Joe Manchin III on Homeland Security Democratic WV Governor

Higher National Guard pay & tuition waivers

Making A Difference For Veterans
• Made the Director of Veterans Affairs a cabinet-level position
• Signed a National Guard pay raise bill
• Extended graduate school tuition and fee waivers for National Guard
• Extended tuition waivers to childre and spouses of Guard members killed
• Strongly supports the "Helmets to Hardhats" program
• Supporting a new national veterans' cemetery in West Virginia
• Supported a bill that made it easier for vets to receive increased bonuses.

Covenant to support our troops in Iraq

Gov. Joe Manchin helped forge the covenant, calling on residents to back their troops deployed overseas.

Manchin said he swelled with pride when he toured Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait, where commanders from outside West Virginia openly bragged about his constituents in uniform.

"If we only had more like West Virginia sends to us," the governor quoted the military leaders. "I can't tell you how proud I am," Manchin said as he scanned the roomy chamber, ringed with soldiers in camouflage fatigues. "You give me bragging rights."

Tuition assistance and service bonuses for Desert Storm vets

Voted YES on extending the PATRIOT Act's roving wiretaps.

Proponent's Argument for voting Yes:
[Rep. Smith, R-TX]: America is safe today not because terrorists and spies have given up their goal to destroy our freedoms and our way of life. We are safe today because the men and women of our Armed Forces, our intelligence community, and our law enforcement agencies work every single day to protect us. And Congress must ensure that they are equipped with the resources they need to counteract continuing terrorist threats. On Feb. 28, three important provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act will expire. These provisions give investigators in national security cases the authority to conduct "roving" wiretaps, to seek certain business records, and to gather intelligence on lone terrorists who are not affiliated with a known terrorist group. The Patriot Act works. It has proved effective in preventing terrorist attacks and protecting Americans. To let these provisions expire would leave every American less safe.

Opponent's Argument for voting No:
[Rep. Conyers, D-MI]: Section 215 of the Patriot Act allows a secret FISA court to authorize our government to collect business records or anything else, requiring that a person or business produce virtually any type record. We didn't think that that was right then. We don't think it's right now. This provision is contrary to traditional notions of search and seizure which require the government to show reasonable suspicion or probable cause before undertaking an investigation that infringes upon a person's privacy. And so I urge a "no" vote on the extension of these expiring provisions.
Status: Passed 86-12

Supports banning homosexuals in the military.

The Christian Coalition voter guide [is] one of the most powerful tools Christians have ever had to impact our society during elections. This simple tool has helped educate tens of millions of citizens across this nation as to where candidates for public office stand on key faith and family issues.

The CC survey summarizes candidate stances on the following topic: "Enforcing the 1993 law banning homosexuals in the military"