WV Orgs and others across the country respond to Sen. Manchin’s decision with public statements in support of Build Back Better

WV AFLCIO – https://www.wvaflcio.org/media-center/recent-press/79-recent-press/369-a-statement-from-west-virginia-afl-cio-president-josh-sword-on-senator-joe-manchin-s-position-on-the-build-back-better-act.html

WV AFSC – https://www.afsc.org/newsroom/west-virginia-afsc-speaks-out-against-manchins-refusal-to-support-build-back-better

UMWA – https://umwa.org/news-media/press/umwa-statement-on-build-back-better-legislation/

Team WV – https://teamwv.org/prevent-child-abuse-wv-issues-statement-regarding-senator-manchins-decision/

Kelly Allen and WV Center on Budget and Policy – https://myemail.constantcontact.com/West-Virginians-are-Counting-on-Senator-Manchin–to-Return-to-the-Negotiating-Table-and–Pass-a-Robust-Social-Infrastructure-Pac.html?soid=1113800661907&aid=judwxkjLheA

 

Amy Jo Hutchison, organizer and movement builder, Rattle The Windows

     I am a grassroots organizer for economic justice here in West Virginia, building the Rattle The Windows movement alongside poor and marginalized West Virginians. I have been working tirelessly for months in coalition with groups here, on a state level and on a national level with Moms Rising and Community Change Action, to organize and elevate the stories of WV children and families around their support of Build Back Better, especially the Child Tax Credit expansion, paid leave, and child care.
     For months, I have celebrated with moms as they talked about being able to pay for child care, buy reliable vehicles, fill their freezers and cupboards with food, and move their families out of Section 8 housing, to name a few. The expanded CTC allowed families to feel as if they were finally able to  breathe a little easier, and Senator Manchin’s announcement yesterday was devastating, especially so close to the holidays.
     West Virginia was born out of the resistance. Engrained in our DNA is the need to not give up or to back down. When we think about the 50,000 WV kiddos the senator has singlehandedly pushed back across the poverty line, our hearts break, and we wonder how he could be that far removed from those he was elected to protect and fight for. We wonder what legacy he is seeking to leave for all the children in the Mountain State, not just his own. And we need for him to know that he’s taking away our best opportunity to be able to rely on ourselves. We’re disappointed in Manchin’s actions, but we haven’t given up. It is, after all, the season of miracles and hope.