May 12, 2020

Manchin: There Is No Excuse For State To Sit On Money Any Longer

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) released the following statement about the need for West Virginia Governor Jim Justice to begin distributing the $1.25 billion allocated to West Virginia through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

“I disagree with the Governor, this is not political it is a matter of survival for all West Virginians. Simply put, the state of West Virginia has $1.25 billion in the bank that Congress allocated through the CARES Act. Governor Justice already has permission from President Trump’s Department of Treasury on how the state can use this money. The money can be used to pay for things that would help West Virginians right now like testing, personal protective equipment, sanitation efforts, homelessness, grants to small businesses, food delivery to seniors, expenses for our struggling rural hospitals or payroll expenses for employees responding to COVID-19 – just to name a few,” Senator Manchin said. “Beyond that, our municipalities and counties are facing tough decisions as they confront the very real possibility of cutting essential services West Virginians rely on, like trash pickup and emergency services, and laying off employees. Other rural states have received the same amount as West Virginia and have already taken steps to distribute the funds. There is no excuse for the state to sit on this money any longer. I urge Governor Justice to please distribute a share of this funding as soon as possible to West Virginians - they need help and they need it now. I will continue to work with both Republicans and Democrats to make sure the state has the resources and flexibility we need to respond to this crisis.”