[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 1206-1209]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     FINDING COMMONSENSE SOLUTIONS

  Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, it is my great honor to speak on the 
floor for the first time as a Senator. I am truly humbled by this 
auspicious occasion and the enormous privilege to serve the greatest 
people in America--the people of West Virginia. West Virginia may be a 
small State, but our impact on our Nation's history and our future is 
far greater than the size of our geography or population.
  West Virginia was borne out of the turmoil of the Civil War, founded 
by patriots who shared a united pursuit for justice and freedom for 
all. Since this historic beginning, our lands and vast natural 
resources have helped build this Nation. Our people's hard work, 
sacrifices, and patriotism have helped make our Nation stronger and 
safer. From the mining of the coal that powers our cities to the 
forging of the steel, we have done and will do the heavy lifting that 
has built America.
  But this great responsibility to serve as a Senator for West Virginia 
would never have come about had our State not lost a true giant, our 
beloved Senator Robert C. Byrd. Senator Byrd was a mentor to me, a 
great friend to West Virginia, and a tireless advocate for us all. West 
Virginia would not be the State it is today without the inexhaustible 
commitment he made every day. Every day without Senator Byrd is a loss 
for us all, but we can all take comfort that he made not just West 
Virginia a better State, but he made America a greater nation. While no 
one will be able to fill his shoes, I hope to honor his memory by 
continuing down the path he blazed fighting to better the lives of West 
Virginians and all Americans.
  I would also like to recognize the unwavering leadership of West 
Virginia's distinguished senior Senator who has left a dynamic mark on 
history, my dear friend Senator Jay Rockefeller. He has committed his 
life to giving outstanding public service to a very grateful State.
  Throughout my 20 years in public service, I have been fortunate 
beyond words to have been able to serve the great people of West 
Virginia. Again and again, I have been inspired by West Virginians' 
devotion to family, their love of country, their belief in hard work 
and sacrifice and, above all, their undeniable spirit to weather any 
storm by coming together.
  I have seen our State endure the most devastating challenges--
horrific flooding, the tragic mining accidents--and I have seen our 
State in the best of times. But at all times, the spirit of West 
Virginia has never been broken. It is this spirit of working together 
and finding commonsense solutions to any challenge that inspires me. It 
is this spirit that also inspired both sets of my grandparents to 
immigrate to America--one from Italy and the other from Czechoslovakia. 
My grandparents came here with the same goals shared by countless 
generations of immigrants: to provide a better quality of life for 
their families through hard work and sacrifice. They did just that.
  This is what I learned growing up in West Virginia: When things are 
tough, we do not back down. When we are having trouble paying our 
bills, we do not think of spending more money. When we face difficult 
times, we work together to make things better. When faced with a 
problem, we do not avoid what needs to be done; we try to solve it. 
This is what West Virginians would call common sense.
  I was born and raised in Farmington, WV, a small coal mining town. 
Nothing will teach you common sense like growing up in a town of less 
than 500 people. I was educated in our public schools and became the 
first member of my family to graduate from college. I met my partner in 
life, my wife Gayle, in West Virginia. We raised our three children in 
the State we love.
  I have long believed in the importance of public service, beginning 
with my days supporting a volunteer rescue squad in Marin County and 
working with the United Way more than three decades ago.
  As for my public life, my first days as a State legislator to my last 
days as Governor, I realized that none of us in this or any body are 
simply elected to an office. We are not here for the title. We are here 
to make a difference.
  I am here to work hard and do this job, and I will work with anyone 
who offers commonsense solutions on how to best move this country 
forward.
  In my maiden inaugural address as West Virginia's 34th Governor, I 
said that in order for us to be successful, it was going to take the 
commitment of civic leaders, public employees, businesspeople and 
laborers, educators, students and parents, lawyers and doctors, 
veterans, young professionals, senior citizens, and Republicans, 
Democrats, and Independents.
  At the time, very few thought such a diverse coalition could ever be 
forged, let alone actually accomplish something in the process. But we 
West Virginians put politics aside. We listened to each other, we 
worked together, and we came together to find common ground and develop 
commonsense solutions.
  As a result, we changed the direction of our State for the better. We 
got our financial house in order. We lowered our taxes for both 
families and businesses. We paid down unfunded liabilities. We created 
thousands of new jobs.
  There was a surplus every year I was Governor. West Virginia became a 
stronger State and one of the very few fiscally solvent States in this 
Nation, all during the worst recession in generations. We solved the 
actual problems that were holding our State back, and those problems 
were not solved with partisan rhetoric and the mentality ``If you win, 
I lose.'' Not at all. West Virginians came together with a shared 
vision and a common purpose. By working together, we found commonsense 
solutions. In doing so, we made the future we all share better.
  This commonsense model is by no means unique to only West Virginia. I 
truly believe we can develop commonsense solutions to the problems our 
Nation faces--commonsense solutions defined not by party or ideology 
but by doing what is right and what makes sense for our State and our 
country. I am committed to doing just that.

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  Of course, cynics will argue that gridlock is inevitable and that 
commonsense solutions are impossible because the partisan division in 
Washington is too great. I say they are wrong. While the legislative 
reality we face is divided government, it does not mean we must be 
divided. In fact, since the day I was sworn in as a Senator, I have 
been fortunate to sit and talk with many of my Democratic and 
Republican colleagues. Every time, what I heard was a profound love for 
this great Nation and an unbreakable commitment to leave this country 
better and stronger for future generations.
  While disagreements in how we solve our Nation's great challenges 
will occur, they need not divide us. I see these disagreements as an 
opportunity for us to seek the common ground that will unite us and 
move our Nation forward. I am committed to working with both sides to 
do what is right to address the serious economic and policy challenges 
we face as a nation and which are of deep concern to the hard-working 
people of West Virginia.
  I heard these concerns loudly and clearly during our most recent work 
period. During those 2 weeks in January, I traveled more than 2,100 
miles on my ``Call for Common Sense'' tour. I held more than 28 events 
and met with the unemployed, seniors, veterans, small business owners, 
young professionals, labor leaders, educators, leaders from our coal 
and energy industry, as well as leaders in manufacturing. I held 
townhall meetings in Wheeling and Elkins, where West Virginians with 
diverse concerns came together to share their opinions.
  Again and again, I heard their serious concerns about the economy and 
jobs, the need to protect coal and our energy industry, as well as 
their fears from rising debt and deficits. I heard about what 
government was doing or not doing to ensure that we keep our promises 
to our seniors and our veterans.
  What I also heard was a lot of commonsense ideas about what our 
country needs to focus on and what we must do to provide a more secure 
future for our children and grandchildren.
  Addressing these top concerns--job creation, deficit reduction, 
energy independence, and keeping our promises to our veterans and our 
seniors--matters not only to West Virginians and me, but they matter to 
every one of you and all of America.
  With respect to job creation, our Nation continues to struggle with 
high unemployment and a great recession that feels too much like a 
Great Depression for the millions of Americans looking for work.
  For too long, we have seen America's manufacturing sector decimated 
by the cruel irony of rules and regulations that make it easier to 
create jobs abroad than in the United States. West Virginians are not 
asking for a handout. We are asking for a work permit.
  We have seen small business owners--the bedrock of our economy and 
our job growth--increasingly strangled by paperwork and regulatory 
obstacles that make doing business more difficult.
  I believe that to create a thriving economy and jobs, we must lessen 
the burdens of unnecessary rules and regulations. Bureaucrats should 
not be able to regulate what has not been legislated. We need to make 
government work smarter and its agencies operate more efficiently and 
effectively. We are not asking government to be our provider; we are 
asking government to be our partner.
  I truly hope that we in this session of Congress will work together 
to reform our Federal bureaucracy so we can make sure our government 
works for us instead of the other way around.
  As a small businessperson, I know firsthand the last thing any small 
business owner needs is more regulation or paperwork. It is why I was 
proud to be one of the lead Democrats to work across the aisle to 
cosponsor legislation with my friend, Senator Mike Johanns, to repeal 
the 1099 provision from our health care reform. I was even more proud 
to add my voice last night to the many Senators from both parties who 
showed we can and will work together on commonsense reform of health 
care legislation. It is why I will continue to work with any of my 
colleagues to ensure we do everything we can to help small businesses, 
not just by improving health care reform but also by strengthening the 
access to the capital and investment that small businesses so 
desperately need to create jobs.
  Improving the opportunity for small businesses and boosting job 
creation will also depend on making difficult choices to rein in 
wasteful spending and rising debt. As we learned last week, the fiscal 
2012 deficit is projected to be $1.5 trillion. The Congressional Budget 
Office projects that under current law, our national debt will reach 
$25 trillion by 2021.
  What I heard from my fellow West Virginians is that we must get our 
financial house in order. My proud grandfather always told me crippling 
debt will lead us to make cowardly decisions.
  America is not a country of cowards. During a recent townhall meeting 
I held in Wheeling, a young college student, worried about getting 
married and having a family in the near future, told me she was worried 
because of the debt and fiscal burdens her child would inherit. For me, 
this young woman's words are a tragic reminder of the consequences that 
will come from inaction. In America, no one should have to have second 
thoughts about starting a family because of his or her worries about 
our Nation's out-of-control spending and rising debt.
  As I have said before, we as a nation cannot spend ourselves to 
prosperity. We must confront our fiscal situation and be willing to 
make the right investments and the difficult choices. Doing so for West 
Virginians is just common sense. West Virginians do not go out and 
spend more money when they face tough financial problems. They cut back 
and live within their means. I believe we all in America must do the 
same, especially in Washington. To that end, I believe we must declare 
a bipartisan war against wasteful spending and begin to take 
responsible steps to scour our Nation's budget for all waste and 
redundant programs.
  In the coming weeks, I look forward to working with my colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle to develop a commonsense strategy on how to 
best cut spending and address our rising debt and deficits. While these 
steps will require difficult decisions, I believe if we put 
partisanship aside and work together, we can have a bipartisan, 
commonsense plan that improves our fiscal future and sets our Nation on 
a new course for fiscal responsibility.
  But strengthening our economy will also depend on our Nation 
achieving not just independence from debt but real energy independence. 
As a Senator from a true energy State, the second leading producer of 
coal with abundant resources, a net exporter of electricity, I am very 
proud of the critical role West Virginians play in providing energy to 
our Nation. I imagine the lights in this very Chamber would be a little 
dimmer were it not for West Virginia and West Virginia coal.
  Moving forward, achieving true energy independence demands that we 
not only start realizing the importance coal has in achieving this 
goal, it means we must stop demonizing one resource and start realizing 
we must develop a comprehensive plan that utilizes all of our domestic 
resources--coal, natural gas, the development of nuclear, wind, and 
solar--so we can, once and for all, end our dependence on foreign oil 
within this generation.
  If we are going to truly be secure, we must declare our country to be 
energy independent, and every State in this great Nation must do its 
part. West Virginia is using every ounce of its natural resources--our 
coal, our abundant supply of natural gas, biomass, wind, hydroelectric, 
solar--all of which should be used in the most environmentally 
responsible way.
  As a country, we must stop buying oil from the countries that promote 
violence against their own people and the United States. That is just 
common sense.
  I am also strongly committed to working with my fellow Senators to 
develop a realistic and responsible clean energy policy for the future 
that balances the needs of our country and our

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environment. I believe we can achieve this commonsense balance while 
protecting the vital role that coal and natural gas and our other 
resources play in our Nation's economy.
  Defending the critical role coal and West Virginia play in our 
Nation's energy production is one reason I submitted today my first 
piece of legislation--the EPA Fair Play Act of 2011--which will check 
the power of the Environmental Protection Agency.
  I believe it is fundamentally wrong for any bureaucratic agency, 
including the EPA, to regulate what has not been legislated, to have 
absolute power to change the rules at the end of the game and to revoke 
a permit, as the EPA did in southern West Virginia's Spruce Mine, after 
it was lawfully granted and employees were hired. Giving any agency 
such absolute power will have a chilling effect on investment and job 
creation far beyond West Virginia, and I am proud there is already 
bipartisan support for this legislation.
  Achieving a brighter future for our Nation will also depend on us 
keeping our promises to our seniors and veterans. West Virginia's 
seniors and veterans helped build and defend this Nation and we have an 
obligation to them we must never break.
  As I traveled the State last month, I heard from seniors at 
breakfasts, in nursing homes, in courthouses, and at townhalls about 
their Social Security being at risk. I made it clear to them that I 
will never support going back on our promises. I also heard there are 
concerns about living for 2 years without a COLA increase, and I am 
committed to finding a commonsense solution--a recalculation of the 
COLA formula to make sure it reflects the reality of the cost of living 
today.
  To our seniors, Social Security and Medicare are not just government 
programs, they are promises made by a thankful nation to ensure a 
quality of life well earned from years of hard work and sacrifice.
  For our veterans, their sacrifices and patriotism know no bounds. 
They have answered the call of our State and this Nation again and 
again. They have served with unparalleled honor and distinction. As 
Governor, I was so proud and honored to have been commander-in-chief of 
the West Virginia National Guard, the greatest guard in the Nation.
  West Virginia is one of the most patriotic States in the country and 
we are proud of the number of veterans and active-duty members who have 
served our military and served honorably and proudly. During this 
session of Congress, I am strongly committed to working with my 
colleagues on legislation that will ensure our veterans and their 
families have the best care and benefits they deserve. That is why I am 
so proud to be a cosponsor with the leader of this bill--Senator Jay 
Rockefeller's legislation--giving the National Guard their rightful 
place on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Our National Guard and Reserve 
forces have bravely assumed a major role in our combat missions, and 
they deserve a seat at the table along with our Active-Duty Forces. 
West Virginia National Guard and Reserve forces are the best in the 
Nation, and as Governor I was proud to be their commander-in-chief. Not 
only are they an operational force to be reckoned with on the front 
lines defending our Nation abroad, they are also first on the scene 
during disasters here at home.
  Looking ahead, addressing the issues of job creation, rising debt and 
deficits, energy independence, keeping our promises to our seniors and 
our veterans will demand not just commonsense policies but a renewed 
bipartisan spirit. No matter how large a divide may seem at times, we 
must work together to find common ground to achieve commonsense 
solutions. I truly believe Republicans and Democrats and Independents 
can and will work together to chart a new course for this Nation.
  It is why I am so proud and honored to have been selected to serve on 
such esteemed committees as the Armed Services Committee, the Energy 
and Natural Resources Committee, and the Special Committee on Aging. I 
look forward to working with Senators Levin and McCain, Bingaman and 
Murkowski, Kohl, Corker, and all my committee colleagues to address the 
wide array of issues and challenges that will come before these 
important bodies.
  Whether it is my work on these committees or elsewhere, I am 
committed to working hard and being the best Senator I can be for the 
State I love. Like all 99 of my colleagues, who are here for the right 
reasons, I will represent my State to the best of my abilities and work 
to make America stronger and my State proud. I pledge to you that I 
will not only work with each and every one of my fellow Senators to 
find commonsense solutions, I will do what I can to usher in a new 
bipartisan spirit in the Senate and in this Congress. In that spirit, I 
will strive to always find that commonsense bridge that unites our 
parties and reminds us and the world that we, no matter what State we 
may represent, share one common and unbreakable bond--we are all 
Americans. We all share a love for this Nation, for our families and 
for our children, and it is this bond which will unite us in these 
difficult times and which gives me the hope and optimism that once 
again we will rise above any challenge we face.
  Madam President, I yield the floor.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a 
quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Madam President, you have just heard a classic Joe 
Manchin speech. It truly is. It is full of optimism, strength, common 
purpose, no problem cannot be solved, and the desire for bipartisan 
cooperation. If anybody can bring our two sides together, surely he can 
do that. He is aggressive, he is thoughtful, but above all he is 
optimistic. He has a positive approach, a constructive approach. He is 
unafraid of any problem and thrilled about doing whatever kinds of 
public service he does.
  We actually have fairly common careers. We both served in the State 
legislature. He served in both branches. I served in one branch. We 
were both Secretaries of State and we both ran for Governor. Now we are 
both in the Senate. So I have known the Manchin family for years.
  I have known Joe Manchin for years. I have always been proud of his 
work. He is fun. He loves sports. That is very important in life--very 
important in life. He loves sports. He is a devoted Mountaineer. 
Sometimes I think he calls the plays for our team. This is going to be 
a better Senate because of Joe Manchin, because of his personality.
  I have watched him in the couple of months he has been here--couple 
of weeks, a month, two--and he has been all over the floor. It is fun 
to watch him. Somebody sits down that side, this side, and all of a 
sudden Senator Joe Manchin is seated right beside him, grabbing an arm, 
making a point, establishing a friendship, bonding. That is the way he 
is with our people.
  He comes from the very heart of West Virginia--coal mining country--
and that is the way he acts. That is the way his father acted. It is 
the way his family has always acted. They are part and parcel of the 
blood, the beginning and the struggle of West Virginia.
  One of the reasons I am in public service is because West Virginia is 
always fighting uphill. People don't pay attention to us the way we 
think they should. They do not pay attention to what our economy has to 
offer the way they should. That is what motivates Joe Manchin. If you 
are a West Virginian, you simply have to fight harder. If you are a 
West Virginia public servant, at whatever level, you have to fight 
harder and you have to have an optimistic view. You have to believe 
things can work. You have to be determined things can work, and you 
have to see the course all the way to end. That is exactly who Joe 
Manchin is.
  I am incredibly proud to serve with him. I read his speech before. He 
said

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some very nice things about me--all accurate. But because we have been 
colleagues for so long, I can tell you--and those who don't know him as 
well as you will--that he is a real asset to this body. We are a body 
which now is in the process of struggling to find out who we are. It is 
not always a pretty sight, but everybody here takes public life 
seriously. Senator Manchin has the problem--some would say the 
opportunity, but not many--to have to be reelected again in 2 years. So 
life already is more complicated for him, because that is the way the 
election system has worked out. But he is a bright light, and a young, 
aggressive bright light with an absolutely marvelous wife who is now 
part of us.
  I think he has a unique perspective--it is a classic West Virginia 
perspective--and I look forward to his making an enormous difference in 
this body, to our State, and to our country. So I welcome him, and I 
congratulate him on his opening statement.
  I made an opening statement some years ago. It was actually one of 
the most boring speeches I ever listened to. But those were the days 
when you weren't allowed to make a speech until you had been here for 6 
months, and then everybody turned out. All the old guard--you know, 
such as the senior Senator from New York over there. The guys with gray 
beards, the wise old men, would turn out, and they all planted 
themselves around here and listened to this incredibly boring speech of 
mine, which was all about a steel company because that is what I 
happened to be working on at the time.
  Russell Long stood up afterwards and said: that is the most brilliant 
speech I ever heard. But those were the days of a certain type of 
protocol. Times are much faster now. We have to react much faster. We 
don't have time for that. So Senator Manchin has made his speech, but 
he goes from his speech to his work, and there he will simply not stop 
until we get a better State and a better country.
  I congratulate him and I welcome him officially and forever to the 
Senate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Madam President, I will say that I join the Senator 
from New York in welcoming another West Virginia Governor to the 
Senate. Governor Manchin succeeds a man who is irreplaceable in the 
Senate's history--Senator Byrd--but he brings to our Senate the skills 
of a Governor. Governor Rockefeller and I are very partial to those 
skills. We think the Senate needs more Governors. Governors are 
accustomed to looking for consensus, to making things work, to making 
things happen. We have a different sort of job here in the legislature, 
but those qualities are important, and especially important now when we 
have such large challenges to face, such as the fact that we are 
spending $3.7 trillion and collecting $2.1 trillion. All of us are 
shocked by that, and we have to deal with it one way or the other.
  I welcome him and I welcome his wife, a distinguished educator, to 
the Senate family. I know she is here today, so we welcome her and look 
forward to learning from her as well.
  I join Governor Rockefeller in saying it was a great speech. Your 
maiden speech is always your best speech. I remember walking with the 
University of Tennessee basketball coach in Knoxville in the dogwood 
parade--or in some parade before the season started. He was very 
popular before the season began. And Senators who make maiden speeches 
always have their best speeches then, as basketball coaches always are 
most popular at the beginning of the year.
  But I look forward to working with Senator Manchin. He will make a 
tremendous contribution to the Senate. I am glad I was here to hear his 
outstanding address, and I thank the Senator from New York for his 
courtesy in letting me make my remarks.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New York.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I too want to join in the accolades for 
our Senator from West Virginia, Senator Manchin. He is one fine guy. I 
got to know him when he was Governor and then campaigning, and he is 
doing a wonderful job here already.
  To have passion about where you come from is noble. I think the great 
poets from Greek times on have written that, and nobody has more 
passion about where he comes from and his roots than Senator Manchin--
Joe Manchin. You can see it and feel it in everything he does, as we 
could in this speech today. So I too join in thanking him for coming 
here. America needs his perspective and his wisdom, and I know he will 
make a great Senator. We are already great friends, and so I thank him.
  I also compliment my colleague, the senior Senator from West Virginia 
as well, Senator Rockefeller, for his kind remarks. He is a great 
leader. Joe and I have talked about how you cannot go wrong watching 
and imitating and emulating Senator Rockefeller. With the two of them, 
I believe West Virginia might have the tallest delegation in the 
Senate, not just tall in inches but in stature, ability to get things 
done, and passion for the State they represent. It is my honor to be 
here as well and to congratulate Joe on a very fine and introductory 
speech.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.
  Mr. HOEVEN. Madam President, I also rise today to congratulate the 
Senator from West Virginia on his speech and welcome him to the Senate 
and express pleasure in working together. I want to echo the comments 
of Senator Lamar Alexander, the good Senator from Tennessee, as well. 
Being a former Governor, I actually got to know Joe Manchin in his days 
as Governor. We worked together in his days as Governor and certainly I 
look forward to working with him as Senator.
  Our States share many interests. One of those interests is coal. I 
want to express my intent today to join as a cosponsor on legislation 
regarding EPA regulation that Senator Manchin is putting forward. That 
is a good example where we can work together to create jobs and 
opportunities. I certainly look forward to doing that.
  Again, I congratulate the good Senator on his speech today.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Madam President, are we back in regular order?

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