CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Chamber of Commerce is looking for legislators to prioritize the economy in the last days of the 60-day legislative session.
West Virginia Chamber of Commerce President Steve Roberts says the Commerce’s goals are geared towards improving the lives of West Virginia citizens.
“What we’re really interested in is how do we really jumpstart our economy? How do we create jobs? How do we help people earn better livings? How do we create more jobs in West Virginia?” Roberts said last week on “MetroNews Midday.”
“We want to talk about jobs in the economy, how you create jobs, how you have an economy where people are earning more money and have more available money to spend. Those are the issues that we’re really working on at the Capitol,” Roberts said.
Federal workers in West Virginia have taken a hit over the last several weeks, with hundreds losing their jobs between the NIOSH location in Morgantown, the Novelis Plant in Fairmont, and the Bureau of Fiscal Service in Parkersburg.
Roberts says that when leaders in Washington D.C. elect for cuts, it’s those in the Mountain State feeling the effects early on.
“If there are going to be cuts in either federal jobs or to federal programs, West Virginians are going to feel those cuts early on and maybe feel them among the fastest in the county,” Roberts said.
Roberts also says the Commerce has a close eye on the situation regarding potential cuts to Medicaid, though West Virginia delegates recently paused a bill that would affect West Virginia’s share of Medicaid spending.
Roberts says it’s still a concern to him.
“If Congress were to cut Medicaid and/or Medicaid, West Virginia would be the second most affected state because we have an older population, and we have a lot of people who depend on Medicaid for their healthcare,” Roberts said. “That would spill over to have an impact on our hospitals and our doctors, so we’re watching those carefully. I’m glad Congress has said that’s not what they intend to do, but it’s Congress, and we’re watching.”
Roberts also says a driving force in the Commerce’s effort comes from the state’s data regarding manufacturing jobs.
“When I began my working career, West Virginia had 130,000 manufacturing jobs. Today we have about 45,000 manufacturing jobs, so we have lost 85,000 manufacturing jobs in West Virginia in the span of my working career,” Roberts said. “I don’t think we talk about that enough. It’s one of the real untold stories in West Virginia.”