Scheduling

Senator Manchin and his office representatives participate in events and meetings across the Mountain State throughout the year.  From Skypes with classrooms, to small business ribbon cuttings, job fairs, and Manchin Mobile Mondays -local meetings about the issues that matter in your community- the Senator and his office are honored to receive your invitation. 

To invite the Senator to your event, click here.

Manchin Mobile Monday  

Every Monday, my staff members are available in easily accessed locations across the state to assist with constituent services and to take your thoughts and concerns directly back to me. Below are next week's times and locations for Monday, January 14.         

Wellsburg:            

Brooke County Public Library 

945 Main Street

Time: 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.      

Staff: Mary Jo Guidi

Clay:

Clay County Senior Services

184 Procious Maysel Road

Time: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.      

Staff: Adam Flack and Case Manager Terri Berkley

From the Hill to the Mountains

The Impact of the Government Shutdown on West Virginia

I have always said we should never shutdown the government and governing this way is embarrassing for both Democrats and Republicans. This partial government shutdown effects every American, including the 18,000 federal employees in West Virginia.  I am proud that many of these employees will continue to come to work without pay to make sure that our nation remains safe and secure, but I am very concerned that they will be missing critical paychecks – something that is always difficult, but particularly so during the holidays.  That’s why I remain committed to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find a commonsense solution that reopens the federal government and funds our border security to keep Americans safe.  Click here to read more.

As a result, I'm donating my salary during the shutdown to food banks across our home state.

If Congress cannot do our job, we should not get paid. As a result of this reckless shutdown, 340,000 West Virginians who depend on food stamps will go without that critical assistance. Children will go hungry, pregnant mothers will not get the nutrients they need and our elderly neighbors will not have dinner on the table. This is unacceptable. In West Virginia, we look out for one another and I know food banks across the state will be doing their best to fill this void. I applaud them for always stepping up to serve their communities.

Swearing in to the 116th Congress 

Serving my fellow West Virginians in the Senate, as Governor, Secretary of State and also a state legislator has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. Last week, I was honored to be sworn in to serve my home and my friends for another six years in the Senate. There is still work to do on behalf of my fellow Mountaineers and I am more motivated than ever before.

As we begin the 116^th Congress, I am reminded why I come to work every day. We must secure our retired coal miners hard-earned pensions and health benefits once and for all. We must expand broadband access so every child in West Virginia is able to do homework at home. We must protect access to healthcare for every American and especially the 800,000 West Virginians with a pre-existing condition. We must make sure every Veteran receives the care they earned when defending our nation. We must make sure our military is properly funded and our soldiers have the resources they need to be successful.  

I’m especially excited for the opportunity to serve as the ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. West Virginia leads the nation in energy production and that is something we take great pride in. I have always been committed to an all-of-the-above energy policy and in my new role I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to update our energy infrastructure and protect the public lands we all cherish.  

As always, my door remains open to my fellow West Virginians. I encourage you to contact me to share your thoughts, ideas and concerns about the issues that are important to you. I vow to continue putting our great state first.

The American Miners Act of 2019

Last week, my colleagues and I introduced the American Miners Act of 2019, legislation to secure our nation’s retired miners pensions by: 1) shoring up the 1974 Pension Plan which is headed for insolvency due to coal company bankruptcies and the 2008 financial crisis, 2) ensuring that the miners who are at risk due to 2018 coal company bankruptcies will not lose their healthcare, and 3) extending the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund tax at $1.10 per ton of underground-mined coal and $0.55 per ton of surface-mined coal for ten years. This tax is critical for supporting the Black Lung Disability Trust fund, which provides healthcare and benefits to more than 25,000 miners and their dependents.

The American Miners Act of 2019 will amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to transfer funds in excess of the amounts needed to meet existing obligations under the Abandoned Mine Land fund to the 1974 Pension Plan to prevent its insolvency. It will also amend the Coal Act to include 2018 bankruptcies in the miners’ healthcare fix that passed in 2017, and extend the tax that funds the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund at 2018 levels for 10 years.

Read more here.