CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WVDN) – Governor Patrick Morrisey addressed members of the media today about the current state of the budget. During a press conference in the governor’s office, Morrisey revealed his team’s initial findings during the first week of his term. Today’s announcements are part of Morrisey’s commitment to aggressively rooting out waste in every corner of government.
“The era of big spending is over. The time for spending beyond our means is over,” Governor Morrisey said as he began his remarks about the budget.
The Governor revealed that in Fiscal Year 2026, the period between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026, the state will have a projected deficit of just under $400M, and that number is projected to rise in the future.
Driving the deficit are a number of factors, including a structural deficit that’s built into the baseline, heavy reliance on one-time revenue to pay for ongoing obligations, one-time surplus appropriations used for matters such as correctional facilities and higher education, and funding for the WV Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA).
“This is what we’ve inherited. This is where we stand on day one,” he said.
Governor Morrisey has already taken steps to address these challenges through executive orders signed earlier this week, and will continue to do the work to be a responsible steward of the people’s money.
Cutting waste and getting the state’s fiscal house in order was a key part of Morrisey’s inaugural address on Monday, where he said: “Government waste is not just a drain on our finances—it’s a betrayal of the trust that taxpayers place in their leaders. West Virginians work too hard to see their money squandered on inefficiency and bureaucracy.” Morrisey continued Monday, saying: “If a program is not working, we’ll end it. If it’s duplicative, we’ll consolidate it. And if it’s wasteful, it’s gone!”
The full press conference and the Governor’s remarks can be viewed here.
