CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed Gayle Manchin, the wife of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., as the federal co-chairman of the Appalachian Regional Commission.
President Joe Biden announced the nomination last month. The former first lady of West Virginia has been involved in education in multiple roles, including eight years as a member of the West Virginia Board of Education. Gayle Manchin also served as the state’s Education and the Arts secretary from January 2017 to March 2018 when Gov. Jim Justice fired her amid debate about the agency’s future.
The Appalachian Regional Commission is a federal body focused on economic and regional development in 13 states making up the Appalachian region, including West Virginia. The president is responsible for appointing a federal co-chairman, and the governors of the 13 states select a co-chairman to represent their concerns. The commission’s current states’ co-chairman is Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam.
The Senate confirmed the nomination by a voice vote; Joe Manchin expressed excitement over the Senate’s decision afterward.
“ARC is a vital partner to all those working and living in Appalachia, and I know that Gayle will bring the experience and skills necessary to successfully lead the commission as it serves the region,” the senator said.
“I am so proud of Gayle for her many accomplishments and a lifetime of dedication to families and children across Appalachia and the world through her time as a public servant in West Virginia and on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. I know that she will make the states of the Appalachian region, including our home state of West Virginia, and our entire nation extremely proud.”
Gayle Manchin is the current chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent body focused on international religious freedom and human rights. The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced last month sanctions against Gayle Manchin and others for the commission’s criticism of policies against Uighur and minority groups in the Xinjiang province. She is prevented from entering China, Hong Kong or Macao, and doing business with relevant people or groups.
“The Chinese government’s baseless sanctions on U.S. and foreign government officials who advocate for human rights and religious freedom in China are an attempt to silence growing international criticism and scrutiny of its genocidal policies against Uyghur and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang. This tactic will not work,” Gayle Manchin said.
“USCIRF will not be silenced. We will not stop speaking out against the Chinese government’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity.”