Op-Eds
Push partisanship aside | The Journal
As a proud new member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I sent a letter to President Trump this week describing West Virginia's priorities that I believe will benefit our state and nation. While I firmly believe that the national debt is one of the greatest threats facing this nation, I also believe that we must continue to invest in the values and principles that make this nation the greatest country on Earth. We must continue to take care of our children and help those in need; … Continue Reading
February 07, 2017
Congressional leaders comment on DeVos confirmation | WeAreWVProud.com
For many communities in West Virginia, our schools are more than just classrooms, teachers and textbooks. Our children in West Virginia learn more from their public schools than reading, writing and arithmetic. They're the heart of the community and a home away from home. They're a safe place to stay after school where no harm will come to you. They're a place where nutritional meals are served and healthcare services are provided by trusted school nurses. With the stakes this high, I … Continue Reading
February 03, 2017
FCC needs to help close divide | The Inter-Mountain
Like food, water and electricity, robust broadband connectivity is a must-have for anyone who wishes to fully participate in our 21st century digital economy. From downloading and submitting job applications to having access to comprehensive health care, broadband connectivity transforms lives. While the majority of Americans who live in urban areas have the option of easily downloading a song or a large document in a matter of seconds, people living in communities across West Virginia need … Continue Reading
January 29, 2017
Insisting on Trade Deals That Benefit West Virginians | The Wheeling Intelligencer
West Virginia's economy has been hit hard by past trade agreements that often favored the economies of foreign countries and not our own. Over the past few decades our state has been uniquely impacted by these harmful trade agreements on our manufacturing industry, while also being the target of sweeping environmental regulations that crippled our energy industry. As trade agreements have been ratified, we've seen our jobs being shipped overseas, resulting in significant job loss. West … Continue Reading
January 18, 2017
It’s not too late to protect our miners | Charleston Daily Mail
Since the continuing resolution passed in December with only a four-month "fix" for miners healthcare, I have been working to find solutions from all angles. That is why I re-introduced the Miners Protection Act this week, to prevent the more than 1,500 miners in Boone and Wyoming Counties from losing the healthcare they have earned and deserve. For the next four months, the Miners Protection Act will be my number one priority. So much so that in my conversations with President-Elect Donald … Continue Reading
December 10, 2016
Bill’s ‘fix’ for miner benefits inhumane, unacceptable | Charleston Gazette
This week, I was forced to vote against the continuing resolution to keep the government funded because it did not include an acceptable and reasonable solution for retired miners' health care and pensions. This four-month "fix" for the miners health care only means these men and women will be notified again in January that they are going to lose their health care benefits in April. It also means we will have to keep fighting for the permanent benefits these hardworking men and women were … Continue Reading
November 25, 2016
Small Businesses Are Drivers Of West Virginia’s Economy | The Wheeling Intelligencer
As we celebrate Small Business Saturday, we must remember how many lives throughout our country are built on the American Dream - the idea that if you work hard and do the right thing, you will be rewarded. From my grandfather's grocery store, to my father's furniture store, to my own carpet business, small business ownership has been an integral part of my family's history in West Virginia. I have no doubt West Virginia's thriving small business culture is due to Mountain State residents' … Continue Reading
November 22, 2016
Voices of Gold Star Families to be included in Veterans History Project | Preston County Journal
It is important for future generations to learn and understand the true hardships of war and military service. The Veterans History Project collects and preserves the personal accounts of American war veterans for this exact purpose. West Virginia has nearly 700 stories included in the Veterans History Project, including the account of Medal of Honor Recipient Woody Williams, who is not only a war hero but a lifelong advocate for Veterans and Gold Star families. What has not been included in … Continue Reading
November 21, 2016
West Virginia celebrating tradition | The Inter-Mountain
West Virginia is celebrating one of our oldest pastimes, deer firearm season. It is a tradition that is central to not only our state's culture, but also to me. As a young boy growing up in Farmington, few things excited me more than the arrival of opening day buck season. As any hunter knows, there are so many aspects of hunting that make it such an enjoyable pastime, and allow West Virginians to reconnect with family and friends by celebrating our common bonds. Deer season is also a … Continue Reading
November 11, 2016
Fisher House to provide comfort for veterans, families | The Herald-Dispatch
Every year, on Veterans Day, we gather as a nation to express our deepest gratitude to the men and women who have fought to safeguard our beloved nation and secure our freedoms. No matter the war, no matter the rank, no matter the duty, every one of our Veterans has answered America's call. They have served us well and we must do the same for them. One of the ways we can show our gratitude to our Veterans is by providing them with the best possible care when they return home. That is why … Continue Reading
October 27, 2016
W.Va. needs jobs; job fair set Friday at Erma Byrd Higher Education Center | The Register-Herald
In Washington, I constantly hear talk of an economic recovery. However, you can ask any West Virginian, "What do we need more of in our state," and they will tell you jobs, jobs and more jobs. Through the recession and the war on coal, we have lost far too many jobs in our mines, but we have also lost many indirect jobs in our industries serving our mines and miners. There is absolutely no doubt that our state has been hit hard. Add that to the fact that in this ever changing technologically … Continue Reading
September 28, 2016
US Senator committed to WV jobs in wake of flooding | The State Journal
In Washington, I constantly hear talk of an economic recovery. The national unemployment rate has decreased, and median national incomes have increased at the fastest annual rate since we began keeping record. But while this is welcome news, far too many West Virginians have been left out of this recovery. West Virginia in particular has been hit hard by the dramatic decrease in output from the coal industry, which has decreased by more than one-third since 2008. On top of this, on June 23, … Continue Reading
September 21, 2016
Sen. Joe Manchin: Time to protect miners is now | Charleston Gazette Mail
In June, after months of negotiations and urging, the Senate Finance Committee chairman Sen. Orrin Hatch personally promised me the Miners Protection Act would receive a vote in the Finance Committee. Today is the day that this important legislation will be marked up in committee, bringing it one step closer to passage into law. This is long overdue and I will not stop working to fulfill the commitment that we made to our miners 70 years ago. My grandfather came from Italy in 1900 and … Continue Reading
September 18, 2016
Ensuring W.Va. jobs is top priority | The Journal
I constantly hear people in Washington and across the country talking about an economic recovery. Just this week, the Census Bureau announced that the average median household incomes have increased by 5.2 percent, the largest single-year increase since we began keeping record. And while that may be true, in West Virginia we can't help but feel like we have been left out of that recovery. This issue is not a Democratic or Republican issue. This is an issue impacting West Virginians across … Continue Reading
August 15, 2016
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin: Mined Minds teaches miners a new vocation | Charleston Gazette Mail
I have always said that our coal miners are the hardest-working people in America. They have dedicated their lives to powering our nation so we can remain the strongest in the world. Like many miners in West Virginia, Marvin Laucher feared the decline of the coal mining industry may lead to the loss of his job. His fear inspired his sister Amanda Laucher and her husband Jonathan Graham to use their technology background to create an opportunity for laid-off miners and unemployed individuals … Continue Reading
July 17, 2016
Get this done: Senate action urged on Miners Protection Act | Register-Herald
Who knows what the Miners Protection Act is? Given its name, you would probably be forgiven for thinking it has something to do with mine safety, but no, it's something entirely different. United Mine Workers of America retirees need another type of protection now, and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and a bipartisan group of his colleagues have banded together to make sure they get it. First, we have to turn the clock back 70 years to 1946, when the U.S. was in the midst of a post-World War II … Continue Reading
July 15, 2016
Sen. Joe Manchin: Passage of drug-abuse law an important step | Huntington Herald-Dispatch
The nationwide opioid abuse epidemic has hit West Virginia harder than it has any other state in our country, and has hit Cabell County harder than any other county in our state. Drug overdose deaths in the Mountain State have soared by 700 percent since 1999. In 2015 alone, we lost 600 West Virginians to opioid abuse, 68 of those from Cabell County. But West Virginia and Cabell County are not alone in their suffering; prescription drug abuse continues to tear apart families and … Continue Reading
July 11, 2016
We are closer to saving miner's health, pension benefits | Charleston Gazette
by Senator Joe Manchin
In May 1946, the United States was in the midst of a robust post-World War II economic recovery. The United Mine Workers of America were actively negotiating their contracts and a strike was pending in the coal mines. President Truman recognized the vital role the coal industry played in the economic recovery efforts and, fearing a prolonged strike, issued an Executive Order directing the Secretary of Interior to take possession of the bituminous coal mines in the United States and negotiate … Continue Reading
May 05, 2016
Convention Center is the place to be Friday | Logan Banner
by Senator Joe Manchin
I constantly hear people in Washington and across the country talking about an economic recovery. I hear them talk about how high the stock market is and how corporate profits and GDP are growing. And while that may be true, southern West Virginia has been left out of that recovery. As a result, the Main Streets across southern West Virginia continue to suffer, as Wall Street continues to amass excessive profits. This issue is not a Democratic or Republican issue. This is a West Virginia … Continue Reading
April 28, 2016
Remember Jessie with law to prevent another prescribed overdose | Charleston Gazette Mail
by Senator Joe Manchin
One of the most moving experiences I have had as a U.S. Senator was at Oceana Middle School in Southern West Virginia. I visited the school in 2011 expecting to talk with students about the importance of receiving a good education and working hard to gain the necessary skills to be successful in their careers. Instead, we talked about drug abuse and addiction, and I heard personal stories from some students about the ways that the drug epidemic had devastated their families and their … Continue Reading
