Perhaps the loudest voice against federal spending echoes from the hills of West Virginia, where resentment toward the government is palpable. Many fear that Washington is intruding on their individual rights ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” taking away their guns, destroying their religion, and allowing immigrants to overrun America. Former President Donald Trump stoked these fears, labeling immigrants as criminals guilty of rape and murder.
This antigovernment movement, however, didnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t start with Trump. It can be traced back to former President Ronald Reagan in 1981 when he declared, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œGovernment is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ ReaganÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s rhetoric painted welfare recipients as lazy and undeserving, famously claiming during a stump speech in Asheville, North Carolina, that welfare recipients in New York City were living in luxury, with 11-foot ceilings and access to a swimming pool. His message was clear: Welfare was wasteful, and those receiving it were taking advantage of the system. The Republican Party has since carried that torch, perpetuating the notion that government programs are bloated and inefficient.
But Reagan would likely be appalled by West Virginia today, a state that relies heavily on the federal programs he derided. Programs created and implemented by Democrats ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment benefits, the GI Bill for veterans, federal home loans, student loans, Head Start, black lung benefits, SNAP (food stamps), low-income housing assistance, WIC, and the Affordable Care Act ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” support 700,000 West Virginians. In essence, the state depends on the very government assistance that its residents often reject.
Democrats have also passed other crucial legislation that benefits West Virginians, including the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act under President Lyndon Johnson. More recently, infrastructure programs under the Biden administration aim to rebuild roads, bridges, high-speed rail, and other national improvements.
Under the Biden American Rescue Plan, West Virginia was provided $1.4 billion for various economic initiatives, with an additional $916 million allocated to towns and cities. Morgantown recently announced a $100 million sewer upgrade, and Huntington is planning a similar project that could cost up to $200 million. These investments represent substantial progress for the state.
In contrast, the Republican Party has done little to improve the lives of West Virginians. Trump, for all his promises to bring back coal jobs, failed to do so. Instead, he lowered taxes for the ultra-wealthy, increasing the national debt by $3 trillion. Yet, despite receiving little help from the GOP, West Virginia remains a deep red state.
How is this possible? Suzanne Mettler, a political scientist at Cornell University, offers a potential explanation in her book, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThe Government-Citizens Disconnect.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Mettler found that 44% of the middle class holds conservative, anti-welfare views. Her research in Eastern Kentucky revealed that many people who despised welfare continued to elect candidates intent on abolishing it, effectively voting against their own interests. She also noted that those receiving direct welfare benefits, such as food stamps, tend not to vote. In the 2022 West Virginia general election, voter turnout was less than 50%.
MettlerÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s research suggests that people who need government assistance the most often hate it the most, a sentiment spread by right-wing Republican groups like the Cato Institute, Heritage Foundation, and the Koch Brothers. These organizations aim to dismantle the welfare state and, in doing so, weaken democracy. The Heritage FoundationÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œProject 2025ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ was designed by over 100 Trump associates with that very goal in mind.
West Virginia also hosts 10 right-wing militia and hate groups, including the Oath Keepers in Gilbert, who see themselves as defenders of citizens from federal overreach. In the 1950s and ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥˜60s, trust in the government was high ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” 60-70% of Americans had faith in federal institutions. Today, only one in five share that trust.
The question remains: How can West Virginia function in this climate of mistrust and animosity? If Trump and the MAGA movement succeed in their antigovernment agenda, where will that leave West Virginia? A state so deeply dependent on federal programs may find itself in dire straits if the very system that sustains it is dismantled.
Huey Perry is a graduate of Berea College and Marshall University with degrees in political science. He is the author of three books: ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œTheyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ll Cut Off Your Project,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œBlaze Starr,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ and ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThe Legacy Of Gilbert Creek Road.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
