In the News
How long should U.S. troops be overseas? | Times West Virginian
by J. Miles Layton
FAIRMONT - U.S. armed forces have been in Afghanistan for nearly 10 years, sparking some to question the wisdom of staying. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., sparred with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., on the Senate floor last week about the issue. Manchin has visited the region both as governor and, more recently, as a member of the Senate. "I believe it is time for President (Barack)?Obama to begin a substantial and responsible reduction in our military presence in Afghanistan," Manchin said in a … Continue Reading
June 27, 2011
Manchin opposes Chinese profiting | Charleston Daily Mail
by Ry Rivard
CHARLESTON, W.Va.--Sen. Joe Manchin's call for a more accelerated exit of American troops from Afghanistan followed a trip to the country, informal polls of roomfuls of West Virginians and months of thought. But the fact that Chinese mining interests are profiting because of American war spending and sacrifice was "the straw that broke the camel's back," the freshman senator said in a telephone interview late last week. Manchin said he'd been hearing complaints from American companies about … Continue Reading
June 27, 2011
Manchin still pushing for fast withdrawal | Parkersburg News and Sentinel
by Jess Mancini
PARKERSBURG - Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said he was disappointed the president didn't change the country's mission in Afghanistan. President Barack Obama Wednesday announced to the nation that 33,000 soldiers will be withdrawn from Afghanistan by next summer, 10,000 by the end of this summer. About 70,000 will remain in Afghanistan and the combat mission won't end until December 2014. Manchin said he was disappointed. Reiterating financial constraints, a stagnant economy "and a death … Continue Reading
June 25, 2011
Joe Manchin: Rebuild America, Not Afghanistan | Charleston Daily Mail
by Op-Ed
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- In the past 10 years, our nation has spent nearly $443 billion and lost more than 1,500 brave men and women in Afghanistan. Over the next decade, we're projected to spend nearly $500 billion more, all as we borrow historic amounts from China and ask Americans to face higher taxes or cuts to critical programs I believe in, such as Head Start, Social Security and Medicare. At the same time, we have now hit our debt ceiling of $14.3 trillion, and the president is asking … Continue Reading
June 25, 2011
Ending the War in Afghanistan | The Wheeling Intelligencer
by Mike Myer
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has managed to rub a lot of people - both Republicans and his fellow Democrats - the wrong way during his few months in Washington. Good. Manchin pledged to represent the people of West Virginia, not political party leaders or bureaucrats. Last week the senator aroused the wrath of none other than Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who was his party's nominee for president in 2008. McCain differed with Manchin on the issue of how quickly U.S. troops and financial assistance … Continue Reading
June 24, 2011
Silver Alert could go nationwide | The Dominion Post
by Evelyn Ryan
The Silver Alert system may soon be a national program, if U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has his way. While governor, Manchin was able to get legislation passed that set up a Silver Alert system in the Mountain State for when cognitively impaired individuals of any age are reported missing. Morgantown area residents learned about the program this past Saturday, when William Lester Campbell, 79, failed to return home after going to get gas for his car. He was found Sunday in Oakland, Md. … Continue Reading
June 21, 2011
Manchin: It's Time to Rebuild America, Not Afghanistan | WHSV News
In a conference call with West Virginia reporters today, United States Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) called on President Obama to begin a substantial and responsible reduction in the United States' military presence in Afghanistan. With the country facing a death spiral of debt, Senator Manchin urged the President to focus this nation's resources on rebuilding America, not rebuilding Afghanistan. Senator Manchin will send a letter to the President, asking him to make significant troop … Continue Reading
June 21, 2011
Cost of Wars a Rising Issue as Obama Weighs Troop Levels | The New York Times
by Helene Cooper
WASHINGTON - President Obama will talk about troop numbers in Afghanistan when he makes a prime-time speech from the White House on Wednesday night. But behind his words will be an acute awareness of what $1.3 trillion in spending on two wars in the past decade has meant at home: a ballooning budget deficit and a soaring national debt at a time when the economy is still struggling to get back on its feet. As Mr. Obama begins trying to untangle the country from its military and civilian … Continue Reading
June 18, 2011
Vote Should Be Step Toward New Policy | The Wheeling Intelligencer
by Editorial
Sen. Joe Manchin is right: A U.S. Senate vote to end government subsidies for the ethanol industry is good news, but it is only a first step. In a measure that still could be reversed later this summer, senators voted 73-27 to end about $5 billion a year in subsidies for ethanol. Manchin, D-W.Va., voted to end the support, as he had in a separate vote earlier in the week. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., who voted in favor of subsidies earlier in the week, joined Manchin in saying no to them … Continue Reading
June 15, 2011
Manchin is Taking a Responsible Approach | Charleston Daily Mail
by Editorial
The Democratic Party has to prove it can handle other people's money. West Virginia Sens. Joe Manchin and Jay Rockefeller, both former governors of the state, have parted company on Medicaid, the federal-state program that provides medical care to 68 million poor people nationwide. Manchin's is the fiscally responsible position, which is politically wise. The Democratic Party needs to prove at this point that it can act in such a manner.Congress has indebted Americans to the tune of $14.3 … Continue Reading
June 07, 2011
Manchin taking on online drug distributor Silk Road | The Beckley Register-Herald
by Taylor Kuykendall
BECKLEY - Described as the "Amazon" of illicit substances, Silk Road, an online marketplace that specializes in selling products anonymously, is being targeted by two U.S. Senate Democrats, including West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin. The idea of the website is simple, but technically, it is a complex model built for user anonymity. Even accessing the website requires a specially configured access via an anonymizing network. On the website, users can pick up everything from prescription pills … Continue Reading
June 02, 2011
Vets voice concerns | The Martinsburg Journal
by Jenni Vincent
MARTINSBURG - Veterans got to voice their concerns and questions Wednesday, thanks to a local meeting organized by U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin and staffed by his employees. The Martinsburg session was one of eight being held across the state on Wednesday and continuing today. About 30 veterans attended locally and several of them spoke on a number of issues, including how benefit eligibility is determined, how long it takes to process a claim and where to find help for dealing with military sexual … Continue Reading
June 02, 2011
Sen. Manchin, 'God help us all, let's focus back on this country' | The Hampshire Review
by Marla Pisciotta
ROMNEY - Sen. Joe Manchin and his staff have been criss-crossing West Virginia, holding informal grass-roots "common sense" meetings to find out what is important to his constituents. In a telephone interview with the Review Tuesday morning, Manchin talked about what he's learned from the West Virginia people and about his dilemma with politics in Washington, D.C. "The number one concern from people is our financial situation. People are telling me that we have to get our financial house in … Continue Reading
May 30, 2011
Sen. Manchin Gives Commencement Speech at Meadow Bridge Graduation | WVNS News
by Matthew Smith
MEADOW BRIDGE -- Connie Callison, the Valedictorian of Meadow Bridge High School's 2011 graduating class, says it's been a long road to this day. Now that she, and her fellow classmates, are here she says they can all be proud. "This is one of the highlights of our lives," said Callison. Hundreds of graduates crossed the stage before friends, family members, and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., on Saturday. Manchin was in town 10 years after issuing a challenge to the school as Secretary of State … Continue Reading
May 28, 2011
6 months on Capitol Hill: Manchin makes name as bipartisan in U.S. Senate | Charleston Gazette
by Lawrence Messina
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Six months into his new job on Capitol Hill, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin has busily pursued a brand of consensus-building that helped him twice win the Governor's Mansion and continues to keep him in view of West Virginia voters as the 2012 election nears. The 63-year-old Democrat has called for preserving the bulk of the federal health-care overhaul, while helping lead the charge to scrap some of its more unpopular provisions. He has agreed with congressional Republicans who … Continue Reading
May 21, 2011
Manchin supports federal spending cap | Charleston Gazette
by Paul J. Nyden
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Sen. Joe Manchin says he supports a bill that would cap federal spending at a certain percentage of the nation's gross domestic product, because the nation's deficit has risen so sharply in recent years. During the 16 years when Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were in the White House, spending as a percentage of GDP averaged 19.7 percent. It ranged from a high of 21.4 percent in 1993, Clinton's first year, to a low of 18.2 percent in 2000 and 2001, after Clinton … Continue Reading
May 15, 2011
Coal-to-gas project in Mingo County can be powerful message in U.S. energy policy | Times West Virginian
by Editorial
FAIRMONT - The project is certainly important. The message it sends is even more so. The Mingo County Redevelopment Authority held a ground-breaking ceremony last Monday for the new $3 billion TransGas Development Systems coal-liquefaction plant. Construction of the plant, called Adams Fork Energy, is expected to begin in July. Officials say the project should be completed and producing gasoline by 2015 and should be in full production by 2016. The New York-based company said the plant will … Continue Reading
May 12, 2011
W.Va. Sens. call for action on gas prices | The Elkins Inter-Mountain
by Carra Higgins
High fuel prices across the nation have prompted action from the state's two U.S. senators. U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Jay Rockefeller, both D-W.Va., Wednesday called for action to combat the cost of fuel and provide relief for Americans struggling to pay around $4 per gallon. On the U.S. Senate floor, Manchin asked that his colleagues to work toward making the country energy independent during this generation. Recalling the gasoline rations of the 1970s, Manchin said the event was … Continue Reading
May 11, 2011
Manchin Outlines "Commonsense" Strategy for Lower Gas Prices | WDTV News
The high gas prices West Virginians (and Americans) have been suffering through have many folks turning to our politicians in Washington, D.C. for a solution. Wednesday, Senator Joe Manchin (D, WV) announced his "commonsense strategy" that he hopes will end our dependence on foreign oil and drive gas prices back down to normal levels. In a speech on the senate floor, Manchin highlighted the need for short and long-term energy solutions. Manchin also said that Democrats and Republicans must … Continue Reading
May 10, 2011
Ground broken on coal-to-gas plant | Logan Banner
by Michael Browning
May 10--GILBERT -- A step toward energy independence was taken yesterday as ground was broken on a new coal-to-gas plant in Mingo County. The Mingo County Redevelopment Authority held a ground-breaking ceremony in Gilbert for the new TransGas Development Systems coal liquefaction plant. Nearly 600 people attended the event, held just down from the Larry Joe Harless Community Center. The actual plant, called Adams Fork Energy, will be built on a post-mine land use site just down the road at … Continue Reading
