

Larry from Lewisburg writes:

Shortly after being diagnosed with cancer in my mid-

forties, the health insurance company I paid for coverage

went bankrupt. Faced with a preexisting condition, I was

uninsured until I began receiving Medicare, about 20 years

later, even though I had been therapeutically treated and had

no symptoms or return of tumors for most of that time.

An adult stepdaughter has MS, epilepsy, and multiple other

health challenges. She works full time, and the end of

preexisting condition insurance protection would be life-

threatening.

My final letter is from Marie-Claire from Bruceton Mills, who writes:

Dear Senator Manchin, my daughter was diagnosed with lupus

shortly after ObamaCare became reality. I was able to secure

affordable health insurance for her from that day forward

[because of the Affordable Care Act].

Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can--and eventually

will--affect any part of the body at any time.

An insurance company faced with underwriting my daughter

simply will not insure her--ever--unless mandated by our

government to cover preexisting conditions. Simple as that.

She has had multiple late night trips to the emergency room

that would have bankrupted her had she not been covered.

Please do not forget her when you tell stories on the

Senate floor.

This is not about Democrats or Republicans; this is about all of us. We all face this in our States, that of moving down this pathway because of not enforcing this part of the Affordable Care Act, when we have a fix--truly, a Democratic-Republican fix, bipartisan--led by Lamar Alexander, our Senator from Tennessee, and Patty Murray, our Senator from the State of Washington.

This is a shame. This is a tough place, especially when you have solutions to fix the problems that challenge all of us. That is all we are asking for. Please be considerate of these people. Please do not throw caution to the wind or throw the baby out with the bath water and 800,000 West Virginians who would lose their insurance.

I thank the Presiding Officer.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Tracy Warren Hylton, a proud West Virginian, World War II Veteran, a legendary businessman, a fierce advocate for our proud coal heritage, and one of the dearest friends I have ever known.

I have known Tracy my whole adult life. Tracy was doing business with my father-in-law, Carl Conelly, when I met him in 1966. Ever since then, I have always considered Tracy to be a very dear friend. He had a different sense humor that kept us all laughing, which will be sorely missed. Throughout his long life, he did a great deal for Raleigh County and Beckley, was a good legislator, and was always extremely kind.

Our little State has mined the coal that forged the steel that built the tanks and ships that keep our country the strongest in the world. Coal miners themselves are some the bravest and most patriotic men and women I have ever met, and it is an honor to fight for our coal heritage and our way of life that sinks deep into the roots of West Virginia's rich culture. I am so deeply proud of what our citizens have accomplished and what they will continue to accomplish. So it is with a heavy, but grateful heart that I join my fellow West Virginians in honoring Tracy, a ``king'' of coal in southern West Virginia.

There is no better position to find yourself in than being able to give back to the community you love. I can attest that my small hometown of Farmington helped make me who I am, and it brings so much joy to my life to be able to give back to the place that shaped me. Tracy and I shared that mentality.

Born on the Fourth of July in Crab Orchard and having grown up in the coalfields, Tracy was a true patriot and was passionate about our State and its heritage. His father, Arthur, was a coal miner and a carpenter, and his mother, Grace, ran a boarding house at Stotesbury. They were hard-working people, and they passed their knowledge and work ethic to each of their six children.

Tracy attended Mark Twain High School with our dear Senator Robert C. Byrd before attending Concord College and West Virginia University. He enlisted in the Army in 1943 and served in the Pacific Theatre in the 267th Anti-Aircraft Ordnance Company during World War II. When he came home,

he met the love of his life, Betty Jo Foster. They had three sons: Tracy ``Warren'' Hylton II, Robert ``Bobby'' Hylton, and Harry ``Mac'' Hylton.

It was a troubling time for the coal market and for business in general during that time. He started a few different businesses, and though he had some failures, he never gave up hope. At one point, he was running a conveyor mining business out of the front seat of his pickup truck. He did what he had to do to succeed, and eventually, he founded Perry and Hylton, Inc., which expanded to become one of the largest mine companies in West Virginia.

Tracy was well known as a pioneer of modern surface mining techniques. His reclamation sites had a profound impact on the local communities, as they became home to high schools, housing developments, farms, and greenhouses.

He was an extraordinary leader. No detail could be slipped passed him, and he wasn't one to mince words. He was a man of his word, and as an employer, he was beloved. This carried over into his role as a State senator for the ninth district for Raleigh and Wyoming Counties from 1964 to 1972 and when he was reelected to serve an additional term from 1987 to 1990.

Tracy and my uncle, A. James Manchin, would have the most interesting and entertaining debates. When they weren't debating though, they were good friends. That relationship taught me a lot about working with someone with an opposing viewpoint.

He was truly one of the most humble, generous, and hard-working people I know. His generous spirit and compassion extended throughout the State, touching the lives of countless West Virginians with his anonymous donations to various charities.

What is most important is that Tracy lived a full life, surrounded by his wife, Betty; his sons Warren, Bobby, and Mac; and his beloved grandchildren Traci Jo Hylton, Kirsten S. Hylton, Morgan Tate Hylton, and Lance M. Hylton.

He was a true West Virginian, always willing to help a neighbor in need. I am honored to recognize his memory, as well as the unwavering love he had for his family, friends, our home State, and our great Nation.

Mr. President, today I wish to celebrate the 100th birthday of Charles T. Jones, or better known to the people who love him as Captain Charlie, a proud West Virginian, military veteran, legendary businessman, servant of the community, and a dear friend. Throughout his century of life, Charlie has often been referred to as a coal miner, farmer, riverboat captain, and a Renaissance man.

While he grew up on the banks of the Kanawha River in West Virginia, Charlie attended school in New Jersey, where he spent many afternoons rowing on Lake Carnegie. This is where he met Albert Einstein, who would observe his rowing each afternoon. He would later earn a degree in business from Babson Institute in Massachusetts.

Charlie served his country in the U.S. Navy during World War II with the Navy Seabees in Guadalcanal and on a mine sweeper as an engineering officer off the coasts of Japan and the Philippines. The sense of service and duty he demonstrated while in the military is still something he carries with him to this day.

After the war's end, Charlie went to work for his family's coking coal business, Star Coal and Coke Company, which later became Amherst Coal Company, in 1946. The company was started by his grandfather in 1893. Due to the downturn in production and demand of coking coal, out of necessity, the company ventured into river transportation. In 1951, the family bought the Hatfield-Campbell Creek Coal Company, a business that operated steamboats, barges, and river terminals along the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers. He took over the river operations of the company and renamed them ``Amherst Barge Co.'' Along the way, the company became Madison Coal and Supply Co. and is now known as Amherst Madison and still specializes in marine services, like towing, construction, shipping, and equipment repairs. Amherst and its affiliated companies have proudly employed thousands of West Virginians over the past 70 years.

Charlie is one of the most hard-working, humble, and giving people West Virginia has ever known. He is a longtime supporter of many business and charitable and community organizations throughout the Kanawha Valley. Over the years, he has served or currently serves on numerous boards and committees including Yeager Airport Authority Board, board of trustees for the University of Charleston, chairman emeritus of the Inland Waterways User Board, trustee emeritus of the WV Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, director emeritus of the Mariner's Museum, past chairman of the WV Mining and Reclamation Association, former director of the Charleston Area Medical Center Foundation, One Valley Bancorp, and the Western Pocahontas Corporation, Ohio Valley Improvement Association or DINAMO, and so many more.

His lifelong contributions have not been overlooked. Just last year, Charlie was honored as a Distinguished West Virginian by the Governor, entered into the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels by the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and inducted into West Virginia University College of Business and Economics' Business Hall of Fame, and recognized as a West Virginia ``Who's Who'' by the State Journal. Additionally, he has received previous honors such as the Charleston YMCA's Spirit of the Valley Award, induction into the Coal Mining Hall of Fame, Charleston Gazette-Mail's West Virginian of the Year, Seamen's Church Institute Lifetime Achievement Award, and the National Rivers Hall of Fame Achievement Award, to name only a few.

He credits his longevity to good genes, good luck, and a great wife and very supportive family, associates, and friends. Charlie and his wife, Mary Ellen, have been married for more than 45 years. He has four children: Laura Jones Pray, C. Tandy Jones, Jennifer Jones, and the late O. Nelson Jones. He is a member of the Oak Hill Baptist Church and the St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Charleston.

I know I speak for all West Virginians when I wish Charles T. ``Captain Charlie'' Jones a Happy 100th birthday and wish for many more.

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

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 2906, which is at the desk; that the bill be read a third time and passed, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Madam President, I would like the right to proceed.

I thank my good friend from North Carolina, Senator Tillis. He is always willing to work in a bipartisan way. I thank him very much.

We have concerns about the VA and all of our veterans. He is in a State that has a tremendous population, and

I am in a State with a tremendous population of veterans. I am disappointed there is an objection to my bill.

I rise to speak to my frustration that the Asset and Infrastructure Review, or the so-called AIR Act, provision is being included in what is otherwise a very good package. I thank Chairman Isakson, Ranking Member Tester, and Senator Tillis for all their hard work on the overall MISSION Act.

The MISSION Act is going to do so many good things. It is going to streamline how we provide non-VA care. It is finally expanding caregivers for veterans of all eras, and it will make it easier for the VA to hire high-quality providers.

I am against adding the AIR, which is the Asset and Infrastructure Review Act, or I like to call it the VA BRAC. This bill could be detrimental to rural veterans.

The AIR Act provision was supposedly added by House Republicans to the MISSION Act because the Senate insisted the caregivers bill be included. I am a proud cosponsor of the caregivers bill because it does not make sense to give a benefit to one era of veterans and not give it to them all.

I thank my colleague Senator Murray for the year she has dedicated to the caregivers issue. The AIR Act was never voted on or discussed in the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. The House Caregivers companion bill is bipartisan and has 90 cosponsors. We could pass this bill without the AIR Act in a heartbeat.

While I am generally supportive of efforts to cut waste, the AIR Act will not come close to paying for this bill. Instead, it puts rural hospitals and facilities like those in West Virginia in the crosshairs of the VA bureaucrats and technocrats who do not know my veterans and what they need.

The last time there was an asset review--the CARES Commission--was in the early 2000s. It recommended closing the acute inpatient hospital beds and contracting for acute care in the community for the Beckley VA Medical Center. Only after stakeholders yelled and screamed did the Secretary not follow their recommendations.

Today, those 25 acute care beds and 5 ICU beds are vitally important, not just to our Southern West Virginia veteran community but the entire community. Administrators at the surrounding hospitals have told me they could not absorb the Beckley VA patient load. We were lucky then to have vocal stakeholders holler and scream and a Secretary who listened, but will we be so lucky in the future? Furthermore, should veterans have to endure the uncertainty their VA hospital or CBOC may not always be there for them?

My veteran population is nearly 40 percent Vietnam veterans. In the last 10 years, there was a nearly 20-percent decrease in my veteran population because our World War II and Korean veterans are dying, and our Vietnam veterans are not getting any younger.

If we send this Commission in and they do the analysis, my fear is, resources and funding will be realigned away from our patriotic West Virginia veterans--Phoenix gets picked over Clarksburg; Los Angeles over Beckley; Washington, DC, over Martinsburg; and Orlando over Huntington.

I feel sure the VA will follow the law, hold their public hearings, and read statements put in the Federal Register, but they will still have the power to close or downsize West Virginia facilities. Just because you are a veteran living in a rural area does not mean you don't deserve the same quality and access of care that you would receive in an urban area.

Is this truly about taking evaluation of waste or is this the slow filing away of the VA infrastructure as we know it?

I am aware the MISSION Act just passed out of the House 347 to 70. I have a lot of good friends on both sides of the aisle who want the overall bill. It has the support of the national veterans service organizations, and the effects of this bill will not likely come into being until 2025. I will not be serving in the Senate then. Yet, for the sake of the veteran population in West Virginia, I have to say something publicly.

The AIR Act could have detrimental second and third order effects in our communities. If this bill passes with the AIR Act in it, the powers that wish to downsize the level of care we give to veterans will see it as a victory, but they should be prepared for robust and exhaustive oversight by me and my colleagues on the committee. If we don't have the market assessments, access to other population data, and if the central office doesn't start filling some of the healthcare provider vacancies in West Virginia VA medical centers, I will reluctantly put a hold on some nominees for this Commission. I am going to encourage my colleagues from rural States who represent rural areas to do the same.

Thank you.

I agree with my colleague from North Carolina.

We don't want to continue if there are areas and assets that can be done away with for efficiencies. I understand that can be done without this.

I don't know the underlying reasons for it. The AIR Act was never even discussed in our committee. We never had the bill in front of us at all. That is all I was saying. How did this all of a sudden get thrown in?

I understand--because of what we put in, the expansion of how we were going to take care of caregivers to all populations of veterans--they were upset on the House side. This was put in retribution to that. I objected to how it was put in being what the intent was.

I believe the VA can dispose of excess properties that have been closed, vacant, and not in utilization. I am concerned they are going to come back and say: In the rural areas, we are going to close this CBOC and consolidate. We have more need right now and a greater need with some of our population base, especially with the conflicts we have around the world now.

I never talked to a veteran who did not want veterans care if there was any way they could get to a veterans hospital or clinic. They were the people who knew them best and knew how to take care of their concerns. That is all I am trying to preserve.

I don't know what the intentions are of this. That is why I wanted to have

that removed, and maybe we can discuss it in our Senate VA Committee and have a better way of reviewing the excess properties and properties not being utilized.

Thank you.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, today I am incredibly honored to rise and recognize a group of 23 heroic military veterans who will travel from West Virginia this week to visit our Nation's Capital as part of the ninth Always Free Honor Flight. On the occasion of their visit, in which they will see for the first time the monuments built in their honor, I want to express my utmost gratitude to these special men and women for their extraordinary bravery and patriotism and for their noble sacrifice to help keep our country free.

I have said this time and time again: West Virginia is one of the most patriotic States in this great Nation. With one of our country's highest per capita rates of military servicemembers and veterans, West Virginia is undoubtedly one of our Nation's most patriotic States. According to the Department of Defense, West Virginia had the highest casualty rate in the nation during the Vietnam war, and I am so proud that the Honor Flight will allow these West Virginia veterans to pay homage to their brethren at the Vietnam Wall. The 23 veterans participating in this week's Always Free Honor Flight truly embody the Mountain State's history and contributions to the safeguard of our American freedoms.

Our special West Virginians visiting this week represent warriors from 50 to 94 years old and have traveled from all parts of our great State, from Buckhannon to Bluefield, Princeton to Beckley, and many places in between. In addition to our Mountain State veterans, one veteran from North Carolina and two veterans from Virginia will be accompanying their West Virginia neighbors on the daylong adventure. Of the patriots attending, four served in World War II, two served in both the Korean war and the Vietnam war, 17 served in the Vietnam war, two served in the Cold War, one served in the Gulf War, and two served stateside.

I would especially like to recognize our World War II Veterans who will be on this Honor Flight. Ninety-four-year-old Sergeant Wetzel Ray Sanders from Midkiff joined the Army in Princeton in 1941. He was a gunner and rifleman stationed in Hawaii and is a Pearl Harbor survivor. Former Seaman Samuel Helmandollar will also be coming to Washington, DC. The Princeton native and 91-year-old joined the Navy in 1944 in Huntington and was a gunner. We will also be joined by 93-year-old Sergeant Rudolph Dillon Jennings from Bluefield. He joined the Army Air Corps in 1943 in Princeton and was stationed in England and served in the European Theater. John Howard Winfrey, a 93-year-old from Lindside joined the Navy and Air Force in 1942. He served aboard ships in the Atlantic and Pacific as a torpedoman 2nd class during World War II.

These men represent our Nation's Greatest Generation, and their sacrifices and valor embody American patriotism. They fought in such a pivotal war, in an era that threatened our existence as a nation. Unfortunately, as the years go by, we are losing so many of our World War II veterans, and we must show them our utmost gratitude each and every day.

As I mentioned, we will also be joined by veterans of the Korean, Vietnam, Cold, and Gulf wars. They engaged in combat all over the world. They were pilots, helicopter gunners, and radio operators.

One of these veterans, Curtis Ray Vest of Bluefield, joined the Marine Corps in 1952 in Freeman and served in both Korea and Vietnam. In Korea, he served as a Field Observer for Field Artillery and was stationed in Incheon and Puson. In Vietnam, he was part of the American rescue mission of the French from Vietnam to safety in Japan.

Another of these Veterans is Sergeant Marshall Glenn Mann who joined Air Force in 1968 in Falls Church. On March 4, 1971 during combat at Khe Sanh, the Republic of Vietnam air lift urgently needed to get ammunition to Khe Sanh in to support operation Lam Son719. The objective of this mission was to destroy supply dumps and sever the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which was the corridor running through eastern Laos from North Vietnam to Cambodia and into South Vietnam. Because of the Cooper-Church Amendment passed by Congress in late 1970s, US ground troops and advisers were prohibited from entering Laos. However, U.S. helicopters supported the operation and U.S. fighter bombers, and B-52 bombers provided air cover. Sergeant Mann received the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight for this operation.

Another Vietnam Veteran joining us is Staff Sergeant Danny Lewis Meadows, who joined the Air Force in 1966 in Beckley. Staff Sergeant Meadows was a mechanic on KC-135 Air Refueling Tanker for two years and refueled B-52 bombers and F-4 fighters in Southeast Asia. During his last two years of service, Staff Sergeant Meadows was a crew chief on a C-130 cargo aircraft in the Philippines and Vietnam. He flew to Saigon and Cam Ranh Bay Vietnam for fifteen to twenty-one days each month. He flew from several bases in Vietnam into the jungle to perform assault landings. He was working on his aircraft and was attacked with rockets and fell off the wing, broke his hip and wrist and with four months remaining on his enlistment and was shipped back to the U.S. to recover.

We will also have two Veterans that served in the Cold War One of them, Jackson P. Thompson served as a Recon Specialist from 1971-76. He was stationed at Fulda Gap in Germany, which was near the area between the Inner German Border of East and West Germany that contained two corridors of lowlands subjected to a potential invasion by Warsaw Pact forces.

Showing our appreciation to those who have served is something that we should do each and every day, but today is a special day to pay tribute and thank those who have volunteered to put their lives on the line for our freedoms. The memorials our Honor Flight participants will visit today serve as an important reminder to us all that our freedoms and liberties come at a steep cost. However, I know our veterans will find special meaning and potentially long-lost emotions when they tour such touching sites.

The brave West Virginia heroes today have all served this country in a variety of ways, working both at home and abroad. They have engaged in combat on U.S. soil in Pearl Harbor and all over the world, at the Panama Canal, working on the docks of Saigon, protecting the border of West Germany and serving in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. One of our visiting Vietnam veterans, Sergeant Dean Fluharty, who joined the Marine Corps in Parkersburg, earned a Purple Heart, Silver Star, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry and a Good Conduct Medal. But regardless of their rank or duty, each and every one of these veterans answered our nation's call and has served with incredible pride and valor.

This week's `Honor Flight' and the continued support of our Veterans would not be possible without the dedication of so many volunteers and caregivers. I would like to thank the four JROTC Cadets from Montcalm, Bluefield and Princeton High Schools as well as the military spouses serving as the guardians on this year's `Honor Flight.' These guardians have selflessly given their time to travel alongside our veterans all the way from Princeton, West Virginia to Washington, D.C. to share this very special journey with them

I also commend those in the `Always Free Honor Flight' Network for their dedication to providing our Veterans with such a unique and meaningful experience. Without the diligence and passion of Dreama Denver, President of `Always Free Honor Flight' Network and owner of Princeton, West Virginia's Little Buddy Radio, as well as Pam Coulbourne, the coordinator of these flights, many of our Veterans would never have the opportunity to travel to Washington and pay homage to the men and women they fought beside. Dreama and Pam launched the `Always Free Honor Flight' in 2012 and every year, they continue to make this dream a reality for many of our West Virginia Veterans.

I'd also like to recognize Sergeant First Class Paul Dorsey, Vice President of Always Free Honor Flight and Official Photographer Steve Coleman, who have done a tremendous job of ensuring that our Veterans receive the recognition they deserve. Dreama, Pam, and Steve have also dedicated themselves to the Denver Foundation, serving as incredible examples of how individuals can give back to their communities.

I am filled with pride every time I meet the patriots who have served our country, and I am so pleased to welcome West Virginia's most courageous veterans, who are all heroes, to Washington, D.C. I encourage all of my colleagues to join me in saluting them. They truly inspire us all as we are reminded of their selfless service. It is because of their bravery that all Americans enjoy the greatest liberties and freedoms in the world.

God bless all our servicemembers and veterans, God bless the great State of West Virginia, and God bless the United States of America.

Mr. President, I wish today to honor the life of a West Virginia son and selfless public servant, Christopher P. Stadelman.

After the news that Chris lost his hard-fought, 4-year battle with colon cancer on Friday, May 11, 2018, loved ones and friends from across West Virginia joined in a chorus of sadness for the loss of such a remarkable person, but also thankfulness for the inspiring life he lived.

Chris dedicated his life to serving the people of West Virginia as a journalist and editor at the Charleston Daily Mail, as the co-owner and operator of the Parsons Advocate with his incredible wife, Kelly, and as communications director and chief of staff for Governor Earl Ray Tomblin. Chris said these were his ``dream jobs'', and he certainly made an enduring impact through each one of them.

Chris and Kelly called two places home: Charleston and Thomas, WV. He is a member of the Marshall University Journalism Hall of Fame and was named a Distinguished West Virginian by Governor Tomblin and an Honorary Mountaineer Brigadier by MG James Hoyer of the West Virginia National Guard.

He loved the news and seemed to always know the latest news well before it broke. He loved debating politics and policy. He loved baseball, especially the Pittsburgh Pirates. He loved his dogs. Above all, he loved Kelly.

When they ran the Parsons Advocate together, Chris would often go to the scene of news and report back to Kelly in the newsroom. For 18 years, they were partners in every sense, and she was his rock as he fought colon cancer with fearless resolve.

During his 4-year battle, on most days, you wouldn't have known Chris was sick. In the Governor's office, he was often the first to arrive in the mornings and the last to leave. After the tragic flooding that took 23 lives in West Virginia in 2016, Chris was tireless in finding ways to help West Virginians recover, even leading the charge to establish a program that has helped people rebuild their homes.

It is because of all of this and so much more that Chris has been surrounded with a family of friends and supporters who proudly proclaim the name Team Stadelman.

I have always been moved by Chris's inspiring life, and my abiding thoughts and prayers are with Kelly; his mom, Nancy; his stepmom, Helen; his siblings, Matt, Jonathan, Philip, and Rachel; and all of Team Stadelman.

Last year, Chris's father, Paul, lost his own battle with cancer. When reflecting on his son's illness, Paul wrote, ``So much has been shared. So much has been given. So much has been accomplished.''

And for that, West Virginia is so much better.

Mr. President, today I wish to honor William Patton Getty III for his decades of service to the people of my home State of West Virginia and the surrounding region.

A native of Pittsburgh, PA, Pat has always showcased a passion for giving back to the communities and the people of this special region, and my wife, Gayle, and I are so very proud to call him a dear friend. He has been a part of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation for more than 24 years, serving as president since 1998 and a trustee since 1994. The foundation serves the people of West Virginia, southwestern Pennsylvania, and the multistate economic region centered on Pittsburgh.

In addition to his role with the foundation, he serves on numerous boards and committees that range from efforts in economic and community development, to policy research, to attracting and retaining diverse talent, to the statewide economic development initiative in West Virginia, called Vision Shared. He was a founding member and past chair of the Fund for the Advancement of Minorities through Education, a past board member of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania, a past member of the West Virginia Jobs Cabinet, and served on the advisory board for the West Virginia Teacher Quality Initiative. He also serves on the implementation committee of the Tri-State Shale Coalition, which is a collaborative effort by the Governors of West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania seeking to optimize downstream economic development pertaining to shale gas and especially modern manufacturing. Since 2006, he has been a leader of Power of 32, a 32- county, four-State economic development project in the Pittsburgh region.

Prior to beginning his role as president of the foundation in 1999, Pat had practiced law with Pittsburgh's firm, Meyer, Unkovic, and Scott for nearly 30 years. In addition to his work at the foundation, Pat has had an unparalleled commitment to advancing educational opportunities for young people and enhancing the quality of life in the region. Countless families have felt the impact of his outstanding efforts and leadership, and he has had a hand in preparing the future leaders of our region to be well-prepared, inspired, and unafraid of creativity, no matter their circumstances.

The people of the region Pat and I share have an exceptional can-do spirit, a neighborly love that is unrelenting, and are grounded by the same core principle: to help others be the best they can be. That is Pat's legacy as a public servant and as a leader, and there is no greater achievement than to be in a position to give back to the communities you love.

While he is retiring and everyone is certain to miss his strong leadership, Pat's dedication and commitment to excellence will leave a lasting legacy with the countless lives he has touched. Again, I congratulate Pat for his remarkable years of service, and I am honored to wish good health and much happiness to him and his family in the days and years ahead.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, first of all, to my colleague from Indiana, there is nobody who has been a greater ally or greater friend than Senator Donnelly in some of the fights we have had, basically making sure that there is fairness between business and workers and that workers are treated fairly. We fought for that. Mr. Donnelly has fought for miners in Indiana, and he brought me into his State to spend time with them, and I appreciate that very much. We will continue to make sure that we get the job done.

This should not be a conversation we are having right now--fighting for miners' pensions. This was all rolled into one bill. The healthcare and pensions were all done at one time. We had a pay-for. We had it worked out. We thought we had an agreement, and it was bipartisan. It came out of the Senate Finance Committee in a bipartisan way. I thank Senator Hatch for taking an interest in leading that.

We will have to go back and fix this now. We have half of the job done and half more to do.

Two weeks ago marked the 1-year anniversary of having a permanent fix for the miners' healthcare, preventing 22,600 coal miners, just in my State alone, from losing their healthcare. Now the Joint Select Committee on the Solvency of Multiemployer Pension Plans, of which I am very proud to be a member, is determined to find a permanent solution for the miners' pensions.

Over 70 years ago, President Harry Truman recognized the importance of the coal that our miners produced for this country, and he promised that the Government would guarantee that our great coal miners would have those benefits in return for their service. Let me tell you that up until that point in time, my grandparents, on both sides of my family, were coal miners. They both then started little grocery stores. Up until that time, there were no guarantees or benefits. When they said you owed your soul to the company store, that was literally and figuratively correct.

My grandfather lived up until 1927. He worked and loaded coal since he was 9 years old and never got a paycheck. He got scrip. At the end of the pay period, he always owed more than they paid him. So they were fighting for this for many years. It was Harry Truman who finally realized what the coal industry and coal mining had done for America. There has not been a group of people who have ever given more in blood, sweat, and tears in hard labor.

I tell people that they mined the coal that made the steel that built the guns and ships that defended our country and helped to build the Industrial Revolution and really helped to lift the middle class to what it is and what it has been.

It was over 70 years ago that President Truman recognized that importance, and he made sure that would not go unnoticed. He passed a bill with John L. Lewis and, at that time, Senator Krug. He passed a piece of legislation. This was not from taxpayers' money. They basically said that from every ton of coal mined from this day forward by the Mine Workers of America, a percentage of the price of that commodity, of that coal, would go toward their benefits so they would have something.

Let me tell you exactly what we have gotten today. The average miner's pension is $595. We are not talking about thousands of dollars. Most of this goes to widows whose husbands have passed away. Without this, they don't have a lifeline. In 2022 it goes away.

The agreement was a sacred promise between workers and the country, and it captured the best of America and who we are.

But the multiemployer pension system in the United States is in crisis. As many as 114 multiemployer pension plans, including the United Mine Workers of America 1974 Pension Plan, are expected to become insolvent. The miners' pension fund is up first. We are the first ones on the block. This critical plan, which covers 87,000 retired miners--27,000 in my State alone--and 20,000 fully vested current workers is projected to be totally insolvent by 2022 or sooner. If Congress allows these pension funds to go under, the results will be devastating for retirees and for current employees and the communities these companies and beneficiaries are members of, including those in West Virginia. These financial losses will be felt throughout the communities UMWA retirees live in and spend money in.

We must work together to prevent this catastrophe and shore up miners' pension plans--pensions they have earned and paid into.

Let me state how most of them became insolvent. It didn't happen until the 1980s, as far as the bankruptcy laws in America. Bankruptcy laws in our great country put the financial institution before the human being who worked for the benefits they earned and paid for. There has to be a correction. There has to be some right done there because these miners and workers all over this country basically leave that money in and pay for their benefits, and, at the end of their work life, it is gone because of some conglomerate or some type of corporate takeover or through a bankruptcy. This can't be tolerated any longer.

We could not have passed a permanent fix for miners' healthcare without the support of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and President Trump. I have spoken to President Trump about this, and he is all for it. He is trying to help the miners. He knows what they have done for the country, and I appreciate his speaking up for coal miners and hard-working people across the country.

We have no better advocates for securing a healthcare fix than the retired miners themselves. They come up here day by day, putting a real face to the families and the challenges they have. They have done this for years. For years they have walked the halls of Congress. They met with all of the Members and their staffs. They worked the phones and wrote letters urging us to keep the promise that was made to them. I stand by them, leading the fight to make sure retired coal miners' pensions will not be taken away too. We are not going to let this happen. I have talked with thousands of West Virginians who will be devastated if they lost their pensions. We received letters from miners and their families about the fear and anxiety that comes with not knowing whether they will be able to pay the mortgage or put food on the table.

If my good friend the Senator from Indiana will indulge me a little longer, I want to read about Ricky, from Hewett, WV. He is worried that if his pension is taken away or reduced, he will not be able to support his family. He said:

As a retired coal miner my family and I rely greatly on

these very modest benefits. Losing or even having my pension

reduced would cause great hardship on my family. A coal

miner's pension is not very much to start with. I am not

asking for a handout--only what I earned through years of

hard work.

Benny, from Oceana, WV, would have to choose between buying food and paying utility bills. He said:

I only draw a small pension of $215.96 each month, but if I

lose that I will have to decide between food or utility

bills. I am an older disabled coal miner with a small social

security check. The loss of my pension check would be

devastating.

Judy, from Sharples, is worried that if she lost her late husband's pension, she and her grandson wouldn't be able to make it. These are basically people who have become second parents because the parents have become dysfunctional. She wrote:

I'm not a rich person, but if I lose my late husband's

pension I will lose everything I have. My husband worked 30

plus years at the mines with the promise that we would be

taken care of. Yes, I get Social Security but that won't

cover my regular bills by itself, not to mention home and car

insurance plus taxes. . . .

After securing healthcare benefits for retired miners, we proved that Congress can work together and put partisan politics aside. This was truly done in a bipartisan way. It is a philosophy that I followed throughout my life in public service and in the West Virginia State Legislature, as the Governor of the great State of West Virginia, and now as a U.S. Senator representing the great State of West Virginia.

The coal miners are among the hardest working people in America, and they spent their lives empowering the Nation and keeping it the strongest in the world.

I will leave you with this. When people ask: Where are you from? Let me tell you where I am from. I am from a little State that has the most patriotic people in the Nation. They have fought in every war and conflict and shed more blood and lost more lives for the cause of freedom than most any State. They have done the heavy lifting, mining the coal, making steel, and building the guns and ships that defend us every day.

The Good Lord has been so kind to us. He gave us a great venue, my State of West Virginia. We hope you come, and when you do, we hope you stay.

Thank you, Mr. President.