By Sen. Joseph Manchin I was first sworn in as a United States senator on November 15, 2010, and took an oath to defend the United States Constitution. Standing alongside me that day was my mother, my wife, our children and grandchildren. I raised my right hand and placed my left hand on our family Bible. Then, I swore to "support and defend" and to "bear true faith and allegiance to" the Constitution of the United States of America. I have since had the honor of taking that oath two more times upon being reelected to continue serving the great state of West Virginia. One of the many things that makes our country great is that our Founding Fathers explicitly rejected the notion of swearing allegiance to any one person. Instead, they wrote a Constitution that commands our allegiance. Article VI requires that "Senators and Representatives ... shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution." Every single member of Congress has sworn an oath to support and defend the Constitution. When the framers gathered in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787, they spent long and hot hours debating the future our representative democracy. These debates are well documented, so we know that among the topics debated was whether Congress or a group of special electors should be entrusted the power to elect a president. Ultimately, the founders decided to designate electors to be appointed by each individual state to elect the president. These electors came to be known as the Electoral College. Every state, through its election laws, has chosen to appoint its electors based on the state's popular vote. The founders believed that in electing a president through appointed electors they were removing the possibility of a corrupt election. In November, Americans voted at rates we haven't seen in 100 years and in December each state's electors cast their votes. The Constitution dictates that each state's electors must sign and certify their votes before sending them to Congress, where the vice president shall open them in a joint session of the House and Senate "and the votes shall then be counted." Once these votes have been counted, it is Congress' turn to fulfill its duty, as outlined in the Constitution, and certify the electoral count, thereby officially cementing the voters' selection of the president-elect and vice president-elect. Having sworn to defend the Constitution on which our entire democracy hinges, every senator is counting electoral votes not as a Republican or Democrat, but as a senator who has sworn to support and defend the Constitution. Our Constitution clearly defines this process. Let me be clear, the current partisan push to reject the election results is an effort to overturn the will of the people, and it is unconstitutional. The Constitution ensures us a government built upon the consent of the governed, but only for so long as we take care to respect the will of the people. When Benjamin Franklin was asked whether the Constitutional Convention had given us "a republic or a monarchy," he famously replied, "A republic, if you can keep it." He qualified his answer because he understood that democracy is fragile and can be lost if we are not careful. Our democracy cannot be taken for granted. The American people have clearly expressed their will. It is now for Congress, their constitutionally elected representatives, to do our job and put their will into motion. As Abraham Lincoln said, that much is "due to the people, both on principle, and under the Constitution."

By Sen. Joseph Manchin First designated as a National River in 1978, the New River Gorge is composed of approximately 72,000 acres of land along 53 miles of one of the world's oldest rivers -- the New River -- stretching from Bluestone Dam to Hawk's Nest Lake. More importantly, it is home to hiking trails, globally-renowned rock climbing formations, world-class whitewater rafting, and remarkable hunting and fishing opportunities. Not to mention, the third tallest bridge in the United States -- an iconic West Virginia image. Despite the endless outdoor recreation opportunities, the New River Gorge lacks the national recognition held by many similar recreation areas. After years of ongoing discussions and community involvement with a number of constituents, businesses, organizations, and associations on this topic -- everyone from sportsmen to economic development authorities to local entrepreneurs -- the New River Gorge is finally being recognized as one of our country's most beautiful places with its new designation as a National Park and Preserve. Throughout the entire process, we made sure the voices of our fellow West Virginians were heard and groups that would be impacted by this decision were meaningfully involved. This was very important to us, which is why we held numerous meetings, phone calls and town halls. This was truly a collaborative effort and one that we are proud of. The New River Gorge National Park will be composed of four areas, totaling approximately 7,021 acres, including the Lower Gorge, Thurmond, Grandview and Sandstone Falls. West Virginia has proud hunting and fishing traditions, and we were committed to ensuring that any final legislation protect these activities for generations to come. We succeeded in ensuring that 368 acres along the river in Grandview will be opened up for hunting for the first time ever, and 301 acres of the Lower Gorge will be kept open for hunting at the request of local sportsmen. The approximately 65,165-acre of National Preserve will carry over the current hunting and fishing regulations that are observed in its current National River designation. In addition, the National Park Service is authorized to purchase over 3,700 acres from willing sellers of adjacent land for potential addition to the national preserve, allowing for the expansion of additional hunting opportunities and providing for improved public access into the preserve. While a very small percentage of the Park and Preserve -- less than 5 percent -- will have hunting restrictions, we succeeded in opening up hundreds of acres of fertile hunting ground. But, it's not just the sportsmen who will benefit from this. With proximity to major metropolitan areas such as Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, Richmond, Charlotte, and other major cities, the New River Gorge has the potential to attract new tourists and thrill seekers to the Gorge and the region as a whole. The potential economic impact for surrounding communities and the entire state are boundless. Those adventure lovers need West Virginia stores to buy their gear, they need West Virginia restaurants to eat at, West Virginia lodges to sleep at, and they need West Virginia guides to help them navigate the Gorge. All of these things put money in the hands of hardworking West Virginians and back into our state's economy. Another primary focus during this process was making sure the National Park contained some of the most sought-after views of the Gorge and highlighted the historical significance of the area, which we were successful in doing. Whether it's the view from the Lower Gorge of the breathtaking New River Gorge Bridge, the historical town of Thurmond, the challenging and scenic trails in Grandview, or the waterfall views and unique botanical ecosystems that exist within Sandstone Falls, this National Park and Preserve showcases the best of West Virginia. This designation will allow more people to share in the wild and wonderful adventure West Virginians take so much pride in. The New River National Gorge will be treasured and enjoyed for generations to come. As West Virginians, we all know that the New River Gorge is perhaps the best-known landmark in West Virginia because of its breathtaking natural beauty and elements of unique Appalachian history and culture. Now, the rest of the nation -- and world -- can know it too.

By Sen. Joseph Manchin Coming off the most bitter, divisive presidential election (and post-election) in modern American history, expectations have been understandably low for Congress's ability to agree on anything -- even another round of covid-19 relief. Progress has been nonexistent for several months, with talks at an impasse between a comprehensive $2.2 trillion stimulus package put forth by Democrats and a much more targeted $500 billion bill proposed by Republicans. These proposals were denounced and dismissed by the opposing party as dead on arrival. In mid-November, after months of stagnation, a small group of senators -- four Republicans and four Democrats -- convened for a socially distanced dinner hosted by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). In addition to breaking bread, we traded ideas on how to break the stalemate. We agreed to keep talking. What followed became a marathon: four weeks of hours-long Zoom calls, often multiple times a day, with the goal of crafting an emergency relief bill. We always understood that our bill was not going to be the final answer, but we knew it would be necessary to carry the American people through the early spring and prevent our nation's health-care crisis from becoming an economic catastrophe. We started with the emergency priorities we agreed on -- including some measures in the Cares Act that were set to expire this month. Millions of Americans lost their jobs this year through no fault of their own, and with pandemic unemployment assistance running out as the virus rages on, jobless Americans and their families are set to lose a critical lifeline right before the holidays. We agreed there should be an extension. And there was unanimity on the need to provide sufficient funding to ensure efficient distribution of covid-19 vaccines, support testing and tracing programs, and support front-line health-care workers. The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) saved an estimated 2.3 million jobs and kept the lights on for thousands of small businesses during months of slashed revenue. With many shops, restaurants and mom-and-pop stores on the brink of closure again as new lockdowns and restrictions loom, there was consensus on jumpstarting PPP to allow those hit hardest to apply for a second forgivable loan. We divided ourselves into smaller working groups to finesse the details of each section. We found additional agreement on funding for transportation, emergency assistance to keep food on the table, education, rental assistance and extending student-loan forbearance. Finally, we stayed firm on keeping the price tag of this emergency relief bill at about $900 billion -- a significant departure from the $2.2 trillion package that Democrats proposed before the election but more than the $500 billion package offered by Senate Republicans. In other words, a compromise. Two sticking points remained. Unsurprisingly, they were the same issues that had long stalled negotiations: funding for state, local and tribal governments; and liability protections for businesses, schools and health-care facilities. Given that this disagreement had persisted for nearly six months, there was no easy way out. After weeks of negotiating, it became clear that our "908 coalition" was really two groups. Everyone agreed on $748 billion to extend emergency assistance for the unemployed, pass another round of PPP, and provide rental assistance and funding for vaccines. A second, smaller group supported taking the additional step of compromising on $160 billion in aid for state, local and tribal governments in exchange for liability protections for employers, small businesses, nonprofits, schools and churches. With bipartisan agreement solidifying on the $748 billion portion, the smaller group was determined to find an acceptable solution as well. In the end, we reached a bipartisan compromise. The outcome of our discussions is a two-part emergency relief package: a $748 billion bill that meets the emergency needs of the nation. It funds a second round of small-business assistance; extends unemployment assistance for 16 weeks with a $300 weekly federal supplement; and includes necessary funding for testing, tracing and vaccine distribution. A separate package includes $160 billion in state, local and tribal funding, and liability protections for businesses, schools, churches and health-care facilities. We realize that the smaller bill will not be popular in our respective parties. Each of us agreed on including a provision we would not have supported on its own. We believe that the only way to get one is to allow both -- or we're left with nothing. It's not perfect, but no compromise is. In addition to our bipartisan, bicameral legislation, these talks revealed an important truth: that, contrary to conventional wisdom, it is possible to find areas of common interest and to compromise in good faith without violating our principles. We don't doubt that this legislation will have its critics, but we are confident that it provides the emergency covid-19 relief our nation desperately needs to get us all through the early spring. We urge Senate and House leadership and the White House to take up our bipartisan legislation now. Congress should not leave town before passing an emergency covid-19 relief package.