This piece was authored by Alex Gallo, the WVCBP's community engagement coordinator. In recent weeks, West Virginia communities have mobilized to demand that their voices be heard as Congress considers sweeping federal budget changes that could decimate essential programs families rely on. Multiple open town hall events were held around the state during the April…
Health
Congress is quickly advancing a legislative package known as ‘budget reconciliation” that seeks to extend 2017’s expiring tax cuts, paid for in part by cutting more than $1 trillion from safety net programs that hundreds of thousands of West Virginians and millions of Americans rely on, including Medicaid and SNAP food assistance. The largest of…
Last week, the U.S. House narrowly passed a budget resolution that sets Congress on a course to enact deep cuts to Medicaid and SNAP (food assistance) in order to pay for windfall tax cuts for wealthy households. Combined with tariffs recently implemented by the White House (and expected to cost an estimated $2,700 per household…
West Virginia Public Broadcasting, West Virginia News - A single road connects Shannondale and its roughly 3,000 residents to the rest of Jefferson County. The rural community flanks West Virginia’s easternmost border, fixed between the Shenandoah River and the Blue Ridge Mountains. That makes for breathtaking waterside vistas, but one heck of a grocery commute.…
West Virginia News - With West Virginia consistently ranking among the most unhealthy states in the nation, health-related legislation remains a top concern for many residents. Read the full article. Rhonda Rogombe, health policy analyst with the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, went over some of the challenges residents face when it comes…
West Virginia Watch - Last week West Virginians sent a clear message: Don’t cut Medicaid. Read the full op-ed. In overwhelming numbers, families, advocates and health care providers turned out to reject House Bill 3518, and called on their legislators to reject this dangerous proposal that would have automatically eliminated the Medicaid expansion — and with…
West Virginia MetroNews - As Congress moves closer to a budget deal, Senator Shelley Moore Capito has acknowledged the possibility of significant effects on Medicaid. Read the full article. Medicaid is a joint federal and state program for health insurance and medical services, traditionally for low-income people but more recently also for the working class.…
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…
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…
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…