Parts of West Virginia are less than an hour’s drive from Washington, but the two places could not be any more different.
It’s not about the size of the cities or how many people live there, it’s about the way we think. It’s about culture, priorities and how we approach government. Inside the beltway, everybody is too busy worrying about the next election. But I never approached things that way. Back home, sure, people are busy. They’ve got plenty to do. But there’s this feeling of community, of belonging, of we are all in this together.
And that is sorely lacking in a place which could really use it.
Now stay with me. I’m not saying West Virginians have all of the answers, Lord knows we struggle and stumble with the best of them. But what we do know, rock solid inside of all of us, is that it takes everybody pulling the rope together to get things done. That seems to be an alien concept in a place where people line up on two sides and start yelling at each other.
To get things across the line takes more than well wishes and good intentions. It takes hard work, keeping it as simple as possible so everybody can get on board and then using old fashioned common sense to make it happen. Those are the things which define West Virginia and it’s downright sad to see how close on a map places can be but still be so drastically different from each other.
I am now coming to D.C. as a Governor that took despair to prosperity, like what we’ve done in West Virginia, and it can be done here. This effort may require a change in approach, but that doesn’t mean there will be a change in my mentality.
What works at home can and will work here.
For years, Washington has spent more time and effort finding new ways to spend money we don’t have instead of buckling down and doing what we must do in order to whittle down our national debt.
Nowhere else in this world runs like Washington. Certainly not West Virginia or any other place on Earth. That’s not a judgment, that’s just a fact.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not here for me. I’m here for West Virginia, its people, and people all across this nation who just want to wake up, work an honest day, take care of their families and rest easy in the knowledge that tomorrow can and will be better than today
My job is to help make that happen.
Where money is concerned, West Virginians understand the bottom line is the bottom line. That’s the way I ran the state and that’s what we need to do in the nation’s Capital. Government in its own way is a business and that’s the way it should be approached. You’ve got to mind the store, and with that comes the knowledge and the wisdom to know what you have to do to make sure you have the money to do it and then use those tools to be responsible, while still taking care of the people who sent us here.
As Governor I invested billions of dollars in our roads, new schools, and economic development. We turned deficits into surpluses, cut taxes for West Virginians like they’ve never seen before and showcased our little state as a diamond in the rough.
I left office back home with a year-to-date all-sources quarter billion-dollar surplus, a rainy-day fund stocked with $1.3 billion and another $560 million in the income tax reserve that remains untouched. I’m proud of that work. Running state budgets like a business allows us to look to the future. It promotes the idea that we’re open for investment, both for dollars and ideas. That’s a big part of why we saw a huge increase in families and businesses migrating into West Virginia.
We are the best the country has to offer in so many ways. We made tourism a priority and it resulted in a boom we will see for decades to come. Putting West Virginia first put our state back on the map as a great place to live, raise a family and do business. Just keep watching and you’ll see the seeds we planted over the last eight years will continue to impact the state and prove that a commonsense approach to governing works.
Last November, West Virginians made their voices clear voting for both President Trump and I by landslides. This is their mandate! People in West Virginia and all across this great country want their money protected from waste, just like I did as Governor.
The American people demanded this and talking with President Trump about this I am absolutely sure there is huge appetite for a serious, business-minded approach to Government at the Federal level. President Trump and his family are dear friends, and we are now seeing the sweeping changes that bring optimism and hope to all.
I’m also sure of this. There is no way you can simply cut your way out of a fiscal mess. That won’t do it. Of course, you’ve got to cut, look at every part of the budget and make sure you’re not throwing money away.
But to win, you also have to grow. And the key to our growth is energy. Energy is everything and West Virginia knows energy. We are in prime fiscal shape to take advantage of the growth side of the equation, using an all-of-the-above approach to fuel our economy and power this nation to greater heights. We can never forget or wonderful clean fossil fuels, as I’ve said many times, “anybody that believes we can do without coal and natural gas today must be living in a cave.”
Being careful with our money put West Virginia in the pole position to take advantage of opportunity and it also gives us a head start. Businesses that invested in West Virginia under my Governorship are going to hit the ground running, and that’s only possible when you mind the store from the start. I’m working day and night to make sure we keep the good times rolling as I step into my new role as Senator.
The path to keeping West Virginia in the black is straightforward but it needs everyone to buy in. Mind the store, talk to the people constantly. We have the greatest people: they’re smart, craftsmen, low crime, faith based, appreciative, and the very best neighbors. We abound in natural resources and sit very close to two-thirds of the nation population, not to say we have the best of the four seasons of any sate in the nation.
Despite what you may see and hear in Washington, I have faith that Americans truly want to make the greatest nation on Earth an even better place. Taking momentum from states that have their eye on the ball must carry over to here.
For nearly a decade we’ve built a winning reputation in West Virginia, and I’m committed to working with President Trump, Senator Capito, and our West Virginia House delegation on bringing that momentum to Washington.
There’s no doubt it’ll be a battle to uproot the entrenched establishment here in D.C. because some folks will try to stop us every step of the way. I’ve never been shy to fight for what’s right, and West Virginia sent me here to be the tip of the spear.
The preservation of the American Dream runs right through the mountains of West Virginia. We call it Almost Heaven, and if we all get on board then our little state, our diamond in the rough, can lead by example.
We’re going to dig in, pull the rope together and drag Washington kicking and screaming out of this money mess that’s been allowed to grow into the monster it’s become.
We have to succeed because frankly, for our families, our children and our future, there is no other option.
