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Floor Speech

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Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, a few of us have some remarks to make about the honored Senator from West Virginia. When he is finished with his hugs, we will continue.

Mr. President, I want to say to my friend Joe Manchin, wonderful speech. It really had a lot of meaning for me as someone who knows you very well but also to all of us. You have touched everybody's life in this room and many people beyond.

So I just want to say a few words about my colleague and my friend and my fellow Senator from West Virginia, Senator Joe Manchin. In just a few short weeks, Senator Manchin--but we all call him ``Joe''--will be retiring from the Senate. But it is safe to say, and he has already guaranteed us, that it will not be the last time that we hear from him.

Before he leaves us, I would just like to take a moment to highlight, from my perspective, his impressive and successful career for the country but particularly for our State of West Virginia.

I would also like to acknowledge Joe's better half Gayle, up there, and his wonderful family. Gayle has endured all the hard work that comes with public service in her own right, and I would like to personally thank her and both of them as a great couple but also a wonderful and beautiful family that you have. I am so happy that they are here today.

It seems just like yesterday that Joe was knocking on my door at 1010 Wilkie Drive in Charleston, WV. He was there to measure the carpet in the house that my husband and I had just purchased as newlyweds. This was over 40 years ago. And he measured that carpet, and he told me after I recounted the story to him later, he could lay that carpet today if he needed to.

So fast forward. Today, Joe is serving in his 14th year as a U.S Senator, after serving our State in the House of Delegates, in the State senate, secretary of state, and as Governor. We went through a couple tragedies, really tough tragedies, when Joe was our Governor. And I can say, with maybe one exception--maybe my dad or they might be equal--I have never seen such a compassionate, empathetic, and effective Governor during really, really tough times.

So I am going to miss working side by side with him, but I know that the relationship we have built over these years will continue for years to come.

Joe has been the senior Senator from West Virginia for all of my 10 years of my tenure, and the reality is, I have got big shoes to fill here. And in case I forget that, Joe reminds me of that every single day. Sometimes we disagree. But when we disagree, we do it respectfully and on the merits. We might disagree; we don't become disagreeable. The next day, we get up and fight for the things we both believe in, and that is to focus our energy on improving the lives of our neighbors. That is how Joe sees his constituents: Everybody is Joe's neighbor.

And that is what makes him a relentless advocate for our State. We have the same goals--all of us do--in mind of helping our States and our constituents. And in some ways, Joe and I have served like a tag team for our State. Sometimes he shows up when I can't get there, and he fills in for me. I show up when he can't get there, and I will fill in for him. And then we can come from both--we can do the double press. We can come from the Republican side, the Democrat side, and now we got the Independent side on our side. So we can really press, I think, and what that does is really has West Virginia punching above our weight here in the U.S. Senate.

It could be backing West Virginia jobs and economic development, fighting for our coal miners, standing up for our veterans, or addressing the challenges that face our rural communities. Joe has always led with conviction and a very steady hand.

I don't have time to list all of the efforts and successes that we have been able to work on together, and he has done many of these before I got here and way before I even became a Senator: UMWA pension bill, you mentioned that; New River Gorge Park and Preserve, huge victory for us; economic development issues that Joe mentioned; bipartisan infrastructure law; Mountain Valley Pipeline; Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub. It is interesting we have the same sort of recall of the things that we have been able to work on--Jessie's Law that Joe really pushed through in memory of a friend, a fellow State Senator whose daughter lost her life in an overdose, and so many, many more.

He has enlisted me to help steer him sometimes to get the West Virginia victories, and I am so proud of the accomplishments that we have had together. So thank you for that partnership, Joe. It has really been important to me.

Aside from his love of our home State, Joe possesses many other qualities worthy of a leader and a statesman. There is much to say about Joe Manchin. He is a dealmaker for sure--probably started as a salesman, yes--voice of reason, a defender, as he said, of Senate traditions, and as Politico said, ``The most powerful man in Washington.''

What do we think about that, Joe?

I assume Joe would just as well want to be remembered as a good and steady friend. There are people in West Virginia who say: If you want a friend, get a dog. I wasn't sure if I was actually going to say that in light of your successor, but I said it anyway. I assure you those folks have never met Joe Manchin.

Twenty years ago, I joined an all-male, all-Democrat West Virginia delegation here in Washington. I joked with Joe that I forced them to get out of the male restroom so we could have a delegation meeting, but Joe was always a warm and welcoming presence. He always picks up the phone if you need to chat; he is always ready for a joke, that is for sure; and he has been a shoulder to lean on during personal times.

When he was Governor, Joe and Gayle Manchin invited my whole family back to the Governor's mansion, where my parents had lived for 12 years, to show us around. It was a really special evening. It was a simple and kind gesture that meant a lot to our whole family, especially my mom and dad.

Years later, at my father's funeral, Joe delivered the eulogy and talked about his good friend, my dad, whom Joe always called ``Chief.''

Joe has always been there for every West Virginia family. I will note that sometimes Joe can be just a bit too present. When I am home in West Virginia, he is sometimes like a shadow. I won't even tell about the last time I saw you. He is sometimes like a shadow I can't shake. One night many Christmases ago, I was running out of the house with my husband Charlie, and we were late for somewhere we needed to go, but the doorbell rings. I open the door. It is a group of Christmas carolers. And lo and behold, there is Joe Manchin singing Christmas carols. I don't know. They must have needed a baritone. I don't know what happened. But he is always there, even when you don't know when you really need him.

And my colleagues can testify, he has more energy than anybody I have ever met. He is everywhere. He is always traveling. He has always got that leg going too. I have noticed that. And he is always going fast. He has a prodigious lead foot--one I have personally experienced myself riding on motorcycles and in cars with him while traversing the country roads of West Virginia.

There was the one time we were traveling home late at night together. We were just going into Beckley, and I turned to Joe, and I said: Have you ever been stopped for speeding?

He said: More times than you would want to know.

The reason I asked, because I saw the light in the rearview mirror. Here he comes. The guy leans in, takes one look. The trooper leans in, takes one look at Joe and says: Hey, Governor.

And then Joe leans over to me and says: Well, look who I have got over here.

And the trooper says: Just be careful going on up the turnpike. But before I leave, can I take a selfie with the two of you?

We haven't seen that.

I happened to believe every man or woman lucky enough to be elected to the Senate embodies the unique qualities of his or her State, and that is Joe in a nutshell, an honest, caring, hard-working individual, with a bit of West Virginia appetite for exciting and dangerous. That is because Joe's roots run deep in West Virginia. He is West Virginian through and through. Never does his gaze wander from what he sees as his moral obligation to improve the lives of West Virginians. Joe's love of the Mountain State is the engine that powered his pursuit of public office, and I am sure it will continue to power his efforts once he leaves.

Joe may be leaving us, but I suspect his presence will continue to be felt in the many lasting relationships he has created over the years of his public service. I am even more certain that Joe will always be available for that phone call.

So congratulations, again, Joe. It has been a privilege to serve with you, and thank you for everything you have done for our State and our Nation. We are very appreciative.

(Applause, Senators rising.)

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