June 28, 2016 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4605 Thereupon, the Senate, at 12:45 p.m., up raises for, benefits they have domestic energy in our backyard. Do- recessed until 2:15 p.m. and reassem- earned, putting money aside, and now mestic energy was the coal we used to bled when called to order by the Pre- they have been betrayed, frankly, and fuel the Industrial Revolution. We basi- siding Officer (Mrs. CAPITO). that is why this is so important. cally defended ourselves in every war f We just had a meeting of a group of with coal. It was so important during Senators, and Senator REID played a World War II that if you were a coal TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND film of what is happening in West Vir- miner, you would be asked to be de- URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RE- ginia—the flooding—and much of that ferred from fighting in the war to pro- LATED AGENCIES APPROPRIA- flooding is in miners’ country, most of vide the energy the country needed to TIONS ACT, 2016—CONFERENCE it is. There were mine workers’ defend itself. That is how important REPORT—Continued homes—Senator CAPITO knows this this product has been. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- too—mine workers’ homes that were Today it is kind of taboo to talk ator from West Virginia. under water, as were other residents in about it. People don’t understand we Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I these communities, proud communities have the life we have because of it. ask unanimous consent to speak in a that have done everything right, where There is a transition going on and we colloquy with some of my colleagues people worked hard and played by the understand that, but, in 1946, President concerning the Miners Protection Act. rules. They paid their taxes. They Harry Truman said that we can’t have The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without helped their community. They have the miners go on strike. John L. Lewis objection, it is so ordered. lost so much, and this is the last thing was going to take the miners out on MINERS PROTECTION ACT they just simply should not lose. strike for unfair compensation and Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, as My contention in the Finance Com- safety reasons. Harry Truman prom- the Presiding Officer knows very well, mittee—and I know it is the contention ised them if they would stay—it was so we have been asking for passage of the of my colleague from Ohio too—is that important for our economy after World Miners Protection Act not just for our committee should not do anything War II to keep moving forward, and State of West Virginia but for all min- until we fix the miners’ pension. Sen- without the energy, we couldn’t do it. ers across America, as well as the re- ator MCCONNELL, the Republican lead- So he said: If you all will settle this tired miners who have done everything er, seems to be the only one who strike, I will make sure everybody who that has been asked of them. doesn’t want to move on this. All the produces coal—all the miners will pay We have some of our colleagues here rest of us do. The point a lot of us are into a pension fund that will guarantee today. At this time, if I can—if my making is, we shouldn’t allow this that you will have health care benefits other colleagues will allow me—I will body—as important as I think Puerto when you retire and a very meager pen- defer right now to Senator BROWN from Rico is and as much as I want to help sion. We are not talking big money. We Ohio, since he has other commitments. them—we shouldn’t be voting on re- are talking very meager supplements. He will be coming back and forth. If he structuring Puerto Rico’s debt without That was committed to and paid for. could go ahead and get started at this lifting a finger to help our retired min- It had been funded all the way up until time, then I will come back and defer ers. I don’t want to delay Puerto Rico. the greed of Wall Street in 2008, and it to our other colleague from Ohio. I want Senator MCCONNELL to commit fell apart. Now, here we have the time. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- to us: OK. We will move to Puerto Rico We go right up to the end of the time. ator from Ohio. but promise a date for a vote so we can Every time we go up to this timetable. Mr. BROWN. Madam President, I do what we need to do to move this Well, July 1 is Puerto Rico, and then know everyone is squeezed for time, money from the abandoned mine fund let me tell my colleagues one thing: but I thank Senator MANCHIN for his to the UMWA pension fund in a way July 15, all the retirees will start re- leadership, the Presiding Officer, the that works for these miners, that ceiving notices that they will start los- other Senator from West Virginia, Mrs. works for the widows of miners, that ing their health care benefits within 90 CAPITO, and Senator PORTMAN, my works for people who are sick from days. friend from Cincinnati. working in the mines, and works for If you have seen on television all the We all know how serious this is. We people who were injured working in the devastation to our State in West Vir- are all willing in this body to do—at mines. ginia, all the flooding, all the misery, least the four of us and I know also As many of my colleagues know, I the loss of life—one of the largest Senator CASEY and Senator WARNER— wear on my lapel a depiction of a ca- losses of life in any flooding in U.S. whatever it takes to get this fixed. We nary in a birdcage. All of us know in history. It just happened this past know we can do this for our Nation’s mining country, the mine workers used week in the State of West Virginia, our retired coal miners who are on the to take the canaries down into the beautiful State. Every one of those brink of losing their health care and mines. They had no unions in the old communities you are seeing on tele- retirement savings. This Congress can days to help them. They had no govern- vision, with houses on fire floating pull them back from that. ment that cared enough to help them. down the river, with all the businesses The UMW health care and pension It is up to us to provide that. The ca- ruined, all the homes and all the people plan covers 100,000 workers, 6,800 people nary in the mine has been tweeting who are left with nothing, every one of in Senator PORTMAN’s and my State. mercilessly, and it is time for us to those are mining communities. Every The plans were almost completely step up and do what we were hired to one of them have miners living in funded before the financial collapse of do in these jobs. them. Every one of them have widows almost a decade ago, but the industry’s I thank Senator MANCHIN. who probably lost their husband to pension funds were devastated by the Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, if I black lung depending on the health recession. can, I will give a little background and care benefits. Yet we have so many We know if Congress fails to act, then we will go right to Senator other things, and we are just asking for thousands of retired miners could lose PORTMAN. a vote. their health care this year and the en- I thank the Senator from Ohio. I ap- This is a bipartisan bill. Here we are tire plan would fall as early as 2017. preciate it very much. standing on the floor, all of us, not For every one of those years where The Presiding Officer understands being Democrats or Republicans, just mine workers worked for decades and very well. We are both from the same being Americans trying to do the right decades in the mines, they earned and State, born and raised there, and tough thing. All we are asking for is a vote on contributed to their retiree health care times have always been a part of our this. It will pass. There are ways for us plans and their pension plans—benefits DNA. to pay for it so it does not cost the they fought for. Their situation is So people know the history of the American taxpayers. That is what we similar to Senator MANCHIN and I, mines, as to the coal that has been pro- are asking for. I don’t think that is too prior to—we remember what it was like duced, we would not be the country we much to ask for. here during the auto rescue, the bene- are today, we would not be the super- I have said let’s vote no on cloture fits they fought for, benefits they gave power of the world, if we didn’t have tomorrow. I am not saying to be for or VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Jun 29, 2016 Jkt 059060 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G28JN6.025 S28JNPT1 emcdonald on DSK9F6TC42PROD with SENATE S4606 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 28, 2016 against Puerto Rico.