Manchin focusing on 'Rebuilding America' | The Elkin's Inter-Mountain

This week, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin will be focusing on "Rebuilding America." His "Rebuilding America Week" will include several stops across West Virginia to hear from constituents and a request to be a part of a congressional committee to restore confidence in the U.S. economy.

"Now more than ever, it's time to rebuild America," Manchin said in a prepared statement. "It's time for Washington to pass common sense legislation that will restore confidence and create an economic environment that will allow families and businesses - whether in West Virginia or across America - to thrive and succeed. To accomplish these goals, we need to focus on job creation, adopt a plan to achieve energy independence, eliminate out-of control rules and regulations, and achieve fiscal stability by responsibly cutting spending. I am looking forward to sharing my ideas and collecting common sense input from West Virginians as I travel throughout the state this month."

Locally, Manchin will be stopping in Lewis County on Thursday and Pocahontas County on Friday.

The Lewis County meeting will begin at 9 a.m. in the Lewis County Courthouse in Weston. Manchin will also tour the Lewis County Courthouse.

In Marlinton, Manchin will be at the Pocahontas County Courthouse at 10:30 a.m. for a tour of the facility and to meet with residents. Following the meeting at the courthouse, Manchin will tour downtown Marlinton beginning at noon. Manchin will round out Friday with a visit to the West Virginia State Fair at 2 p.m.

Today, Manchin will be at the Pleasants County Courthouse at 1:30 p.m. and the Tyler County Courthouse at 3 p.m. On Wednesday at 11 a.m., he will attend the ribbon cutting for the Aurora Flight Science Hangar and Manufacturing Facility in Bridgeport. Also on Wednesday, Manchin will be at the Doddridge County Courthouse at 1:15 p.m., Ritchie County Courthouse at 3:15 p.m. and end the day at 6 p.m. by giving the keynote address for the Marion County Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner on the campus of Fairmont State University.

Following his stop in Lewis County on Thursday, Manchin will go to the Gilmer County Courthouse at 11:30 a.m. and the Calhoun County Courthouse at 3 p.m.

Monday, Manchin will be at the Pullman Plaza Hotel in Huntington at 8 a.m. and at noon he will visit the new Wayne County Senior Center.

In addition to meeting with residents, business owners, labor leaders, students and manufacturers during his tour, Manchin is also hoping to become a part of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, which was created by the Budget Control Act of 2011. Recently, Manchin wrote Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid requesting that he be placed on the committee that is charged with reducing the federal budget deficit by at $1.5 trillion over a 10-year period.

"As you know, this committee will only succeed if its members have a proven ability to work well across the aisle," Manchin stated in his letter to Reid. "In that regard, I would bring years of experience working in a bipartisan fashion while also fighting to defend the values and priorities that matter to me as a Democrat. As governor, even when we made tough choices to ensure a brighter future for our state, I fought to defend the programs critical to our families, seniors, veterans and children. Through smart budgeting, I responsibly cut spending and at the same time, we expanded critical programs and services that mattered to the middle class and working poor."

Manchin has expressed much concern about the country's downgrade by Standard & Poor. He says the events of the past few weeks should serve as a "wakeup call" and partisan politics shouldn't get in the way.

"I, for one, am committed to working across the aisle to restore confidence in our system to make our tax system more fair, to pay down our debt, and to cut spending so we can prove to the world, and our people, can live within its means," Manchin said.

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