West Virginia Watch - If you scroll through social media or watch the news, you’ll see our members of Congress and special interest groups practically begging West Virginians to believe that the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” (HR 1) is good for us. But West Virginians know a bad deal when we see one. This legislation…
Economic Security
West Virginia News - Since signing an executive order providing religious exemptions to vaccines earlier this year, Gov. Patrick Morrisey has called on lawmakers to codify the exemptions into law. However, measures aimed at doing so failed during the regular session this year. Read the full article. Morrisey continues to tout the support he’s received…
For Immediate Release: September 11, 2025 Contact: Sean O'Leary, (304)-400-8899 CHARLESTON, WV — On Tuesday, Sept. 9, the U.S. Census Bureau released national-level poverty, income, and health coverage data for 2024 from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) and today, Sept. 11, the Bureau released state- and local-level data from the American Community…
More than one in seven West Virginians (286,737 residents) lived in poverty in 2024, including over 73,000 children, according to new estimates out today from U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey. West Virginia’s official poverty rate in 2024 was 16.7 percent, unchanged from 2023. West Virginia’s poverty rate was 4.6 percentage points higher than…
The enactment of HR 1, the Budget Reconciliation Bill, supported by all four members of West Virginia’s Congressional Delegation, cements the largest cuts to Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food assistance in our nation’s history. While the legislation was federal, the effects will be felt locally, impacting families, food pantries, and health care clinics, as…
Hampshire Review - It was a long summer for many of our Hampshire County students, with the return to school bringing some relief from the food insecurity affecting far too many of them. Read the full article.
West Virginia Watch - WorkForce West Virginia recently released data that shows the state’s labor force has been in a steady decline for the last 14 months. Read the full article. The Mountain State has lost more than 4,000 jobs and about 7,600 people from its workforce in the last year. The amount of people…
Mountain State Spotlight, Times West Virginian, Huntington Herald-Dispatch, Clay County Free Press - If you rely on Medicaid for your health care, or you know and love someone who does, you’ve almost certainly heard about the massive cuts Congress made to the program. Read the full article. A new law makes the biggest cuts to…
After years of flat budgets that fail to account for the cost of inflation on public services, West Virginia’s state spending on Medicaid, child care assistance, public education, and higher education have all declined. Meanwhile, other areas of the budget, namely spending on jails, prisons, and foster care, have increased dramatically. This is an expected…
WCHS - The Affordable Care Act changed the landscape of health insurance for Americans 15 years ago and since then, many Americans are still getting help when it comes to finding coverage. Read the full article. Almost 70,000 West Virginians utilize this as well, but West Virginia Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, said these numbers could…