West Virginia
Jim Justice says he turned West Virginia's budget from cow dung to gold. Gov. Morrisey disagrees
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Jim Justice said he transformed West Virginia’s financial policy from cow dung into gold during his time as governor.
But one man’s gold is another man’s … something else. Newly inaugurated Gov. Patrick Morrisey has taken a closer look under the lid of the state’s coffers, and he said what he has found isn’t so shiny — and it stinks.
Despite the now-U.S. senator’s assurances that he was leaving the state in glowing financial condition, Morrisey announced a week into his term that he had “inherited” from the Justice administration a projected $400 million budget deficit for the fiscal year starting in July — one expected to grow to $600 million the following year. Contradicting Justice, he said the former governor didn’t find the money to pay for his record $1 billion-a-year cuts to the personal income tax, collections on which make up half of the state’s general revenue fund and 10% of all state expenditures.
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Morrisey is scheduled to present his budget accounting for the deficits on Wednesday during his State of the State address. He will be recommending the Legislature consolidate several state agencies, along with other cost-saving measures.
“When they were cutting the taxes, I said, ‘Please continue to cut the taxes, but we must pay for them,’ ” the governor said at a news briefing after taking office. “The taxes have not been paid for.”
West Virginia is one of at least nine states to cut personal income taxes
With budgets bolstered by federal COVID-19 dollars, at least nine states including West Virginia have passed a personal income tax cut since 2021. Supporters say the cuts will boost states’ economies, making them more attractive to business. Others tell a different story.
The progressive-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has warned that expiring federal aid, along with costly new school voucher programs in many states, could lead to challenges funding baseline services like public education, health care and transportation.
“It’s kind of the perfect storm,” said Kelly Allen, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, part of the center’s national network. “All of the spending and tax cuts are starting to hit the budget at the same time that those temporary revenue factors helped us make the case for the tax cuts have subsided.”
Justice — a coal baron and former billionaire who faced a slew of court challenges because of unpaid debts, fines and threats of foreclosure on his dozens of businesses while governor — was repeatedly criticized during his administration for purposefully underfunding agencies and low-balling revenue estimates to create false surpluses.
Meanwhile, he signed laws that are projected to increase in cost over the years: the $1 billion-a-year tax cuts and the Hope Scholarship. One of the country’s most open-ended school savings account programs, the Hope Scholarship has no income requirements.
Justice calls governor’s budget statement ‘crazy talk’
Justice, who recently started work in Washington after being elected to the seat of now-retired Independent U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, dismissed Morrisey’s comments as “crazy-talk” in an interview with WCHS-TV, saying he didn’t believe it.
“If I thought we were going to have a $400 million deficit, my hair would be on fire,” Justice told the television station.
Justice and other leaders have pointed to $400 million set aside in a special reserve fund specifically designed to operate a safety net to cover shortfalls caused by the tax cuts. Justice is also leaving office with $1.3 billion in the rainy day fund, which contained less than half a million dollars went he came into office, also during a time of projected deficits.
His statements were backed up by state Treasurer Larry Pack and the House and Senate presidents, who said they were all surprised by Morrisey’s announcement. House Speaker Roger Hanshaw told reporters last week he isn’t sure West Virginia is facing a budgetary crisis.
“We don’t share the belief that we’re in quite the same budgetary situation that others have suggested we are,” Hanshaw said.
Justice claims credit for turning state’s finances around
Justice repeated a rags-to-riches tale often during his eight years as governor, which began in 2017 when he famously vetoed West Virginia’s budget — facing a $500 million deficit when he took office — by comparing it to literal bovine feces he brought to the state Capitol. Signing the final tax cut out of more than $1 billion over his two terms, he touted years of flat budgets and record billion-dollar surpluses by unveiling the same platter he used in 2017, now topped with gold.
“Look what we got here today,” he said. “The cow dung went away, and today we’ve got gold bars.”
Justice said cutting taxes would spur business growth and economic revitalization in one of the nation’s poorest states, which has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic and lost coal industry jobs. He signed a 21.25% personal income tax cut in 2023, followed by an additional 6% in cuts finalized this past summer.
Justice was accused repeatedly during his administration of underfunding state agencies to maintain flat budgets and create false surpluses, then calling lawmakers back to the Capitol for special sessions to pass supplemental appropriations bills.
Morrisey, who served as the state’s Attorney General before he was elected governor in November, said his projected deficit is the product of years of relying on federal dollars and using one-time money to fund ongoing expenses. Part of the $400 million hole includes the state having to come up with $153 million to cover Medicaid, a program that insures nearly one-third of all West Virginians, Morrisey said. Other costs include funding or state employees’ health insurance and education.
The governor said rainy-day funding should be kept on hold for emergencies, not used to pay for baseline expenses. Justice’s “flat budgets” never existed, he said.
“We can’t rob Peter to pay Paul and push all the bills to future generations,” Morrisey said.
One of the best individual seasons a player has ever had at West Virginia took place this season as Javon Small kept the Mountaineers in position to make the NCAA Tournament despite a shorthanded roster. Unfortunately, they were snubbed from the dance, but what Small was able to do in just his one year in Morgantown is something WVU fans will remember forever.
In 32 games this season, Small averaged 18.6 points, 5.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 41% from the field and 35% from three-point land. Opposing teams had their full attention on him every single night, yet weren’t able to keep him in check.
Sunday afternoon, he announced on Instagram that he would be declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft.
“First off, I want to thank God for everything he has done in my life and for his continual blessings. I would also like to thank my gamily for being with me every step of the way. Your support, guidance, and love have meant the world to me, and you’ve always pushed me to be my best. To my friends, teammates, coaches, and everyone else who has been part of my journey, I appreciate you more than you know and none of this would be possible without y’all. I was blessed to have the opportunity to play at Eastern Carolina University, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia and that’s something I’ll cherish forever. We all have dreams and I am ready to pursue mine. Therefore, I will be declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft.”
Small did not have any eligibility remaining, so really his message is to announce that he’ll be submitting his paperwork for the draft.
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Provo, UT – In a wild afternoon at Miller Park, the West Virginia Mountaineers (22-4, 4-3) popped out to a seven-run lead but had to rally from an eight-run deficit to take the series deciding game three from the BYU Cougars (14-11, 4-5) Saturday afternoon 19-16.
West Virginia senior Jace Rinehart was 3-6 at the plate with a home run and six RBI and sophomore Armani Guzman was 2-5 with a home run and four RBI.
West Virginia jumped out to an early 7-0 lead.
Senior Grant Hussey hit a one-out double and redshirt junior Chase Swain followed with a single to and sophomore Armani Guzman put the Mountaineers on the board with three-run home run in the top of the second inning.
In the third, Logan Suave blasted a leadoff home run. Senior Kyle West dropped a double in left-centerfield. Then, freshman Gavin Kelley and Hussey hit consecutive RBI doubles before Guzman came back around with a line drive RBI single to right field for the seven-run advantage.
BYU responded with a five run third inning, starting with an RBI triple from redshirt sophomore Keoni Painer. A slow roller to short by junior Luke Anderson was good for an RBI single. Then, with two outs on the board, junior Bryker Hurdsman and senior Brock Watkins delivered RBI doubles and sophomore Ryder Robinson singled to right field for an RBI to cut the WVU lead to two, 7-5.
After West Virginia starting pitcher Carson Estridge allowed the five-run third, head coach Steve Sabins opted to send him back out in the fourth and the junior walked the first two Cougar hitters before he exited the game as two Mountaineer relievers would come into the game and BYU posted a ten-run fourth inning on just four hits. In total, the WVU arms gave up three walks, two hit batsmen, and three hits.
The Cougars took advantage of the Mountaineers’ mistakes. Anderson recorded a two-RBI double and an RBI single, Hurdsman registered an RBI single, and junior Easton Jones hit a two-RBI single up the middle to take a 15-7 lead.
West Virginia answered with a six-run fifth inning. Hussey smacked his third double of the afternoon, then with two on and one-out, Spencer Barnett lined a single back up the middle to score the first run. Sauve worked a walk with the bases loaded before West slapped drove a double to right-centerfield and Jace Rinehart followed line a two-RBI single to left to cut the deficit to two, 15-13.
The Mountaineers reclaimed the lead in the seventh when senior Jace Rinehart delivered an opposite field three-run home run for the 16-15 advantage.
West Virginia added three insurance runs in the eight. Swain led the inning with a single, Barnett line a one-out RBI single to centerfield, and with two outs on the board West and Rinehart produce RBI singles for the 19-15 lead.
West Virginia freshman Mac Stiffler took the mound in the fifth and cooled the BYU bats, holding the Cougars to one hit in two innings.
Then, senior Jack Kartsonas entered in the seventh and faced the minimum with two strikeouts but found himself in a bit of trouble in the eighth after giving up a hit and a walk. However, the senior hunkered down with a strikeout and got Anderson to hit into an inning double play on the 0-2 pitch.
Kartsonas left two on and an out on the board before sophomore reliever Chase Meyer shut down any opportunity for the Cougars as the Mountaineers held on for the 19-6 decision.
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West Virginia
‘You look like you ate…’; RFK Jr publicly fat-shames West Virginia Governor, vows to put him on ‘carnivore diet’
Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the US Health and Human Services, trolled West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey by poking fun at his weight.
In a public event on Friday, Kennedy emphasised on West Virginia’s leadership in the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign. Kennedy made a number of fat jokes about Morrisey during his address, even implying that the governor should take part in monthly public weigh-ins.
“I said to Governor Morrisey the first time I saw him, I said, ‘You look like you ate Governor Morrisey,”” Kennedy stated, prompting laughter from the crowd.
He went on to quip that he would be Morrisey’s “personal trainer” and even offered to put him on a “really rigorous regimen” that includes a carnivorous diet.
Kennedy then asked the audience if Morrisey should make a commitment to weigh in publicly every month. He also mentioned that if the governor lost thirty pounds, he would come back to West Virginia to join him in celebrating and weighing in.
Despite the criticism, Morrisey responded with humour, saying that Kennedy’s plan was “a little more than I bargained for.”
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Social media reacts to RFK Jr’s remarks
RFK Jr’s remarks went viral on social media, with netizens giving mixed response over jab at Morrissey’s weight.
“Public shaming is just bullying. RFK Jr. isn’t wrong about Morrissey — it just should have been voiced privately,” one X user wrote.
“Nope, telling the world publicly, one obese person at a time, that being obese is unhealthy is the only way the obesity will become an undesirable state again,” another commented.
“Bullying works. Embarrassment and humiliation is a very powerful teacher,” a third user said.
“It’s not public shaming. It’s called leaders being asked to lead by example,” one more chimed in.
West Virginia has highest obesity rate in US
Apart from fat-shaming, the event highlighted new health efforts in West Virginia, such as limiting the use of SNAP to buy soda, increasing job requirements for SNAP benefits, and outlawing specific food dyes in school lunches.
West Virginia currently has the second-lowest life expectancy and the highest obesity rate in the nation.
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