Dear Senator Manchin,

We should be preparing for the holidays and spending time with our loved ones, instead just days before Christmas, we write to you again because too many of us and our families will suffer needlessly because you refuse to pass moral policies. We are infuriated and fed up that you continue to care more about lobbyists and corporations than you do about hard working poor and low-income people of West Virginia.

We’ve had enough of your sinful lies about what we need and want. Since your newest set of lies include saying that Congress “has done everything it can to help people”, we demand that you meet with those people you’ve been talking about and tell those lies to our faces.

We are coming back to D.C. again on December 13th, with a motorcade from your office in Martinsburg to demand that you meet with your constituents on these very important issues. It’s time you stop hiding from the people your decisions are hurting and meet with poor and low-income people from your state, instead of hanging out with lobbyists on your yacht. We’re coming to say, “Get It Done in 2021!”

We demand that you:
Meet with poor and low-income West Virginians
Pass the Build Back Better plan as a first step
Pass the For the People Act
Fully restore 1965 Voting Rights Act
Raise the minimum wage to $15/HR
End the Filibuster
Pass protections for all immigrants
Stop destruction of Apache holy site Oak Flat

We, the West Virginia Poor People’s Campaign, represent the 710,000 West Virginians who are poor and low-income and the 351,000 West Virginians without a living wage. We are the 187,000 children living in poverty in West Virginia and the more than 108,000 people without health insurance. We represent the 346,000 children who will lose benefits from the Child Tax Credit if you keep trying to undermine the Build Back Better plan.

Senator Manchin, you say your positions are backed by the people. This is a lie! Nearly 80% of West Virginians want to expand voting rights. 75% of West Virginia voters see the importance of the job creation potential of the Build Back Better Agenda. And 65% of West Virginia voters say making historic investments to improve the economic situation of the people is an important reason to pass the Build Back Better Agenda. This is what the people of West Virginia are saying, yet you threaten to block this life-saving plan after having cut it down too far already.

You say you support the filibuster because your predecessor Robert Byrd did. This is a lie. Senator Byrd never blocked money coming to West Virginia to help poor and low wealth people as you currently are. Senator Byrd used the filibuster not to block the people but to give to the people. You are using the filibuster to fill your pockets and those of your elitist friends.

Since February, after virtually meeting with you, you have continued to lie about the demands your fellow West Virginians are making of you. You continue to say that you haven’t heard from us even though we have marched in Charleston, organized a motorcade to the state capital, held community forums and town halls with renowned economists, and engaged in direct action in our home state. Throughout it all, we pledged that we would come to Washington D.C. to implore you face to face, to really listen to the needs and demands of the people and protect and expand voting rights.

We are ready and remain willing to talk with you about the real needs of West Virginians, to have our struggles heard and to get your commitment, as our representative, to finally meet our demands.

Sincerely,
The West Virginia Poor People’s Campaign

Jean Evansmore
Tri-Chair, West Virginia Poor People’s Campaign Coordinating Committee,

Pam Garrison
Tri-Chair, West Virginia Poor People’s Campaign Coordinating Committee

Stewart Acuff
Member, West Virginia Poor People’s Campaign Coordinating Committee

Sharon Helman
Member, West Virginia Poor People’s Campaign Coordinating Committee