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Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 114 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION

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Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 114 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 114 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 162 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2016 No. 176 House of Representatives The House met at 10 a.m. and was them shouldn’t be broken. West Vir- The Coal Healthcare and Pensions called to order by the Speaker pro tem- ginia helped keep the lights on back Protection Act won’t cost taxpayers pore (Mr. NEUGEBAUER). then as well as today. Please don’t for- anything. It uses existing funds paid f get about us.’’ for by mining companies to provide for This promise dates back to 1946 when retired miners. This is not a tax. Tax- DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO the Truman administration signed an payers won’t be on the hook for these TEMPORE agreement with coal miners, an agree- pensions. This is about ensuring a The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- ment that guaranteed their pensions promise made is a promise kept. fore the House the following commu- and health care would be there for Mr. Speaker, as we approach the holi- nication from the Speaker: them when they retired. Now that day season, I hope we will remember WASHINGTON, DC, agreement—no, that promise—is in the retirees and widows worried about December 7, 2016. jeopardy. what the new year will bring. We must I hereby appoint the Honorable RANDY In just a few weeks, tens of thousands act now to pass a solution to this crisis NEUGEBAUER to act as Speaker pro tempore of miners and widows will lose their to keep our word. on this day. health insurance. These miners have PAUL D. RYAN, f Speaker of the House of Representatives. back problems, knee problems, and breathing problems, all from their FAREWELL TO THE HONORABLE f work in the mines. They simply cannot STEVE ISRAEL MORNING-HOUR DEBATE go without insurance. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- Kenny Meade’s father is one of those Chair recognizes the gentleman from ant to the order of the House of Janu- retired miners. He lives in California (Mr. SCHIFF) for 5 minutes. ary 5, 2016, the Chair will now recog- Chapmanville and reached out to me to Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise nize Members from lists submitted by share the story of his parents. Kenny today to speak about my friend and the majority and minority leaders for wrote about his father. He said: ‘‘He colleague, STEVE ISRAEL, who is retir- morning-hour debate. worked 31 years in the mines and often ing from Congress after 16 years. We The Chair will alternate recognition for less than other miners so he could came into Congress together and have between the parties, with each party bargain for their right to health care been the best of friends and brothers limited to 1 hour and each Member and pensions.’’ ever since. other than the majority and minority This is an issue we can fix, but it is Now, the last time I mentioned leaders and the minority whip limited not an issue that arose overnight. The STEVE ISRAEL on the House floor was to 5 minutes, but in no event shall de- war on coal has decimated coal jobs in after making a bet with STEVE over the bate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. West Virginia and across the country. Dodgers-Mets series, a bet that I lost, f An onslaught of overreaching Federal and I had to sing the ‘‘Meet the Mets’’ regulations have made it harder to song on the House floor. I want to as- PROTECTING PENSIONS OF COAL mine coal and harder to burn coal. sure all my colleagues that is never MINERS Coal-fired power plants have shut going to happen again either on the The SPEAKER pro tempore. The down, making electricity more expen- playing field or on the House floor. Chair recognizes the gentleman from sive and reducing the market for coal. When we came to Congress together, West Virginia (Mr. JENKINS) for 5 min- As demand has decreased and regula- we were given a book, like all incoming utes. tions have made it harder to mine coal, freshmen, called ‘‘Charting the Mr. JENKINS of West Virginia. Mr. mines are closing and companies are Course.’’ This is a book that basically Speaker, miners and their widows in filing for bankruptcy. A company in says that there are three different West Virginia and across the country bankruptcy isn’t going to have the re- models of being a Congressman. You are asking us to protect their pensions sources to meet its pension obligations. can be the policy expert or you can be and health care, families like Robin All of these market forces, regula- the political animal or you can be the Workman of Boone County, who wrote tions, and the war on coal have had pothole Congressman who is focused on to me about how she and her husband devastating impacts on our miners and district needs and excellent at meeting depend on these benefits. These are the their families. It is time for Congress the needs of constituents, but the gist benefits that they earned. to act to keep the promise and protect of the book is you can’t be all three. She said: ‘‘My husband put in 35 the benefits the miners worked their You have to pick where you are going years underground, a promise made to entire life to earn. to make your specialization, and if you b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H7273 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:36 Dec 07, 2016 Jkt 069060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A07DE7.000 H07DEPT1 smartinez on DSK3GLQ082PROD with HOUSE H7274 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE December 7, 2016 try to do all three, you will end up not gets published by a major publisher CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES, doing any one of them very well. STEVE and does phenomenally well? HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, ISRAEL proved the premise of that book When STEVE retires, this Congress is Washington, DC, October 14, 2016. wrong because he proved to be super- going to lose another of its great Mem- Hon. ASHTON B. CARTER, bers, someone of genuine talent, intel- Secretary of Defense, lative at each and every aspect of being Washington, DC. a Member of Congress. lect, and integrity, someone who has DEAR SECRETARY CARTER: I am responding On policy, STEVE developed an exper- come to be relied upon by Presidents. to Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense tise in energy policy and became a We are also going to lose someone with (Acting) Jedidiah Royal’s October 3, 2016, re- leading champion of the development a great sense of humor, who is a won- sponse to the Office of the Special Inspector of renewable sources of energy. He be- derful friend and a bit of a practical General for Afghanistan Reconstruction came an expert on defense issues; and joker—like the time he convinced his (SIGAR)’s letter to you (dated August 5, 2016) regarding ‘‘ghost soldiers’’ in Afghanistan. as one of the members of the Appro- chief of staff that one of his district I am appalled that the U.S. taxpayer has, priations Committee, he helped elimi- staff had run over his dog. Yes, STEVE and continues to pay, for ‘‘ghost soldiers’’ in nate wasteful expenditures on systems is a cruel man, but funny. We are going Afghanistan. Moreover, I am also concerned we didn’t need and investment in de- to miss him tremendously. about the risks that inadequacy of data con- fenses that would really protect the I want to wish him all the luck in the cerning personnel levels of the Afghan Na- country. world in the exciting career that tional Security and Defense Forces (ANDSF) He became an expert on Middle East awaits him when he retires, and all his may pose to American forces in Afghanistan. new endeavors. I look forward to find- In Deputy Assistant Secretary Royal’s re- policy and sorting out the difficulties sponse to SIGAR, he indicates the systems of all the complicated relationships be- ing him not in the center aisle nec- that U.S. Forces-Afghanistan are putting in tween the nations in the Middle East. essarily, but in a different aisle in the place to try to verify Afghan personnel data He became an expert on the Syrian bookstore near me with his latest will not be ready until at least July 2017. conflict. work. Given the estimate that there may be up to He also became an expert on issues I want to join my colleagues in 200,000 ‘‘ghost soldiers,’’ I would respectfully affecting the middle class and has al- thanking STEVE ISRAEL for his tremen- request an estimate of how much funding provided to the ANDSF for salaries in fiscal ways been a champion for what needs dous years of service and for his won- derful friendship. We will all miss him years 2016 and 2017 is expected to be wasted to be done to make sure that people in on ‘‘ghost soldiers.’’ this country can enjoy a secure retire- as, indeed, will this entire institution. Additionally, Deputy Assistant Secretary ment, can get a good job, can raise f Royal indicates that a limited amount of their family, and that their kids will TRAGIC LOSS OF AMERICAN LIFE funds has been withheld from the ANDSF for enjoy a quality of life at least as great not adhering to the agreed-upon timeline for IN AFGHANISTAN implementation of personnel verification as that of their parents, and hopefully The SPEAKER pro tempore.
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