[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 164 (Wednesday, November 16, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H6242]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TIME IS RUNNING OUT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from West 
Virginia (Mr. Jenkins) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JENKINS of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, time is running out to do 
right by our retired coal miners and their widows. When they went down 
into the mines, they were made a promise: When you retire, you will 
have good pensions and healthcare benefits.
  They literally put their lives on the line to put food on their table 
and power our nation, but now that promise is in jeopardy.
  At the end of the year, the healthcare benefits for many miners and 
their widows will dry up, and their pensions could end soon as well. 
These families are worried about making ends meet, and they are going 
into the holidays with great uncertainty about what the new year will 
bring.
  We have a solution. It is called the Coal Healthcare and Pension 
Miners Protection Act, legislation which I am proud to cosponsor. It is 
a bipartisan bill, and a similar bill is actually pending in the 
Senate.
  Congress needs to act to fulfill this promise. Our miners have done 
so much for our country. They mined the coal that made the steel that 
built the skyscrapers and won world wars. These miners and their 
families deserve no less than what they worked their entire lives to 
earn: the peace of mind that comes with a pension.
  I urge my colleagues to keep the promise and support this important 
legislation. Time is running out to stand up for our miners and their 
families.


                Relief from Presidential Midnight Rules

  Mr. JENKINS of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, in just 64 days, a new 
President will be sworn in. That is 64 days for the current President, 
President Obama, to jam through new regulations; new regulations that 
will hurt our families, kill our jobs, and continue damaging our 
economies.
  We saw that just this morning when his administration released the 
final environmental study for the stream buffer zone rule. This rule 
continues the administration's war on coal and will take it even 
further down the road of killing jobs in West Virginia.
  Congress and the States have all issued opposition to this rule, but 
this administration didn't listen. It is full steam ahead for this 
radical agenda and overregulation from the Obama administration.
  That is why I am proud to support what is known as the Midnight Rules 
Relief Act. We are voting on it this week.
  This bill is simple. It gives Congress the authority to review and 
reject rules that this President, President Obama, or any President 
issues during the final months of their term.
  American families and businesses have suffered long enough under this 
administration's, this President's regulatory onslaught, and they have 
spoken loud and clear at the polls that they do not want more business 
as usual from Washington.
  This administration cannot be allowed to force its job-killing 
regulations on the American people after their policies have been so 
soundly rejected.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in standing up against midnight rules 
and bringing transparency and accountability back to our Federal 
agencies.

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