Sen. Manchin discusses stimulus money in Wood County

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - Sen. Joe Manchin discussed with local officials Thursday the fine points of the massive stimulus plan passed by Congress in February.

The $1.9 trillion stimulus plan includes money for every city and county in our area, and most local governments in West Virginia.

The city of Parkersburg gets the largest amount: more than $22 million.

But Manchin, joined by West Virginia Auditor J.B. McCuskey, pointed out a rare provision of this bill is that money can be spent over three years. Previous bills only allowed the money to be used to the end of a calendar year.

”The greatest thing about the bill is, it’s over four years. They have until the end of 2034,” Manchin said. “That means you can plan something, you can start it and finish it.”

McCuskey pledged there will be a large amount of oversight as to how the money will be spent, and how it will be distributed to local governments.

“We have a big responsibility to be sure these funds are spent in a manner that is, to the auditor’s point, transparent and appropriate. My hope is that we can make it impactful from a long-term standpoint.”>