In the News
Manchin speaks against overseas investment | West Virginia Public Broadcasting
by Cecelia Mason
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin says he's disappointed that the federal government is making sure there's electricity in Afghanistan while thousands of Americans remain without power. Manchin is upset that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is awarding a $94 million contract to provide reliable power in Afghanistan. He spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate today. "So I thought, how I could explain this back home?" he said. "We're providing reliable power to the Afghans when nearly … Continue Reading
June 19, 2012
NYT Reports Senator Manchin Fighting Lobbying Efforts to Sink New Controls on Painkillers
Washington, D.C. - In case you missed it, the New York Times is highlighting efforts by U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to fight prescription drug abuse by putting stricter controls on the highly-addictive painkiller hydrocodone. The provision was unanimously added to the Senate version of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act on May 23, but was not included in the House bill. "I am determined to see this thing through. I'm not giving up on this. This measure will pass, whether it … Continue Reading
June 17, 2012
Manchin shows off W.Va’s energy portfolio | The Beckley Register-Herald
by Sarah Plummer
- Sen. Joe Manchin invited members from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to visit West Virginia's energy sites this weekend to demonstrate the state's ability to utilize diverse energy resources and to be a model for energy independence. Manchin showed Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, West Virginia's coalfields, wind farms, hydroelectric plants, Marcellus Shale sites and solar energy portfolio. Manchin said they visited the ends of the state, from … Continue Reading
June 17, 2012
State has lots to offer with energy: Coal has been ‘driving force,’ but West Virginia is using other resources | Times West Virginian
by Nicole Fields
FAIRMONT - Coal. Natural gas. Water. Wind. They're all proven energy sources. And they can all be found right here in West Virginia. State and federal leaders saw that firsthand during a tour Friday and Saturday when they traveled throughout the Mountain State to see just what it has to offer in terms of reliable energy, whether it comes in the form of coal and natural gas or other sources such as water and wind. U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., was joined by members of the … Continue Reading
June 16, 2012
Childhood obesity — Nutritional guidelines make sense | Bluefield Daily Telegraph
With childhood obesity rates in the nation at a record high, a West Virginia lawmaker is asking Congress to develop, implement and promote new national dietary guidelines for pregnant women and children up to age 2. No such standards currently exist. The amendment was jointly introduced last week by U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H. It requires the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop and implement … Continue Reading
June 15, 2012
Senators Get Look At WV Energy Sites | West Virginia MetroNews
Two members of the U.S. Senate, not from West Virginia, are getting a close-up look at different ways energy is produced in the Mountain State. Senators Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, began a two-day tour Friday. They are traveling the state as guests of U.S. Senator Joe Manchin. All three are members of the Senate's Energy and Natural Resources Committee and either Murkowski or Wyden will likely be the chair of the committee next year. The first stop on the tour was … Continue Reading
June 14, 2012
Veterans Job Caucus supports those who serve | Williamson Daily News
by Julia Roberts Goad
When construction workers and staff are hired for the new coal-to-liquid plant at Wharncliffe, Adams Fork Energy will give preference to those who have served: the country's military veterans. The plant will become one of the businesses that is participating in the "I Hire Veterans" initiative formed by West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin and other legislators. Adam Victor, CEO of TransGas, the company that is building the plant, said he will participate in the initiative when construction … Continue Reading
June 14, 2012
Nutrition guidelines wanted for toddlers | The Beckley Register-Herald
by Mannix Porterfield
Specific guidelines in the proper nutrition for toddlers and pregnant women are the goal of Sen. Joe Manchin in an amendment put before the Senate Wednesday, targeting the Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture. Mindful of obesity rates at record levels, Manchin co-sponsored the amendment to a farm bill with Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., one that obligates both federal agencies to form, implement and promote dietary guidelines for children up to 2 years old and expectant … Continue Reading
June 13, 2012
W.Va. finances among best in U.S.; $850 million in Rainy Day fund | Charleston Gazette
by Phil Kabler
West Virginia is faring better than many states financially, according to a report released Tuesday. The state will finish the 2011-12 budget year June 30 with $850 million in its Rainy Day surplus funds - the fifth-largest such fund by dollar amount in the U.S., and third largest as a percentage of the state's operating budget, at 20 percent. The fund is projected to grow to $900 million, or 21.4 percent of the annual budget, by June 2013, according to the Spring 2012 Fiscal Survey of … Continue Reading
June 12, 2012
Manchin, Republicans Fight Mercury Emission Rule | WVNS News
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sen. Joe Manchin is joining a Republican senator's lead on formally marking disapproval of federal power plant emissions limits. Manchin has previously introduced legislation that would delay the implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency's Utility Mercury and Air Toxics Standards. The standards are designed to limit exposure to mercury and other air toxics from U.S. power plants. "From the day I arrived in the Senate, I have been determined to stop the … Continue Reading
June 07, 2012
Always Free First Flight arrives in D.C. amid cheers | Bluefield Daily Telegraph
by Greg Jordan
WASHINGTON - Children cheered and adults offered their thanks Wednesday as West Virginia veterans of three different wars visited the World War II Memorial in the nation's capital. The Always Free First Flight, sponsored by the Denver Foundation and Little Buddy Radio, was the first tour of its type from West Virginia. For many southern West Virginia veterans it was the first time they had seen the promises, rendered in stone, that the sacrifices they made on behalf of their country were … Continue Reading
May 31, 2012
Expand and create jobs | Times West Virginian
by Jessica Borders
FAIRMONT - Officials focused on the importance of small businesses during several events in North Central West Virginia on Wednesday. Sen. Joe Manchin and Karen Mills, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, toured the Robert H. Mollohan Research Center in Fairmont as part of their visit to the area. Jim Estep, president and CEO of the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation, gave the group a closer look into some of the innovative technologies and … Continue Reading
May 24, 2012
Manchin amendment to reclassify painkillers | Charleston Gazette
U.S. senators on Wednesday evening unanimously passed an amendment to a Food and Drug Administration reauthorization bill that would reclassify all hydrocodone substances and make punishment for their trafficking more severe. The amendment, introduced by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., would reclassify painkillers like Vicodin and Lortab as Schedule II drugs, which also affects how they are to be stored and prescribed. For instance, patients would need an original prescription for refills, … Continue Reading
April 24, 2012
Postal amendment — Passage of Manchin’s measure vital | Bluefield Daily Telegraph
by Editorial
The U.S. Senate is expected to take up a critical amendment today which, if approved, would ensure that 3,700 postal facilities, including 150 in West Virginia currently targeted for closure, would remain open for at least another two years. The additional time would allow the Postal Service to consider better cost-saving measures. We see no reason why this common-sense measure, introduced by U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., should not be approved by the Senate. The amendment is of … Continue Reading
April 20, 2012
Rahall, Manchin battle for rural post offices | The Beckley Register-Herald
Nabisco's Uneeda Biscuits inspired the naming of the Boone County hamlet of Uneeda, but the tasty cream-cheese treat is gone, and soon, the post office bearing its trademark name could follow suit. On Capitol Hill, the financially strapped U.S. Postal Service is cutting corners to reverse a heavy deficit, and one cost-cutting device it is considering would put 150 small postal facilities in rural West Virginia out of business. Rep. Nick Rahall and Sen. Joe Manchin, both D-W.Va., resumed … Continue Reading
April 19, 2012
Representatives speak in support of Postal Service reform bills | The State Journal
Members of West Virginia's congressional delegation are doing all that they can to save the United States Postal Service. The agency, which is hemorrhaging money and has scheduled the closure of nearly 4,000 facilities- including 150 in West Virginia - is "what connects us all," said Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who has voiced his support for Senate Bill 1789. "In our state, we know that the Postal Service is at the very core of what makes this country great and what connects us all," … Continue Reading
April 18, 2012
W. Va. senators want changes to postal bill | Charleston Gazette
by Paul J. Nyden
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Sens. Jay Rockefeller and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., got behind amendments to U.S. Postal Service reform legislation on Wednesday to make sure that 3,700 post offices being considered for closure -- including 150 in West Virginia -- remain open for at least two years. "The Postal Service is one of the things our people truly care about," Manchin said. "They want their post offices to stay open. "Private companies won't step in if the government leaves, and that will simply … Continue Reading
April 18, 2012
Sen. Manchin defends castle doctrine, chides Secret Service | The Beckley Register-Herald
by Mannix Porterfield
Secret Service agents consorting with prostitutes in Columbia have raised concerns among some on Capitol Hill that security could have been weakened, and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia expressed that worry Tuesday. In the same telephone news conference with West Virginia media, the Democratic senator voiced disappointment that the so-called Buffett Rule collapsed on a basically a party-line vote and he defended his 2008 signing of the "Castle Doctrine" bill that allows deadly force to … Continue Reading
April 18, 2012
Cadets get a moral boost | The Elkins Inter-Mountain
by Editoral
Holding up to your promises, offering encouragement and giving back to the community. Those are just some of the positive behaviors adults display in serving as role models for youth. Last week, cadets at the Kenneth "Honey" Rubenstein Juvenile Center had the chance to meet with political and athletic leaders who gave them a pep talk about life and displayed sportsmanship on the basketball court. U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin made his third trip to the center for the annual Charity Basketball Game … Continue Reading
April 16, 2012
Manchin votes for 'Buffett Rule', which fails in Senate | Charleston Gazette
by Paul J. Nyden
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Sen. Joe Manchin said Monday he voted in favor of the so-called "Buffett Rule" because he believes it would make the tax code fairer. Manchin, D-W.Va., voted in favor of the rule, which would set a minimum tax rate of 30 percent on people earning more than $1 million a year. The Senate defeated the bill late Monday, which is formally called the Paying a Fair Share Act. Only Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., crossed party lines on the largely … Continue Reading
