U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) was sworn into the United States Senate on November 15, 2010 to fill the seat left vacant by the late Senator Robert C. Byrd. For Senator Manchin, serving as West Virginia's Senator is truly an honor and a privilege.
Born and raised in the small coal mining town of Farmington, W.Va., Sen. Manchin grew up learning the values that all West Virginians share — family, common sense, fairness and hard work. As a small businessman, he learned firsthand from his grandfather, Papa Joe, who was an Italian immigrant and the town grocer, the importance of serving the public. As a young man, his beloved grandmother, Mama Kay, inspired Senator Manchin's belief in public service through her unflagging compassion and desire to help those less fortunate.
In the 21st century, the world is more interconnected than ever before. This presents the opportunity for adversaries to try to infiltrate and attack American values and our way of life. As a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator Manchin believes in sending a strong signal to foreign adversaries that hostility will not be tolerated. Preventing foreign attacks on our democracy and democracies abroad is not a political issue and Senator Manchin will continue to work in a bipartisan way to protect our nation and safeguard our way of life.
Senator Manchin has worked across the aisle to expand sanctions against the Russian government and establishing establish a Congressional Review process to prevent the relaxation or removal of sanctions in the future.