WASHINGTON, D.C. — By sinking President Biden’s Build Back Better Agenda, Senator Manchin is not only breaking his word to the president, but he’s also breaking his promise to the people of West Virginia. He continues to put the needs of his high-paying donors before the interests of his own state.
On Fox News, Manchin said he couldn’t explain a “yes” vote to his constituents, but he’s got it backward. He needs to explain why he won’t support legislation that fights child hunger, expands home and community-based services and establishes a paid and family and medical leave program for all workers—ultimately helping West Virginia families, workers, and the economy.
The cost of child care in West Virginia is higher than in-state college tuition, and nearly two-thirds of households live in child care deserts. But because of Senator Manchin, about 90,000 children under the age of five will not benefit from universal preschool.
One in five children in West Virginia lives in poverty, and the median household income is second-lowest among the 50 states. The Child Tax Credit lifted 22,000 children above the poverty line, but because of Senator Manchin, those payments will now end, sending tens of thousands more kids back into poverty.
Households with children, people with disabilities, communities of color, and seniors will face increased housing instability without investments in rental assistance.
NOW members in West Virginia and every other state agree—this is not what we voted for. Joe Manchin knows better than to close his eyes to the urgent needs of his state or deny how necessary Build Back Better is to the people who have been supporting him for decades. What we do and whom we elect in 2022 matters, and NOW will continue to pursue an intersectional feminist agenda and elect a Manchin-proof majority in the U.S. Senate so we can Build Back Better NOW.
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The National Organization for Women (NOW) is the nation’s leading membership-based advocacy group dedicated to defending women’s rights, advancing equality and combating injustice in all aspects of social, political and economic life. Through educating, mobilizing, and convening a vast network of grassroots activists across the country, NOW advocates for national, state and local policies that promote an anti-racist and intersectional feminist agenda. Since its founding in 1966, NOW has been on the frontlines of nearly every major advancement for women’s rights and continues to champion progressive values today. More about NOW’s efforts and resources is available at NOW.org.