With Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies

Poor - really poor - West Virginia

Few places in America support Trump and the MAGA crowd more than West Virginia - one of the poorest states in the country. One could be forgiven in thinking that this level of adulation might garner the Mountain State some support from the administration in DC, just a scant 90 minutes away from some parts of the state. This would be magical thinking…

According to a newly released study by the West Virginia Center on Budget & Policy, the One Big “Beautiful” (???) Bill is likely to add over $600 million in costs to the state government from now into FY 2030. All the details are here: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://wvpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Impacts-of-July-2025-Federal-Reconciliation-Bill-OBBBA_HR-1-on-West-Virginia-State-Budget-final.pdf

It should come as no surprise to anyone that the poorest of poor will be hurt here in West Virginia. SNAP recipients and those who benefit from the SNAP-Ed program lose big time. SNAP-Ed, known here the WV Family Nutrition Program, is implemented by the WVU Cooperative Extension Service. Cuts in federal funding resulted in the loss of 33 positions in the program and the termination of the family nutrition program and obesity prevention services. Apparently MAHA (Make American Healthy Again) doesn’t apply to West Virginia. The federal government is cutting programs to help poor West Virginians achieve better health at the same time funds for rural hospitals are being cut. It’s short sighted and indefensible in the wealthiest nation on earth.

Clearly, West Virginia will have choices to make in the coming years. Can the state make up for lost federal funding for critical support programs or will the poor struggling to feed their families and find affordable medical care simply fall farther and farther behind? What are the implications for our state and our nation?