WBOY, WOWK, MSN - President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that $10,000 in student debt will be canceled for Americans who make less than $125,000 annually, leaving a large percentage of West Virginia students debt free. Read the full article. According to the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, a third of student loan borrowers in…
Economic Security
AP, 95.5WSB - The sprawling economic package passed by the U.S. Senate this week has a certain West Virginia flavor. Read the full article. The package, passed with no Republican votes, could be read largely as an effort to help West Virginia look to the future without turning away entirely from its roots. The bill…
In the spring of 2021, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to address the ongoing economic and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to historic reductions in child poverty through the expanded Child Tax Credit, ARPA’s Fiscal Recovery Funds to states and localities were among the most impactful parts of the…
Housing insecurity has been a particularly insidious aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent recession as households’ collective ability to contain the illness relies on their ability to isolate themselves at home. There are several additional factors to consider here, but at its core, the question remains: if you are facing eviction or foreclosure, where…
Mountain State Spotlight, Beckley Register-Herald - To have even a chance of getting a cell signal, Tabitha Wyatt used to balance her phone on her porch banister or bathroom windowsill. Read the full article. She and her family live in Russellville, an unincorporated community in Fayette County. Wyatt now relies on her internet service to…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - As we emerge from the pandemic, it’s a good time to take stock of what we’ve learned. Read the full op-ed. A big takeaway from the past two years is that government response matters. From the Paycheck Protection Program to the rollout of lifesaving vaccines, federal investments helped keep families and businesses…
West Virginia MetroNews - Last year’s child tax credit expansion provided families with a revenue source for routine expenses and essential items as well as funding for emergencies and addressing debt, according to a recent report. Read the full article. The Brookings Institution’s Global Economy and Development program released a study detailing the effects of the expanded…
Common Dreams, Raw Story, Salon, Scheer Post - Organizers of the "Coal Baron Blockade" protest which targeted right-wing Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin's coal empire Saturday afternoon reported that state police almost immediately began arresting campaigners who assembled in Grant Town, West Virginia. Read the full article. "Sen. Joe Manchin's policies hurt poor people and hurt our…
West Virginia and the United States as a whole are outliers compared to the rest of the world regarding the provision and generosity of policies that support working families. Relative to our peer Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, we spend far less on child care and early education, which has adverse impacts…
The COVID-19 pandemic has now been ongoing for two years. Opioid overdose deaths are rising. Maternal and infant mortality rates are alarming. The number of children in the foster care system across our state continues to outpace the rest of the nation. Despite these realities, the West Virginia Legislature did very little to pass proactive health-…