We cannot lose sight of the fact that none of this would be possible without that spectrum, and that is owned by the American People. That spectrum is essential. As a result of the efforts of some swamp creatures, both in and out of government, we came that close to having this spectrum, which belongs to the American People and is worth as much as 30 billion to 60 billion, given away in a back room through a private auction to three Satellite Companies, which happen to be domiciled in foreign countries. The excuse given was that these three foreign Satellite Companies can conduct an auction themselves and allocate it to the american Telecommunication Companies faster than the f. C. C. Can, even though the f. C. C. Has only conducted about 100 of these public auctions, generating about 123 billion for the American People. Why . Because the American People own the spectrum thats being auctioned off. Its theirs. But there was a proposal that came that close to passing at the f. C. C. To just give this spectrum to these three companies, let them keep the 30 billion to 60 billion that the spectrum auction would have generated and let them decide who was going to get to participate in the 5g effort throughout our country. Fortunately and i want to thank the f. C. C. ; the f. C. C. At the last minute said no, and i want to thank them. Hence, the legislation by senator wicker and myself and senator cantwell and senator schatz and the good news about the legislation is that it would require a public auction by the f. C. C. Of the spectrum that belongs to the American People. That auction would be open to anybody who wants to bid. There would be a fair and level playing field, and it would be conducted in front of god and country in a public meeting. The best way to resist temptation, mr. Chairman, is a strong set of values, a proper upbringing, and witnesses and there would be witnesses to this auction. What we can agree on is how much money, if any what we cant agree on is how much money, if any, to give to the foreign Satellite Companies. You say, why should we give them a dime . Well, the foreign satellite company, the three companies to which the spectrum was almost given, theyre currently using this spectrum. They dont need all of it. They dont even need close to all of it, but theyve been using it for a number of years. The f. C. C. Just gave it to them. They didnt pay a dime for it. Now, im not criticizing them. They put it to good use. But they dont own it. They dont have a license. They have sort of a 30day, monthtomonth lease. Thats the way i think of it. And their Lease Agreement says that the f. C. C. Can take it back any time it wants to anytime it wants to. Since the Satellite Companies have been using the spectrum, and the Satellite Companies have customers, we want to be fair to these companies. And certainly when we decide how to allocate the proceeds of the public auction in front of god and country, that the f. C. C. Is going to conduct, we certainly want to consider the sat lie companies interests the Satellite Companies interests. But im not going to support giving them half of the mona this auction general of the money that this auction generates because this money belongs to the American People. And it can be used to extend 5g and other forms of broadband to those of us who dont live in major cities but happen to live in rural areas, but we are all still very much americans. So i rise today to say, mr. Chairman, thanks to senator wicker and i mean that from the bottom of my heart. I learned so much from working with him. I want to thank senator cantwell, senator schatz. Were going to keep working toward a compromise here in a way that will allocate this money to everybody fairly and efficiently. But im going to end as i began, mr. President. First and foremost in my mind is the American People because the American People own this spectrum. I dont own the spectrum. The United States senate doesnt own the spectrum. The three foreign Satellite Companies dont own the spectrum. The f. C. C. Doesnt own the spectrum. The Telecommunication Companies for which were grateful dont even the spectrum. The American People own the spectrum. And the vast majority of the money generated by this public auction should go to them. I yield the floor, mr. President. A senator mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from north dakota. Mr. Cramer mr. President , before i give my comments about an upcoming nominee, i want to say in response to senator kennedy, i agree 100 . Thank you. Mr. President , later today the senate will have the opportunity to vote on President Trumps second nomination to the u. S. District court for north dakota, my friend dan traynor. Ive known dan a long time. Thats why i was honored to recommend him to the president and was pleased when the president nominated him earlier this year. Dan received his bachelors degree from the university of north dakota and a juris doctorate from the school of law and clerked for the legendary chief justice vanderwahl, before returning home where he joined his familys law firm and where he works today. Since that time, he has spent a couple of decades in various capacities of law practicing various tapes of law, including serving as City Attorney for devils lake. Serving as both a prosecutor and defender in federal court are the main qualifications i think he brings to this important position. And im honored again to support him. Hes tried about Something Like 80plus cases to verdict or judgment or to final decision, which i think is very good experience for somebody who is going to then stand in judgment. In addition to his work on the a. B. A. , the a. B. A. Did give him a unanimous, wellqualified rating. He has also been recognized since 2015 as a superlawyer. In 2017 is he received martindalehubbells preeminent rating. His experience and qualifications are more than adequate for a good district judge. But what i think makes him exceptional is that dan and his wife, trish, who is an air force veteran, raising a beautiful family, are what we would call pillars of their state. His mom and dad, jack and jane, i know both of them quite well, are what you would call legends in their community and our state. The bottom line is, mr. President , that dan is eminently qualified in every way, including qualified with the character, the demeanor, the temperament, as well as the intellectual capacity to be an excellent judge, and i look forward to voting for him and urge my colleagues to do the same. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call Ronald Douglas quorum call quorum call mr. Manchin mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from west virginia. Mr. Manchin i vitiate the quorum call. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Manchin i rise to talk about something that is rare in congress these days, on monday after four long years of working hard, congress came together, democrats and republicans, to secure Health Care Pensions for our nations coal miners. We did our job and this confirmed to me we can do so much more. This was so important. It was the coal miners of america that made us look beyond politics. These were hardworking people. They werent democrats or republicans. They were hardworking americans that built america. I want to give my sincere thanks to all my colleagues for putting partisan politics aside and rising above the tribalism to keep the promise made in 1946. Harry truman recognized the importance of the workers that produced the coal for this country. After world war ii we had to keep the economy moving and keep it churning and we couldnt do it without the energy and coal was the driver of this. And it promised that coal miners would benefit for their sses. This was a sacred promise with workers and our country and it captured the very best of our american values. This week we kept the promise by including the bipartisan american miners act in the end of the year funding bill. We kept our promise to 13,000 retired coal miners and their families who wont lose their health care by the end of the year. We kept our promise to the 92,000 coal miners and their families who wont see their pensions drastically reduced starting next year. Coal miners are the most patriotic people in america. They have done the heavy lifting, they have done everything asked of them by this country. They provided the energy that made us the greatest country on earth and today the super power, the only super power in the world. Because of what they have done for our country, we have won two world wars, we built an iconic american citizens and have a strong middle class. They continue to provide the resources that make us the Energy Leader of the world all by advancing the american dream. The journey has not been short and it sure hasnt been easy. In 2015, we knew the United Mine Workers of americas 1974 pension plan was severely underfunded. Unlike other public and private pension plans, the 1974 pension plan was well managed and funded prior to the crash in 2008, the economic financial crisis we had, which hit at a time when the plan was being drawn down more than ever because more people were retiring and the mining of coal with the new automation was being replaced so a lot of miners were retiring out of it. This coupled with the fact that many of the beneficiaries are orphaned retirees, and the fact that there are only 10,000 active workers for 120,000 retirees. It doesnt take that mathematician to figure out this is not going to work. Placed the plan on the road to insolvency and that started the collapse. If the plan became insolvent these coal miners would have their pension cut and the guarantee corporation would have to step in and assume billions of dollars in liabilities. That would start a tumbling effect of all of our private insured and private pension plans, and thats what we were trying to prevent from happening. Thats why i wrote the coal miners pension act with senator capito and senator brown. I was told to go through the regular order, which i did. The president of the c. M. A. Testified and the miners protection act was passed with strong bipartisan support and the chairman of the majority. But a month later, 16,300 retired coal miners and their widows received notices that their health care would be terminated by the end of that year and i knew i knew we could not let Congress Leave for christmas without fixing it. We have a in december of 2016, i at that time said i would shut down the government, i will hold, make us go through the process and stay here as long as it would have taken to get this taken care of. I wanted to ensure that not one coal miner would lose health care, and Mitch Mcconnell would not agree at that time. So 16,300 coal miners were forced to sit through the holidays and another four months of uncertainty. You talk about cruel and unusual punishment, that was it things started to look up. I received from President Trump that he was going to find a fix. But by march 26,000 coal miners received a letter telling them their health care would be terminated by the end of april. In typical Fashion Congress waited until the last minute. But on may 1, we secured Permanent Health care fix for 22,600 retired coal miners and their families. Although this was a huge win, we still needed to fulfill other obligations and secure the miners pension because it was in dire need and it was in jeopardy of being cut drastically. Now i was more determined than ever. I turned around and diewferred the miners protection act with senator capito and congressman mckinley and congressman welch to secure pensions. It was not only bipartisan, it was bicameral. In february of 2018, i was appointed to the bipartisan, bicameral joint select committee to solve the countrys pension crisis including our coal miners with our Central States that are in dire need of our help too. In february and the United Mine Worker Pension Fund was the first fund in jeopardy. So i made it clear. I said if this starts tumbling, if we go down, well have to come on the ppgc, which is the federal government funded and if that happens were going to put that in insolvency and then everything tumbles in a faster rate and it would be a financial calamity to this country. Things came to a head in october of this year. Murray energy declared bankruptcy so just this october the largest coal producer we have with with the Union Workers was murray coal company, they declared bankruptcy that significantly basically spread out the deadline for pensions and put us in a death spiral. Instead of going insolvent in 2022, which was which was what was predicted, the umaw pension fund would speed up to insolvency by 2020, next year. Not only that, but in between the time of securing health care and now three Coal Companies had gone bankrupt, putting another 13,000 more coal miners in jeopardy of losing their health care, 1,000 would have lost theirs end of this month, another 12,000 end of march. This bankruptcy in particular got the attention of many of my colleagues and i appreciate all of you so much knowing how difficult this was going to be on so many people and their families. And it was a call to action for congress to step up to the plate and on to the promises made to our miners. And that is the only Pension System in america that has the silver approval by congress and the president of the United States in 1946, the only one. In november i was proud to partner with a Bipartisan Group of my colleagues again, including the majority leader this time, which im so appreciative. An act that would introduce the bipartisan american miners act. That would secure pensions for 92,000 coal miners and their families and the 13,000 coal miners and their families that would get health care. Even though that was good news we still werent over the finish line. On december 11, the First Time Since i have been here for nine years, i put a hold on all Senate Legislation and i said theres no way that im going to go home or anyone else is going to go home and enjoy a christmas with their family and a new year when you have this many people in dire straits and jeopardy, people that build america. If we cant stand up for them, who do we stand up for . So i said this is what were going to do. I was very clear. I telegraphed by december 11, it was no surprises. After many negotiations with the house of representatives and the white house, we finally secured a permanent fix in the spending deal ensuring retired coal miners wont lose their health care or pensions. Throughout all of these years thousands of retired coal miners from all over the country have come to congress, i know youve seen them walking around, they have their shirts on, the proud green shirts walking the halls and meeting with every person in congress they possibly can to tell their stories and meeting every member. The reason they do that these are the people who have given their heart and soul and blood and sweat to this country and they are saying this is something we negotiated, we didnt take the money home, we basically invested this money into our pension and health care, and now because of a bankruptcy loophole, were the last in line and we lose everything. Somethings wrong. Its not who we are as americans. So we worked through all of this. They walked the halls tireless fighting for what they earned and paid for and truly what they deserved. This would not have happened without their relentless dedication and i have said this. Dedicated themselves religiously for almost four years day in and day out coming here at their expense. And it has been an honor of my life to fight alongside them. I cant be more proud of anything i have been able to do in Public Service than to stand shoulder to shoulder with people who made america. I would like to thank all of my colleagues, current and former members of this body who have stood with them throughout the years even when the going got tough. I ask unanimous consent to add a list to all of those who cosponsored these bills to the record, mr. President. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Manchin they have recognized, like president truman, our country would not be where it is today without them and we needed to get this done and we did. I want to give you a little bit of a background history of why this is so near and dear to me. My grandfather came to this wonderful country, the United States of america, in 1919, and he started working in the coal mines, he was able to get a fourth grade education before he helped his family. In 1947, my grandmother had four children and was pregnant with my uncle, so she would have four and threefourths of a child at that time and my grandfather would tell me, joey, we couldnt pay the bills at the end of the month. He said i never did see any money because it was all script and it went to the company house. The old song, i owe my soul to the company store, he truly did. He said we cant make it. He would tell people, we have to do better than this. We have no health care, nothing to look forward to and cant pay our bills and were working six days like dogs. Papa had a mule, a buggy and a car by light and have to do everything. He he loved to say fire in the hole. He would always tell me, an