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MANCHIN ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $53 MILLION FROM AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN TO EXPAND COVID-19 TESTING IN WEST VIRIGNIA
Video of Senator Manchin’s statement on funding from the American Rescue Plan for COVID-19 testing can be found here
Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced West Virginia will receive $53,978,589 from the American Rescue Plan to expand COVID-19 testing across the state.
“We know that widespread COVID-19 testing is one of the most effective ways to curb the spread of the virus in our communities. While more than 34% of West Virginians have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine and more doses are being administered every day, we must continue to have reliable testing available to all West Virginians. This funding from the American Rescue Plan will help expand testing across the state – especially in rural areas – schools and long-term care facilities. Widespread testing is vital to ending this pandemic, and I will continue to work with federal, state and local governments to provide funding and resources for testing throughout the Mountain State,” said Senator Manchin.
This funding from the American Rescue Plan will help expand testing in underserved communities, including rural areas, while addressing COVID-19 health disparities; expand testing to help schools reopen safely; expand testing in long-term care facilities; and provide guidance for asymptomatic screening testing.
MANCHIN: AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN DELIVERS $25 MILLION INCREASE IN FOOD ASSISTANCE BENEFITS FOR WEST VIRGINIANS
Video of Senator Manchin’s statement on food assistance benefits from the American Rescue Plan can be found here
Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced the American Rescue Plan will deliver $25 million in food assistance benefits for West Virginians by extending current SNAP benefit levels, giving West Virginians receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits an average monthly increase of $28 per person. The American Rescue Plan passed in March, extended the 15% increase in SNAP benefits from June to September 2021.
“The American Rescue Plan delivered much needed relief to West Virginia families and individuals struggling to make ends meet a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. SNAP provides vital support for West Virginians facing food insecurity, and I am pleased this funding will provide additional food assistance for over 303,000 West Virginians currently receiving SNAP benefits and will continue the increased benefits through the end of the summer. This three month extension will support many of our fellow West Virginians in need, and I am committed to ensuring all West Virginians have the resources they need to put food on the table to feed their families,” said Senator Manchin.
American Rescue Plan Impacts on Food Assistance
Additional food assistance is now available for over 41 million Americans who are relying on SNAP bene?ts and 17.1 million children who need Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) because of the barriers to receiving school meals. This means a qualifying family of four is now receiving an extra $100 per month in SNAP bene?ts and $6.82 per child per day in P-EBT.
There are currently about 303,000 SNAP participants in West Virginia. Those West Virginians will see a $25 million increase in benefits due to the extension of benefits from June 2021 to September 2021. Additionally, West Virginians receiving SNAP benefits will see an average monthly increase of $28 in benefits per person.
MANCHIN ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $1.8 MILLION TO FIGHT COVID-19 VARIANTS IN WEST VIRGINIA
Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced West Virginia will receive $1,884,569 from the American Rescue Plan to help fight COVID-19 variants in the state.
“As more and more West Virginians receive the COVID-19 vaccine, we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but we must continue to listen to the guidance of medical professionals and the CDC to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and its variants. Several new COVID-19 variants have been found in West Virginia which is concerning because of the higher rate of transmission and mortality. This funding from the American Rescue Plan will help West Virginia identify and track new variants of COVID-19 virus to help us defeat this pandemic. I encourage all West Virginians to do their part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by socially distancing, wearing masks and getting the COVID-19 vaccine when available,” said Senator Manchin.
Today, new and potentially dangerous strains of COVID-19 make up half of all cases in America. This funding is allocated through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and will be used to help West Virginia more effectively detect and track variants through genomic sequencing, the process by which COVID DNA is decoded and potentially deadly mutations in the virus are detected. This is the first tranche of funding, a second tranche will be invested over the next several years. |