As a member of West Virginia’s manufacturing industry, I want to thank Senator Joe Manchin for drawing a vital line in the sand on federal policy, by opposing the Build Back Better bill.

This hodge-podge of spending programs would not build anything better. Quite the contrary, actually. It would increase dependency on government spending, while at the same time punishing manufacturers and other industries with new taxes. West Virginia is fortunate to have Senator Manchin’s leadership on this important issue. Our state and country cannot afford the reckless spending and political motives behind this plan.

We live in a global market, and small businesses such as ours at Kent Cartridge need to innovate and reinvest in our business every day to compete effectively. The challenges of the last two years opened our eyes to new risks associated with a global supply chain. As such, we are taking steps to become more vertically integrated and create more jobs right here in West Virginia. Build Back Better would have created several barriers for our organization, limiting what we could reinvest and putting our future at risk.

All of us in West Virginia should thank Senator Manchin for standing up for what’s best for West Virginia and the national economy.

Jeff Barry, of Kearneysville