Beckley Register-Herald – The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy strongly urges Senator Manchin to recognize the urgency of our state’s needs and move quickly to support workers and families in West Virginia. Read the full article.
In a statement released earlier this week, Senator Manchin suggested that the need is neither urgent nor great as we are not “in a recession” and while “millions of jobs remain open.” Senator Manchin also says he doesn’t believe we need to fundamentally reshape the “social and economic fabric of this nation.”
We find those sentiments difficult to reconcile with the reality on the ground in our state. West Virginia families and workers – particularly low- and middle-income families, rural residents, and West Virginians of color – face an uneven economic recovery on top of decades of low wages, child care deserts, lack of benefits like paid leave, and high levels of childhood poverty.
