Chris Van Hollen: “I start by thanking my friend and colleague from West Virginia, Senator Manchin, for his remarks and for his steadfast…”

“I start by thanking my friend and colleague from West Virginia, Senator Manchin, for his remarks and for his steadfast support for workers throughout the United States of America and for working to try to bring us together in a bipartisan manner to get things done in the United States. I rise today to give thanks to all who serve our country in uniform and as civilians. Even as partisan division and anger seem to reach new depths every day, Democrats and Republicans have remained united in our support and our high regard for our fellow Americans who honorably serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. Those who serve have earned every measure of gratitude shown to them by friends and neighbors and by all of us here in the Congress. Other public servants deserve our thanks as well, but unfortunately, support for them is not nearly as unanimous or as universal. I will focus the remainder of my remarks on them. While they do not go into combat, they share the same dedication and love of country as those who do. Many of them also go into harm's way--law enforcement officers, diplomats in war-torn lands, smokejumpers fighting forest fires--and all of them swear an oath to our Constitution, just like our troops and just like Members of Congress. I am talking about Federal civil servants.…”