[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 170 (Sunday, December 19, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S10732]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           VOTE EXPLANATIONS


                              Vote No. 278

  Mr. MANCHIN, Mr. President, had I been present on Saturday, December 
18, I would have voted nay on the motion to invoke cloture on the 
Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors DREAM Act:
  ``While sympathetic to those who passionately support it, I cannot 
support the DREAM Act; as is, at this time.
  ``I strongly believe the DREAM Act should require the completion of a 
degree. As currently written, the legislation does not. Requiring the 
completion of a degree is exactly what the DREAM Act should be about, 
as it will help ensure that the young people who qualify have a real 
chance to fulfill the American dream and become the productive citizens 
they aspire to be.
  ``In fact, I have had sincere discussions with my fellow Senators and 
committee staff as to whether it would be possible to change the 
legislation to address my concerns. At this time, it is not.
  ``All that being said, I do believe, as most Americans do, that our 
immigration system is broken and must be fixed. During the next session 
of Congress, I sincerely hope to work with my Republican and Democratic 
colleagues to achieve true comprehensive immigration reform.''


                              vote no. 279

  Mr. President, had I been present to vote on Saturday, December 18, I 
would have voted nay on the repeal of the military's don't ask, don't 
tell policy:
  ``Over the past several days, I have spoken with many passionate West 
Virginians who hold different views on this policy. I greatly 
appreciate all of the feedback that my office has received.
  ``As I have said before, my primary concern with repeal of ``Don't 
Ask, Don't Tell,'' DADT, stems from the Armed Services Committee 
testimony by two Service Chiefs, Army Chief of Staff General George 
Casey and Marine Corps Commandant General James Amos. Their issues are 
with the timing and the impact of the repeal's implementation on our 
front line combat troops during a time of war.
  ``While it may be little solace to those who disagreed with my 
earlier vote, over the last 9 days, I have had sincere discussions with 
my fellow Senators and other officials as to whether it would be 
possible to change the legislation to address my concerns over timing 
and implementation. With the legislative process nearing an end, it was 
simply not possible to alter the proposed DADT legislation.
  ``As such, while I believe the DADT policy will be repealed, and 
probably should be repealed in the near future, I cannot support a 
repeal of the policy at this time.''

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