For Immediate Release: April 3, 2025 Contact: Vivian Anderson, (304)-585-7413 McDowell County, WV— One of West Virginia’s most economically challenged and rural counties is bracing for the devastating impact of federal budget cuts, which threaten essential programs and the already fragile health care infrastructure that serves the region. The proposed cuts would drastically reduce funding for…
Economic Security
Public Employees Won’t See a Pay Raise in Any Version of the State Budget. Here’s What Else to Know.
Mountain State Spotlight, Charleston Gazette-Mail - In the final days of the session, lawmakers are hashing out the only bill they are required by law to pass – the state budget. Read the full article. In February, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said the budget would be tight. Money coming into the state coffers has decreased over…
West Virginia Watch, Yahoo - Funding for foster care has been slashed in the House Finance Committee as members opted to ignore Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s proposed budget, including his $182 million request for a child welfare system in crisis. Read the full article. There are more than 5,800 children in foster care, and there aren’t…
Raw Story - Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told reporters he can edit federal spending and revenue baselines as the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. Read the full article. “As Budget Chairman, under section 312 of the Congressional Budget Act, I have the authority to determine baseline numbers for spending and revenue. Under that authority, I have…
West Virginia Watch, Charleston Gazette-Mail - West Virginia lawmakers on Monday walked back a measure that would have put more than 165,000 residents at risk of losing their health care coverage through Medicaid expansion. Read the full article. House Bill 3518 would have put in place a trigger so that if the federal government lowered the…
West Virginia MetroNews - West Virginia needs to send a message to the federal government about the possibility of cuts to Medicaid expansion coverage, the deputy speaker of the House of Delegates said. Read the full article. If federal officials cut the amount West Virginia is reimbursed for the healthcare expenses of its Medicaid expansion…
Charleston Gazette-Mail - For reasons not entirely explicable, for the past few years legislative leaders have prided themselves on passing the Budget Bill by the 60th day of the regular session, avoiding the traditional post-session budget conference, when the session would be extended for a few days to work out a final version of the…
Reuters - The phone rang over the whine of Trey Yates' butter churn. The person calling was polite, but the message was devastating: Mountaineer Food Bank was ending Yates' butter contract, due to the federal government's funding cuts. Read the full article. The next day, President Donald Trump signed a declaration celebrating National Agriculture Day,…
Washington Post, Spokesman Review - Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s quest to reshape food policy in America took him to an event in West Virginia with the state’s Republican governor, who announced Friday his intent to seek the federal government’s help in barring the use of food stamps to buy soda. Read the full article. “Taxpayer…
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides vital food assistance to more than 147,000 households throughout West Virginia, with research showing it improves health and boosts household economic security. People participating in SNAP spend about 25 percent less on health care annually than similar non-participating adults, report better health, and are less likely to stay…