West Virginia | October 20, 2021
West Virginia House Passes COVID-19 Vaccine Exemption Bill
West Virginia | October 20, 2021
Legislation that would ensure workers receive medical and religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine mandates passed the West Virginia House on Friday and has made its way over to the Senate.
House Bill 3035 was introduced by Republican Gov. Jim Justice who argued the bill would clarify existing law to ensure the legal protections for health and religious vaccine exemptions are followed. Democratic leaders, on the other hand, alleged the bill is too broad and could put state law at odds with upcoming federal regulations.
If enacted, the law would prohibit a business from penalizing or discriminating against current or prospective employers who are not vaccinated as long as they qualify for an exemption.
To qualify for a medical exemption, a person would need to provide a certification signed by a doctor or a nurse who performed an examination on the person who recommends he not get the vaccine. For a religious exemption, the person would need to sign a notarized certification, which states he holds a religious belief that prevents him from taking the vaccine…. (Excerpts from the Epoch Times)
Arizona, District of Columbia, West Virginia | October 14, 2021
GOP rallies around Manchin, Sinema
Arizona, District of Columbia, West Virginia | October 14, 2021
Republicans are rallying around Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), the centrists who are in a fierce battle with progressives in their party. Senate Republicans, despite having many policy differences with Manchin and Sinema, are singing their praises, knowing that they will be key to stopping or slowing President Biden’s ambitious agenda. Both Democrats would be top Republican targets in 2024 if they decide to run for re-election, and GOP leaders are usually loath to offer praise to such lawmakers. But in a 50-50 Senate, where Manchin and Sinema can make or break Biden’s policy goals, many Republicans hail them as saviors…. (Excerpts from the The Hill)
Arizona, West Virginia | October 1, 2021
Sen. Sinema Doubles Down on Not Supporting $3.5 Trillion Spending Bill
Arizona, West Virginia | October 1, 2021
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) doubled down on her position not to support the Democratic leadership’s $3.5 trillion spending bill on Sept. 30, while claiming that she had raised concerns about the bill with Democratic leaders in August.
On Thursday, Sinema joined Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) in indicating that they would not back the bill without adjustments. Both votes are critical to the bill’s passage, and they have long maintained that the price tag is too high.
Manchin said that he would not support any bill that costs more than $1.5 trillion, adding that if Democrats wanted to do more “they can run on the rest of it later,” and that “there’s many ways to get where they want to, just not [by] doing everything at one time.”
Manchin also said that he had shared his $1.5 trillion figure with President Joe Biden…. (Excerpts from the Epoch Times)
District of Columbia, West Virginia | September 12, 2021
Manchin Confirms He Will Not Vote for $3.5 Trillion Budget Bill, Sanders Fires Back
District of Columbia, West Virginia | September 12, 2021
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) confirmed Sunday that he will not vote for a $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill that contains a number of climate, social welfare, and other initiatives, arguing that the price tag is far too high.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) won’t “have my vote on” the package, Manchin said during a CNN interview, adding that “Chuck knows that, and we’ve talked about this.”
The West Virginia senator argued that too much money been spent by the federal government in recent years and expressed concerns about further increasing the national debt… (Excerpts from the Epoch Times)
West Virginia | August 20, 2021
Sen. Joe Manchin: ‘The Coal Industry Has To Be Saved’
West Virginia | August 20, 2021
In a notable break with progressives, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said in an interview that the coal industry “will be saved, has to be saved, because the country can’t survive without it.”
Others in the Democratic Party have asserted that the coal industry contributes to global warming and that it should be replaced with other sources of “clean” energy like wind turbines, solar panels, and alternative, low-to-zero emission fuels. Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) budget resolution includes provisions to encourage green energy sources and to discourage traditional energy sources. In 2016, then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton threatened to put the coal industry “out of business.”
Manchin has long been castigated by some progressives for his moderate policy positions. This defense of the coal industry is his latest break with the left wing of his party.
However, the West Virginia Democrat’s defense of the coal industry is not surprising. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, coal is the energy source for a staggering majority of electricity generation in his state… (Excerpts from the Epoch Times)
District of Columbia, West Virginia | August 8, 2021
Democratic Senator Joe Manchin Sounds Alarm About Inflation Threat
District of Columbia, West Virginia | August 8, 2021
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has asked the Federal Reserve to taper its monetary stimulus.
Despite rising inflation, the Federal Open Market Committee — which oversees the execution of monetary policy in the United States — has so far declined to amend its near-zero interest rate target or scale back its $120 billion in monthly asset purchases.
Manchin argued in a Thursday letter to Fed Chair Jerome Powell that the stimulus is no longer merited given the American economy’s rebound:
With the recession over and our strong economic recovery well underway, I am increasingly alarmed that the Fed continues to inject record amounts of stimulus into our economy by continuing an emergency level of quantitative easing (QE) with asset purchases of $120 billion per month of Treasury securities and mortgage backed securities…. (Excerpts from The Daily Wire)