Tag: U.S. Senate

Justice Absent For Two Of Three Votes In First U.S. Senate Week

Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., missed two Senate floor votes this week.

On Wednesday, Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., missed two Senate floor votes.

His absences come after Justice delayed his U.S. Senate swearing in from the usual date of Jan. 3 to more than a week later, Jan. 15, to finish out his second gubernatorial term.

While governor and during his U.S. Senate campaign, Justice faced criticism for often being late or absent at gubernatorial events.

After accusations that he was defying the state constitution by living in Lewisburg and an ensuing lawsuit settlement in 2021, Justice formally agreed to abide by the governor’s residency requirement to live in Charleston. But he still faced criticism about his timeliness at public events.

Justice has attended confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump’s Secretary of Energy nominee Chris Wright on Wednesday and Secretary of Interior nominee Doug Burgum on Thursday.

Source: X Account of Sen. Justice’s Communications Director Will O’Grady

Justice was also present on Friday to vote to end debate on the Laken Riley Act, a high-profile immigration bill.

Justice’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

Justice Will Delay Senate Swearing-In, Remain Governor Until Morrisey’s Inauguration

Gov. Jim Justice confirmed during his regular briefing Thursday afternoon he will remain governor until Jan. 13, when governor-elect Patrick Morrisey will be sworn into the office.

Justice said he will forgo being sworn in as a U.S. Senator on Jan. 3 to ensure a seamless transition of power. Questions of who would hold the executive office of the state have swirled since the election in November. A leading theory had as many as four people holding the position over the 10-day period. The office would have shifted from Justice to state Senate President Craig Blair,R – Berkeley, when Justice swore his oath of office to the Senate, before shifting over to the new Senate President – expected to be Sen. Randy Smith, R – Tucker, – on Jan. 10 and finally settling with Morrisey upon his inauguration Jan. 13.

“I don’t think that West Virginia needs to have four governors in 10 days,” Justice said. “I don’t think that should happen, and I really believe this, whether I’m right or wrong. I believe this with all my soul. The people of West Virginia elected me to this office, and they expected me to do right by them. Always, I’ve tried to do that. And I think that I’m doing right by them right now, because absolutely, it has been an honor beyond belief, being their governor.”

Justice said he is in constant contact with President-elect Donald Trump and does not believe there will be any major Senate action for him to miss before Trump’s inauguration Jan. 20. Justice said he has also been in discussion with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who released the following statement shortly after the announcement:

“I very much respect Governor Justice’s decision to honor his commitment to complete his term as Governor of the State of West Virginia,” Capito said. “I am looking forward to serving with Senator Justice as there is much to do to advance President Trump’s agenda on behalf of all West Virginians.”

Justice also said he has spoken with Sen. John Thune, R-SD, who currently serves as Minority Whip but is poised to become Senate Majority Leader in January.

“Sen. Thune is really a good man,” Justice said. “He’s going to do a great job as our leader and everything, and we had this discussion. And at the end of the day, I think you’ll find that everyone totally understands the complexities and everything, and totally understands that, and is very supportive of this is what I should do.”

Justice said he hopes to get “a bunch of things” done in his remaining 18 days in office, and is prepared to continue his service to the people of West Virginia in Washington, D.C. He announced his Senate committee assignments last week, which include the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and the Aging Committee. Asked about the assignments Thursday, Justice said they are “home run picks” for him.

“I really need to be on the Energy Committee,” Justice said. “You know, that’s all there is to it because I’ve got a wealth of knowledge in regard to energy and whether it be, for our gas workers or our coal miners or whatever I would tell you, as I’ve told President Trump over and over, and we agree, we agree 1,000 percent in this, that energy is everything.”

Regarding the assignment to Agriculture, Justice pointed to his experience with his company Bluestone and for Aging, he simply pointed to his track record.

“In speaking very, very strongly, I said, ‘Judge me by my deeds’ over and over, and I’ve stood rock solid in trying to help our seniors, trying to help our folks in every way I can,” Justice said. “I was tickled to death because you don’t really know at the end of the day where they’re going to put you, those are my selections and everything. And I was tickled to death with all four of them, tell you the truth.”

Nucor Funding

At the start of his briefing, Justice briefly discussed the approval of an additional $75 million for the site of a Nucor steel plant in Mason County announced last week. That is in addition to the $800 million Nucor has committed to the project, which Justice called the largest in state and company history.

“When all this kicks in, and it’s going to kick in soon, when all this kicks in, the number of jobs, the property taxes, everything will happen because of this, in unbelievable investment by this incredible company in Mason County, West Virginia,” he said. “It will be transformational in every way. And this is another great addition. They’re expanding before they’ve even gotten done. You know, it is un-flat-believable.”

Construction is under way at the 1,700-acre Apple Grove site. When it becomes operational, the plant will employ as many as 800 workers and produce sheet steel for the automotive and construction industries.

In a press release Dec. 20, West Virginia Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin criticized the new money on top of an existing commitment of $315 million in state funds as “a staggering amount representing 8 percent of West Virginia’s General Revenue Budget.”

“This is a slap in the face to every teacher, public employee, first responder, and retiree in West Virginia,” Pushkin said. “Governor Justice is handing nearly $400 million of our tax dollars to one of the wealthiest corporations in America while telling public employees they have to dig deeper into their own pockets to pay for health insurance. It’s outrageous, it’s wrong, and it’s a clear statement of who Jim Justice thinks deserves a helping hand — and it’s not working West Virginians.”

Justice Announces U.S. Senate Committee Assignments 

Making a Monday morning post on the social media “X” site, Gov. Jim Justice said incoming Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune called him with his committee assignments. 

As the junior senator from West Virginia, Justice said he will serve on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and the Aging Committee. 

The long time coal company operator said in the post that he has “tremendous experience in the energy field, and like President-Elect Donald Trump, believes energy is the solution to so many of the critical issues facing the nation.” 

Justice also said in the post that the early years of his work life centered around agriculture and he looks forward to helping farmers and those associated with the forestry industry.

He said he has “tried to be a champion for the elderly, and has unlimited experience on small businesses and job creation.”

The U.S Senate reconvenes on Jan. 3, 2025.  

Manchin Gives Farewell Speech After 14 Years In Senate

Manchin is retiring next month after 14 years in Washington and more than 40 years in public life.

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin addressed the Senate for the final time on Tuesday afternoon. Manchin is retiring next month after 14 years in Washington and more than 40 years in public life.

Manchin spoke about the difficulties he encountered when he first came to the Senate. He acknowledged that at times, he could be a thorn in the side of his colleagues and presidents. And he told his colleagues of all political stripes that they could work together to solve big problems.

Here are some excerpts.

So when I tell you, it wasn’t exactly my plan to join the Senate. When Senator Byrd passed away in 2010 I had to make one of the toughest political decisions of my life, but I saw an opportunity to serve more people and tackle bigger challenges, and that weighed on me heavily.

Our state was in good shape. We’d worked hard. I’d been there for six years as governor, and we worked together tremendously. And I thought, man, we can really do something together. We’ll come here and we’ll all work together. And I have to admit to you, it was a harder transition than I expected coming coming here to Washington was so humbling. It really was.

Despite all this, we’ve achieved some of the remarkable things over the past 14 years. We set a new standard for Wild and Wonderful West Virginia. My colleague, Senator Capito, and I worked on so many things together, and I appreciate her very much.

The New River Gorge became a National Park, and we just agreed to acquire 2,700 acres at the Blackwater Canyon, which is the most beautiful venue. We’ve been trying for 20 years to make this happen, and it’s finally coming to fruition, and this is gonna be the whole country can enjoy something that just can’t believe how pretty it is.

We’re anxious to share West Virginia with everybody. We maintained West Virginia status as an energy powerhouse. The Mountain Valley Pipeline is flowing. Companies like Nucor, Berkshire Hathaway and Form Energy have brought new facilities to West Virginia and thousands of new clean energy jobs.

I’m not saying that dealing with politics is easy. It’s not and it’s messy. At times, I’ve had my share of tough votes, and at times I felt like I feel like the whole Senate was united in being upset with me. So maybe we did, maybe we were able to bring you together. I don’t know. I tried.

Any time I was confronted with a tough decision, I know you’ve heard me says I relied on where I came from, how I was raised, and who raised me. And I would just tell them, I can’t explain this back home. It doesn’t make sense. I can’t vote for it. I’m just sorry. Please don’t be upset. That’s who I am, and you all been tolerant at times.

So I would like to say this, God has blessed me and blessed you with the opportunity to do something for a lot of people, they’re counting on us. And I think the challenges before you’re going to be more daunting than ever before. But again, I’ve said I believe in you more than you believe in yourself. I know you’re up to the challenge. I know you’ll do the job I really do. I believe in that.

I’m going to be rooting, screaming and hollering for my team. And this is my team, the all the Ds and the Rs and the Is, and here’s my team, and I love each and every one. You. Thank you for giving me the honor of a lifetime to serve in I think, the greatest deliberate body the world has ever known and ever will know, the United States Senate. God bless the state of West Virginia. May God continue to bless the United States of America.

Marshall Helps First Gen Students And Sen. Manchin Bids Farewell To Senate, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, Marshall University is focusing efforts on supporting first generation college students, and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin addressed the Senate for the final time on Tuesday afternoon after 14 years in Washington and more than 40 years in public life.

On this West Virginia Morning, Marshall University recently joined many other schools across the country in the annual First Generation College Celebration. More than half the student population has registered as “first gen” collegiate newcomers.

Also in this episode, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin addressed the Senate for the final time on Tuesday afternoon. Manchin is retiring next month after 14 years in Washington and more than 40 years in public life.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University and Marshall University School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

Maria Young produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Justice Undecided On Transition Timeline

Gov. Jim Justice says he has yet to decide on the timeline for his transition into his new role as a U.S. Senator.

New U.S. Senators are set to be sworn in on Jan. 3. However, West Virginia has set Jan. 13 as the date for governor elect Patrick Morrisey to be sworn in. That timeline means Justice would need to leave the governor’s office ten days early to show up to D.C.

At his press briefing Friday, the governor says he has not decided when to leave his current office.

“Cleanest way is for me to stay in office until the 13th and then pass the torch to [Morrisey], you know, as the proper way to do it, but with the dates and everything, all that may not work out that way,” Justice said. “But we’re still working on it. So that’s not set in stone yet at all.”

If Justice leaves office early, Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkley, would become acting governor. Blair is set to leave his West Virginia senate seat Jan. 8 after losing his primary in the spring. Currently, Senate Republicans are debating who to promote to Senate President, who could then become acting governor.

Announcing his transition team this week, Morrisey said his team had been working with the governor’s office.

“Governor Justice has been very open,” Morrisey said. “I expect we’re going to have the ability to take a look under the hood. That’s part of what the next two months is all about, on revenue and financial issues.”

October revenue reports showed the state’s revenue below estimates by $13,810,207 for the fiscal year thus far.

Justice confirmed the cooperation, cautioning financial responsibility.

“You’ve got to absolutely know what you’re doing and everything, and I’m confident that [Morrisey] will do exactly that,” Justice said. “But if you don’t, then not good things will happen.”

Justice also said he would support Morrisey throughout his term as governor.

“Listen to the people over top of listening to advisors or lobbyists or whatever,” Justice said. “I’ll be available any hour of the day to try to help [Morrisey], and I’ll surely look on him to be a great friend.”

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