In the News
Manchin: Democratic Success in Republican State | The Associated Press
by Bill Barrow
FRIENDLY, W.Va. (AP) - Many locals around here see Sen. Joe Manchin as one of them, so much so they greet the 30-year veteran of West Virginia politics by his first name more often than by his title. But in the Senate, the 66-year-old upstart stands out as a rare breed: A back-slapping, gun-owning Democrat who attracts widespread support from working class whites in an increasingly Republican state. Last November, two years after winning a special election to succeed the late Robert Byrd, … Continue Reading
December 09, 2013
Media attention keeps focus on Manchin | Charleston Daily Mail
by Dave Boucher
None of the members of the national television crew with Sen. Joe Manchin had ever fired a gun. So instead of just shooting extra footage of the Democrat expending a few rounds, the Fox News team joined Manchin Thursday morning in firing away. "They did good. The girls about showed us all up," Manchin said later that afternoon, after an interview with the station. If people outside of West Virginia know about Manchin, there's a good chance it's because of guns. They might recall a campaign … Continue Reading
December 06, 2013
Manchin holds roundtable at WVSU | Charleston Gazette
by David Gutman
Sen. Joe Manchin said he supports raising the minimum wage, but hesitated to endorse any specific legislation until he has a chance to evaluate it. "If you took the minimum wage in 1968, I think it was in the $1.60, $1.70 range in 1968," Manchin said Thursday, "and it was automatically adjusted for inflation, today's minimum wage would be over $10." Majority Leader Harry Reid has said that the Senate will vote on legislation to raise the minimum wage before 2014, although minimum wage … Continue Reading
December 05, 2013
Manchin Hears Concerns From Marshall County | Wheeling Intelligencer/News Register
by Sarah Harmon
MOUNDSVILLE - Energy and gun control were just two of the issues Sen. Joe Manchin addressed during a public meeting Wednesday at the Marshall County Courthouse. Manchin, D-W.Va., focused the conversation on keeping the coal industry in West Virginia alive and growing the natural gas industry in the county. Manchin said the Department of Energy reported coal will be the leading generator of energy for the next 30 years. However, he said the Environmental Protection Agency produces regulations … Continue Reading
November 29, 2013
Shutdown prevention: Back-room talks start | Politico
by Burgess Everett
Led by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and launched during the government shutdown as a springboard for bipartisan negotiations, the "common sense caucus" may offer solutions on budget issues that have long plagued each party. For now, the group is working in the shadows of the more high-profile budget conference committee chaired by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.). The deadline for that panel to craft an agreement is Dec. 13, and there are some … Continue Reading
November 22, 2013
Manchin breaks with party on Fed, filibuster votes | Charleston Gazette
by David Gutman
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin broke ranks with Democrats on two high-profile bills Thursday, voting to preserve the minority party's ability to filibuster presidential nominees in the Senate and voting against Janet Yellen, President Barack Obama's nominee to lead the Federal Reserve. Both votes were in vain, as Yellen advanced through the Senate Banking Committee, 148, and the Senate voted 52-48 to end the use of filibusters on all presidential appointments, other than nominees to the Supreme … Continue Reading
November 21, 2013
Manchin responds to first-grader’s plea | Charleston Daily Mail
by Shay Maunz
A West Virginia first-grader got to take a break from school this week - thanks to a little political clout. Sophie Mullins, a student at Gauley River Elementary School in Craigsville, got a call from Sen. Joe Manchin on Wednesday, after writing the senator a letter in which she told him that all she does is "work, work, work." "I need a break," Sophie wrote to the senator. "Can you please help?" Manchin responded by calling Sophie at school on Wednesday. "I'm giving you a break right now, … Continue Reading
November 20, 2013
Manchin is getting notice in Washington | Daily Mail
by Editorial
Congress has the nation agreeing on one thing: 86 percent of Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing, according to the latest Gallup poll. While Americans expect political debates to be intense, what Americans are getting in Washington is dysfunction, where the politicians become so stubborn that both sides are willing to shut the government down rather than resolve their differences. There has to be a better way and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is determined to find it by reaching … Continue Reading
November 19, 2013
Sen. Manchin fights for coal’s future | Charleston Gazette
by Mike Duncan, president American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity Washington
West Virginians know Sen. Joe Manchin as a tireless advocate for coal throughout his time as both a U.S. senator and as the state's governor. Sen. Manchin truly represents the voice of West Virginians and coal communities in Washington - voices too often drowned out by administration officials and lawmakers. The senator recently was awarded the Washington Coal Club's Achievement Award. The award was timely, because Manchin and Rep. Ed Whitfield of Kentucky drafted legislation to counter … Continue Reading
November 17, 2013
Party lines invisible to Sen. Manchin of West Virginia | Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
by Salena Zito
WASHINGTON - Joe Manchin didn't set out to become a Senate power broker when he arrived in Washington in 2010. Yet he is suddenly that. People outside his home state of West Virginia are talking about the Democrat who doesn't follow party lines, and his ability to get colleagues to sign on to legislation, including a bill that likely pressured the White House to change its response to the Affordable Care Act. "I don't have all of the ideas, but I have a few," Manchin, 66, told the … Continue Reading
November 14, 2013
Senator Manchin Takes On Democratic Party Leaders in Pursuit of a Middle Ground | New York Times
by Jonathan Weisman
WASHINGTON - In late August, Senate Democrats gathered on a conference call with President Obama's national security adviser, Susan E. Rice, to hear why the administration had to respond militarily to a chemical weapons attack by the Syrian government. Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia hung up, took a phone call from another red-state Democrat, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, and together they rejected their president's reasoning. Within days, they were circulating new language calling … Continue Reading
November 11, 2013
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin teams up with lawmakers to establish hiring veterans act | State Journal
With Veterans Day on the minds of many, lawmakers are trying to ensure veterans and service members get the help they need finding a job. U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., along with Congressional Veterans Jobs Caucus co-chairs Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., representatives Jeff Denham, R-Calif., and Tim Walz, D-Minn., introduced the "United We Stand to Hire Veterans Act," a bipartisan, bicameral bill that would streamline and consolidate duplicative government job portals to better connect current … Continue Reading
November 10, 2013
Mobile clinic: Promise kept for area veterans | Bluefield Daily Telegraph
by Editorial
A new mobile health clinic that will be stationed in Mercer County in early 2014 to serve area veterans has arrived at the Beckley Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The Beckley VA is now beginning the process of finding necessary personnel to be hired, and is working out the details of the delivery of the mobile unit to Mercer County. This is excellent news for veterans across southern West Virginia, and particularly those in Mercer and McDowell counties, who will benefit from the new mobile … Continue Reading
November 09, 2013
Manchin Calls For Federal Harmony | The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register
by Joselyn King
WHEELING - Sen. Joe Manchin says the United States is poised for "economic renaissance" if only the federal government could overcome its differences, and work to regain the confidence of the American people and the world. Manchin, D-W.Va., addressed members of the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce Friday during a luncheon at the River City restaurant in Wheeling. He said the country has moved to the point where it is now producing coal and natural gas for export to other countries, and the … Continue Reading
November 09, 2013
Officials celebrate rebirth of Beech Bottom plant | Weirton Daily Times
by Linda Harris
BEECH BOTTOM - U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin joined county and community leaders Friday in celebrating the rebirth of the old corrugating plant, now home to Jupiter Aluminum. Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, said it's a "prime example of how public-private partnerships can strengthen an entire community" and said it builds on West Virginia's strengths. "We have a very educated work force, we're known for that," Manchin said during a walking tour of Jupiter's 111,000 square feet plant space. "We've … Continue Reading
November 07, 2013
Sens. Collins, Manchin revive centrist talks| The Hill
by Alexandra Bolton
Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) are bringing their "common-sense coalition" back together in hopes of laying the groundwork for fiscal reforms and other bipartisan legislation. Collins, Manchin and their allies hope to form a bipartisan coalition that could help break ideological gridlock on issues such as the automatic spending cuts known as sequestration. The group has added Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.) - expanding to 16 members. Members of the … Continue Reading
October 29, 2013
Washington Coal Club honors Manchin | Parkersburg News and Sentinel
by Michael Erb
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is being honored by the Washington Coal Club for his contributions to the coal industry. The group announced Wednesday it would present Manchin with its Annual Achievement Award, which honors an individual or individuals who have recently made a meaningful contribution to the health and sustainability of the larger coal community. Manchin, a former governor of West Virginia, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010 and has been a national voice for … Continue Reading
October 29, 2013
Two positive steps taken to combat drug abuse | Huntington Herald Dispatch
by Editorial
Two developments occurred last month that should help in efforts to combat prescription drug abuse. One will place tighter controls on an opioid painkiller that is often diverted for nonmedical uses. The other should give a clearer understanding about whether the amount of prescription drugs shipped to West Virginia is in line with what would be expected for the state's population or way beyond a reasonable level, as many people suspect. One positive step came from the Food and Drug … Continue Reading
October 26, 2013
Manchin apologizes for gov’t shutdown | Martinsburg Journal
by Mary Stortstrom
SHEPHERDSTOWN-Senator Joe Manchin III (D-West Virginia) addressed topics including the recent government shutdown, Second Amendment rights, the economy and national debt, the coal industry and health care at Shepherd University's Wellness Center Friday morning during a "Coffee and Common Sense" discussion. Manchin spoke briefly at the informal session, then took questions and comments from the audience. He began by apologizing for the recent government shutdown, something he said "never … Continue Reading
October 26, 2013
Senator addresses DC gridlock | Martinsburg Journal
by John McVey
MARTINSBURG - While touring a couple business sites in Martinsburg Thursday, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., felt compelled to apologize for things happening - or not happening - in Congress. "I want to apologize for all the dysfunction in Washington," he told the crowd during groundbreaking ceremonies at DC Corp's new high-tech data center in the Rockefeller Science and Technology Park. "There is political gridlock in Washington and that's not why I was sent there. The best politician is the … Continue Reading
