Op-eds

This week, the Senate had an opportunity to vote on the Green New Deal — an unrealistic and impractical wish list dressed up as environmental policy. And it’s a wish list that would have serious consequences for West Virginians and Americans across the country.For starters, it would be expensive. Very expensive. All together, the Green New Deal’s price tag is estimated at up to $93 trillion over its first 10 years. You could liquidate all of the wealth in the entire country and... Read More

2018 marked another year of accomplishment under Republican leadership. Most importantly, these accomplishments had a tremendous impact on our state. Our small businesses are feeling more optimistic, our economy has experienced positive growth, families have a renewed sense of hope, and West Virginia workers finally feel like good jobs are available.Whether it was delivering significant regulatory reforms, creating new economic opportunities, enacting the most comprehensive legislation to combat... Read More

Prior to 2017, West Virginia went through some tough times. Entire industries that were critical to our economy, and in many ways our identity, were under attack. Families were searching for jobs that didn’t exist. And West Virginians were questioning, “How do we move forward? What comes next?” Well, at the beginning of 2018—after a year of Republican leadership both in Congress and in the White House—there was a palpable change across our state. Our small... Read More

As I travel across West Virginia, it’s clear the economic climate is improving here, and there are many reasons to be optimistic about our state’s future.Reforming our outdated tax code and rolling back burdensome regulations, as well as other pro-growth measures, have proven to be a winning combination for workers, small businesses, and economic growth, and they have encouraged an environment that’s putting West Virginia on a path to a brighter future.That’s exactly the... Read More

As Eastern Panhandle residents know far too well, West Virginia has struggled with the opioid crisis longer and harder than most other states. While that reality has been tough on our state, it has also helped us become a leader when it comes to fighting back.West Virginians have learned a lot from our struggles with the opioid epidemic. We better understand some of the causes and how we can deal with them. We’ve seen what is working and what isn’t. And we’ve learned that the... Read More

From coal and natural gas production to the automotive, aerospace, biotech industries and beyond, when you think of West Virginia, you can’t help but think about the resources that power our country. However, one thing that might not necessarily be top of mind is one of our greatest, largely untapped resources — girls and their incredible potential. According to the 2017 annual report of the West Virginia Women’s Commission, among all 50 states and the District of... Read More

As West Virginians know far too well, our state has struggled with the opioid crisis longer and harder than most. That's not something we're proud of, but it's a reality that has shaped our ongoing response to this crisis. It's also one that helped inform groundbreaking legislation the Senate passed last week, the Opioid Crisis Response Act.In West Virginia, we better understand some of the causes of the crisis and how we can deal with them. We've discovered what is working; we've learned that... Read More

Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it followed through on President Donald Trump’s executive order to review and repeal the Clean Power Plan (CPP).From its inception, the CPP was a total overreach of the federal bureaucracy. That’s why West Virginia led 24 states in fighting the rule in court, arguing that the Obama EPA overstepped its legal authorities under the Clean Air Act in proposing it. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed, and imposed a stay on... Read More

When we voted in support of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act last December, we did so to help millions of families across West Virginia and the nation. Four million Americans have received bonuses or wage and benefit increases since tax reform’s passage, and more than a million jobs have been created nationwide. The child tax credit and standard deduction were doubled, simplifying the tax process for many and putting more money back in the pockets of hardworking moms and dads. In fact, a... Read More

The U.S. Commerce Department recently announced the economy grew 4.1 percent during the second quarter of this year. More recently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that worker pay rates hit their highest level since 2008. And since President Trump took office, nearly 4 million people found jobs.These are only a few highlights, but they are proof that our economy is thriving under Republican leadership.It’s clear that the combination of tax reform and cutting burdensome regulations,... Read More

Whether you’re a student trying to do your homework, a small business owner looking to expand or a rural resident who would benefit from telehealth services, broadband access has the ability to open doors to new opportunities for West Virginians.But, as too many West Virginians know, our state is falling behind when it comes to connectivity.Affordable and reliable broadband should be easily accessible regardless of where you live. It’s that simple. And for several years, I have been... Read More

Since my first day in the U.S. Senate, improving broadband access for West Virginians has been one of my top priorities.Whether you’re a small business owner looking to grow your operations, a teacher wanting to help your students learn in new and innovative ways, or someone who could benefit from telehealth services, broadband is critical in today’s world.Broadband keeps us connected, helps improve our lives and communities, and can lead to so many new opportunities.That’s why... Read More

The past year and a half was a time of important accomplishments that will help improve the lives of West Virginians.When Congress passed tax reform legislation at the end of last year, we promised it would help workers and families keep more of their hard-earned money.We promised it would help our businesses compete, reinvest in our economy, and pass benefits down to their employees.We promised it would create new opportunities for growth in our communities.Now, those promises are being... Read More

The past year-and-a-half was a time of important accomplishments that will help improve the lives of West Virginians.When Congress passed tax reform legislation at the end of last year, we promised it would help workers and families keep more of their hard-earned money. We promised it would help our businesses compete, reinvest in our economy and pass benefits down to their employees. We promised it would create new opportunities for growth in our communities. Now, those promises are being... Read More

The past year and a half was a time of important accomplishments that will help improve the lives of West Virginians. When Congress passed tax reform legislation at the end of last year, we promised it would help workers and families keep more of their hard-earned money. We promised it would help our businesses compete, reinvest in our economy, and pass benefits down to their employees. We promised it would create new opportunities for growth in our communities.Now, those promises are being... Read More

The past year-and-a-half was a time of important accomplishments that will help improve the lives of West Virginians.When Congress passed tax reform legislation at the end of last year, we promised it would help workers and families keep more of their hard-earned money.We promised it would help our businesses compete, reinvest in our economy, and pass benefits down to their employees.We promised it would create new opportunities for growth in our communities.Now, those promises are being... Read More

The past year and a half was a time of important accomplishments that will help improve the lives of West Virginians. When Congress passed tax reform legislation at the end of last year, we promised it would help workers and families keep more of their hard-earned money.We promised it would help our businesses compete, reinvest in our economy, and pass benefits down to their employees. We promised it would create new opportunities for growth in our communities. Now, those promises are being... Read More

Every day in New Hampshire and West Virginia, Americans are dying, losing loved ones, and reeling from the far-reaching impacts of the devastating opioid epidemic.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, West Virginia had the highest drug overdose death rate in 2016, and New Hampshire had the third highest. This is the most pressing public health and safety challenge of our time, and it is not a partisan issue.We need a comprehensive approach focused on treatment, prevention,... Read More

Tax reform is working, and Americans across the country - including right here in West Virginia-are already seeing the benefits. We're not talking about hypothetical situations or anticipated outcomes. We're talking about real, concrete examples of how the new tax law is helping workers, families, and small businesses. Already, more than 4.4 million Americans have learned they will directly benefit because of tax reform, and at least 400 companies have announced they are passing down the... Read More

Every day, 115 people die from an opioid overdose. It now surpasses motor vehicle accidents as the number one accidental cause of death in the nation. It is an epidemic that has impacted people of all ages and backgrounds, in communities in our states and across the nation.Take, for example, the 16-year-old high school cheerleader from Springfield, Miss., who was prescribed pain medication for injuries stemming from a car accident. Four years later, despite repeated efforts to fight her... Read More