This summer, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured $312,452,233 in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) for local West Virginia projects in the Senate Appropriations Committee’s fiscal year 2024 funding bills. Those projects includes $ $4,993,000 for Braxton County.
The Senate Appropriations Committee, under regular order and on a bipartisan basis, reported all 12 annual appropriations bills to the full Senate for the first time since 2018. Seven of the bills, more than half, were reported with unanimous support.
“I am proud to secure more than $312 million for critical infrastructure and other job-creating projects that will make the Mountain State safer, stronger, and even more competitive for new economic opportunities. From major investments in the construction of the Marshall Community Health Institute in Huntington to the continued support for the completion of Corridor H, to the creation of a state-of-the-art neurosciences institute in Charleston, the future of West Virginia is bright,” said Senator Manchin. “Congress has a responsibility to work together and pass these funding bills in a timely manner to avoid wasting billions on a stopgap funding bill that will create economic uncertainty for West Virginians. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I will continue to work in the best interest of America to send these bipartisan bills to the President’s desk and deliver these crucial resources to West Virginia.”
The projects funded locally include: $400,000 to purchase two new ambulances for Braxton EMS; $1,500,000 to replace the deteriorated pavilion at Holly Gray Park; $1,000,000 to expand and configure Mountaineer Food Bank’s main warehouse between Gassaway and Sutton; $1,882,000 to upgrade the county’s outdated emergency communications system; $211,000 for the Braxton County Sheriff’s Department to upgrade mobile technology and equipment.
The Senate Appropriations Committee allows members of Congress to submit CDS requests, which provide opportunities for state and local governments, non-profits, and other public entities to receive targeted federal funding for projects that bolster their communities. “As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Manchin secured funding for projects that benefit all West Virginians in all of the eligible funding bills,” said a spokesperson.