On the Road
Last week, I was proud to join Cecil Roberts and retired miners from West Virginia and from all over the country at the UMWA rally in Columbus, Ohio. Our retired miners are the hardest-working people in America. They have dedicated their lives to power our nation to prosperity, committing years of their lives, often at risk of their health, to dangerous work in the mines. Now, over 85,000 miners and their families, including over 25,000 in West Virginia, are at risk of losing the pension they have paid into and have earned. This is happening through no fault of their own. It is our responsibility to keep the promise we made to them more than 70 years ago.
To watch Senator Manchin’s remarks at the rally, click here.
I also participated in the Joint Select Committee on the Solvency of Multipemployer Pension Plans field hearing in Ohio. The Joint Select Committee was created as part of the overall budget compromise that passed in February. The committee is instructed to report a bill by the last week of November, and will be required to hold at least five public meetings, including three hearings so that members of Congress can hear directly from retirees, workers and businesses affected by the pension crisis. The solution that the committee produces is guaranteed an expedited vote in the Senate without amendments.
To watch Senator Manchin’s questioning at the hearing, click here.
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