CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Governor Earl Ray Tomblin said he is keeping a close eye on what’s happening in Washington. He’s getting multiple updates daily about the partial government shutdown and how it’s impacting West Virginia.
“All my departments continue to monitor and report to me what is going on,” stressed the governor. “Obviously it changes every day.”
Tomblin’s biggest concern is a little more than a week away, on October 17th. That’s the day the U.S. will default if the debt ceiling is not raised.
“I would just certainly encourage congress to get back to work. Let’s get this thing hammered out,” said Tomblin. “People’s lives are in jeopardy. People depend on the services [the federal government provides.]”
At a time when the U.S. debt is nearing $17-trillion dollars, Tomblin said the men and women running the U.S. government could learn a thing or two about how West Virginia does business.
“We’re able to sit down across party lines, sit down in the same room and talk about our budget and what we need to do,” stressed the governor. “I think Congress could learn a great deal from West Virginia’s Legislature and state government.”
Tomblin leaves on a 13-day mission trip to Europe later this week. He says he will just be a phone call away from his staff, at the state capitol, if the situation in Washington worsens.