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Washington, D.C.—Senator Joe Manchin issued the following statement upon being sworn in to the United States Senate:
“Today, I stood humbly on the floor of the United States Senate while my wife Gayle, our family, and our friends looked on, for what has truly been one of my greatest honors and privileges—to be sworn in to serve as a Senator from West Virginia.
“I will never forget why I am here, or the people who sent me to serve. My goal as Senator remains the same as my goals as Governor—to bring people together to do what is best for West Virginia and the nation, regardless of political party. I will be an independent voice who will always put our state, and our country, first.
“Today, our work begins. Now is a crucial time, and we must work together to get America back on track. We need common-sense approaches to help get government off our backs and out of our pockets. We need to balance our national budget and reduce our deficit. We need to tackle health care reform and make changes for the better. And we must work to make America energy independent and refuse any energy policy that includes cap-and-trade. Coal is much too critical to our nation’s energy supply and to our economy.
“As Governor, I knew that to see results, we had to bring people to the same table and find common ground. We did that - and by working together, we got our financial house in order and laid the groundwork for a strong future for our state. I want to bring those experiences to Washington to help get America moving forward again.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues on all sides to confront the issues facing our country. This is a time of rebuilding. We must find ways to balance our budget responsibly as we create more good-paying jobs in West Virginia and across the country. I know that Senator Jay Rockefeller is a respected leader and I am proud to call him my colleague. And I would be remiss not to thank Carte Goodwin, who held this seat honorably, and I greatly appreciate his service. Now, the people of West Virginia expect us to get to work right away to make America better, and I am eager to meet the challenge.”
Senator Manchin was sworn in earlier today using his family Bible and a copy of the U.S. Constitution that the late and beloved U.S. Senator Byrd gave to him when Senator Manchin served as Governor. This same Constitution was used by both Senator Joe Manchin and Senator Carte Goodwin for their swearing-in.
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