Joe Manchin

I have some heartburn with the decision to reduce the funding for renewable water power.

This country needs an all out, all of the above energy strategy that develops every available source of American energy.

It's that silence which needs to be corrected by the administration, frankly.

We can cut spending, too, sir.

This budget, if we adopted it, avoids sequestration. It does it because finally they're talking about additional revenues.

Last month the terrorist groups, al Shabaab and al Qaeda, have merged or we were told they merged.

With that being said, I know right now we have about 130,000 contractors in Afghanistan and Iraq.

We either have to find savings elsewhere or we have to have the political guts to raise revenues to pay for an adequate defense.

I hear from my constituents about the slow disability rating system.

General Odierno, why are Army MEDEVAC helicopters unarmed?

I think you all realize the sensitivity of what we're dealing with here, trying to make sure that we give you what is needed to keep this safe and free.

There's a group of us in a bipartisan effort that are looking at ways that--and we know it takes everything, getting the money that we're not receiving now that should be paid in revenues, and also make sure we get fraud, waste, and abuse…

We wanted to practice that and we want to practice what we preach in our own offices.

If anything, I'd rather cut 200,000 contractors and keep the 100,000 uniforms and use the support of our National Guard.

I'd rather have American dollars spent in West Virginia than in Germany.

I just believe we should be out of there, period.

Is there any way we can tie up with you through this caucus that will help, in a simplistic way, knowing when people are getting out or are going to be leaving?

Please describe this process.

The system puts the future plans on hold, creates unnecessary stress, and most likely contributes to the high unemployment rates.

The deficit and debt of this Nation is the greatest security risk.

I'm troubled by this.

I have a hard time, especially in West Virginia we have a hard time, understanding why we would be cutting back the military men and women in uniform and not cutting back the contractors.

To me, we could cut back on contractors and basically put a certain amount of that towards our men and women in uniform.

Why are we spending so much money trying to rebuild a nation in Afghanistan that doesn't care for us that much and doesn't want us there?

As an American and a West Virginian, I appreciate your service and I'm very, very proud of what you do for our country.