Center for American Progress

West Virginia’s Billionaire Governor Is Waging a War on Anti-Poverty Programs
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West Virginia’s Billionaire Governor Is Waging a War on Anti-Poverty Programs

Author Greg Kaufmann discusses the West Virginia governor's push to create barriers to public assistance programs.

Months after rejecting a Kentucky-style work requirement for Medicaid in West Virginia, Gov. Jim Justice (R) now seems to be moving in the opposite direction — with assistance from the conservative Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA), an American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) ally and an affiliate of the Koch-funded State Policy Network.

The apparent switch is nothing new for Justice, who made a leap into politics when he ran for governor of West Virginia as a Democrat in 2016. Nine months after winning, Justice — the richest man in West Virginia and the state’s only billionaire — announced at a Trump rally that he was switching to the Republican party.

The above excerpt was originally published in ThinkProgress. Click here to view the full article.

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Authors

 (Greg Kaufmann)

Greg Kaufmann

Senior Fellow