December 16, 2016

Manchin Completes Annual Tour of All 55 Counties

Senator Manchin completes his annual tour across the Mountain State as another successful year of helping West Virginians comes to a close

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) completed his annual tour of all 55 West Virginia counties, with his last stop today in Preston County where he is delivering the keynote address at the Mountaineer Challenge Academy graduation.

“As 2016 comes to a close, I am reminded once again of how fortunate we are to live in a state where our people are passionate about helping others, where a strong work ethic comes naturally and where we set our priorities based on our values,” Senator Manchin said. “It is important to me to make stops in each county throughout the year so that I stay connected and hear directly from West Virginians on how to move our state and nation forward. Traveling the state every year and hosting public forums really help me best serve the people of our state.”

Some other highlights from 2016 include Senator Manchin participating in hundreds of events, including school and university visits, constituent meetings, business tours, roundtables and town halls, where he invited the public to voice their opinions and concerns and then took their views back to Washington.

Senator Manchin also hosted more than 20 Skypes with West Virginia students and hosted 14 Job Fairs across the state that had thousands of West Virginians in attendance, and helped link West Virginians up with jobs.

After the June flood, Senator Manchin toured the affected counties and visited with survivors. He instructed his staff to be on the ground continuously for many weeks following the aftermath, speaking with residents, offer assistance through the FEMA process, taking individual cases and being part of the long-term recovery.

Additionally, the senator’s office has participated in more than 1,000 official events and meetings has opened 4,008 cases and closed 4,107, and has written more than 400 letters of support to federal agencies and organizations that will assist in developing infrastructure, promoting healthy and safe communities and aiding with job creation.

Throughout the year, Senator Manchin has also met with students, community leaders, first responders, senior center directors and medical professionals about the national drug abuse crisis and the importance of prevention. Most recently, he was instrumental in the distribution of 55,000 drug deactivation pouches to the state ensure proper disposal of unused or outdated prescription medications.  Each of the 55 counties received 1,000 pouches for their residents.

“I truly believe in a philosophy of retail government—of serving my constituents and bringing your government to you. It has been another outstanding year, and I look forward to serving West Virginians in 2017 with more public forums,” Senator Manchin said. 

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