WASHINGTON—Friday evening, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate about the Continuing Resolution to fund the government through April 28^th and efforts to protect the health and pension benefits of retired mineworkers and their families. A transcript and a link to download video of those remarks are below.

Sen. Warner and colleagues from West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania spearheaded an effort this week to extend healthcare benefits for retired mineworkers beyond the four-month extension that was included in the House-passed Continuing Resolution stopgap spending bill.

Transcription:

First of all, let me echo everything that Senator Casey and Senator Brown have said. But the reason why we're here, beyond the justness of our cause, is the fact that the Senator from West Virginia, Senator Manchin, has been absolutely relentless. He has not let this issue die. For 18 months he has gone through every hoop that has been put in front of him. And it's getting through. The fact is, Senator Manchin today reintroduced the Miners Protection Act. In one day -- in one day he picked up 49 cosponsors to this legislation.

We're going to have a vote later tonight. Let me be clear, I’m going to join in that protest. But as somebody who's got one heck of a lot of federal employees, we are not going to shut down the government on this issue. We should not even be even thinking about choices where we have to trade off federal workers and miners. That's not what we're sent here to do. But we are going to make sure that this fight does not end tonight. And the 49 who signed up today will be in the 50's and the 60's when we come back. Let me just close before -- and I know we've got other colleagues, but others have commented. I went through these talking points at other times. But you got to hear the voices of people being affected.

I got a letter recently from Sharon. Sharon has a coal miner's family from coal mines in Dickenson County, not too far from West Virginia and Kentucky. Here is what she wrote:

“My father is a retired coal miner. For many years, he worked at Clinchfield Coal Company Moss number 2 mine. He gave them his time, sweat, hard work, and even his health. In return, he expected nothing more than a paycheck, a little pension and health care when he retired. He was promised that, and he deserves that.”

He went on to -- she went on to talk about the fact that her dad grew up in the depression. She said he grew up at a time when you took care of your things. He believed that you paid for what you got. He paid dearly for his pension and health care. Please don't let that get away from him. He planned for years for his retirement. She said he was always tight with his money. He planned for years for his retirement. He saved and budgeted so he would have enough with his pension to be able to support himself through the rest of the years and not be a burden on anyone.

Sharon and her coal miner family and countless thousands of others, Americans, are waiting for us to honor our commitments. We're taking a step forward tonight, echoing what other Senators have said before. This issue will not go away until these miners get their justice. 

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