Justice says he is not ready to 'bail out' WVU

Sep. 14—Governor Jim Justice says he is not ready to "bail out" West Virginia University.

The Republican governor was asked during his administration briefing Wednesday if he would act upon a letter sent to him by four lawmakers — all Democrats — who want Justice to call a special session of the legislature to deal with the financial problems at WVU.

"I do not think there is an appetite from the standpoint of the leadership in the legislature at this time to basically bailout WVU," Justice said.

Instead, Justice said it is important for lawmakers to give the university time to get its house in financial order.

"Let's give them time, and let them know we are standing in the wings and will always be supportive of our great university, but they need to get their house in order and we need to give them time to do so," Justice said.

According to Justice, there is "some level of bloating in programs" at WVU, including some courses that could probably be eliminated.

Last week, the WVU faculty approved a symbolic vote of no confidence in President E. Gordon Gee. The university is facing a $45 million budget shortfall, according to the Associated Press.

But Justice on Wednesday reiterated his support for Gee and the WVU board of governors.

"I have all of the confidence in the world in WVU, President Gee and the board of governors," Justice said.

WVU is dealing with declining enrollment, revenue lost during the COVID-19 pandemic and an increasing debt load for new building projects. The budget shortfall is projected to grow as high as $75 million in five years.

In other news Wednesday, Justice and the West Virginia Fusion Center announced the launch of the new "YOU CAN" initiative aimed at stopping human trafficking in the Mountain State. Jack Luikart, director of the fusion center, joined Justice at Wednesday's briefing to address the new campaign.

The "YOU CAN" initiative aims to bring awareness to human trafficking in the state.

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which traffickers use force, fraud or coercion to control victims for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts or labor services against their will, according to the governor's office. Although law enforcement officers are tasked with investigating human trafficking cases, West Virginia citizens are asked to help by reporting suspicious behavior.

"It's time for all West Virginians, all our agencies, and all our communities to watch out, report and support law enforcement so we can stop this disgusting behavior in our great state," Justice said.

Since its inception in 2007, the Human Trafficking Hotline has received more than 800 calls, resulting in 550 victims identified in 246 cases in West Virginia.

"The available data might give the impression human trafficking is not prevalent in West Virginia — but that's not true," Luikart said. "Human Trafficking is often significantly underreported because it is not understood, and there is a lack of community awareness of these activities and reporting mechanisms, which is why the YOU CAN initiative is so vital."

"Human trafficking is a heinous crime that affects millions of individuals globally, and it often goes unnoticed due to its covert nature," Secretary of State Mac Warner added Wednesday. "To address this issue, the WV Secretary of State's Office has partnered with the WV Fusion Center to develop and disseminate materials to educate businesses on how to become vigilant advocates in the fight against human trafficking as part of the You Can initiative."

In other news, politics creeped into Wednesday's administration briefing when Justice was asked when he was going to respond to the frequent attacks against him by U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va.

Both Justice and Mooney are seeking the Republican nomination for the Mountain State's high-profile U.S. Senate contest to challenge incumbent Democrat Joe Manchin in 2024. Manchin, for his part, has yet to say whether he actually intends to seek re-election or not.

The Mooney campaign has been sending out regular press releases in recent days attacking Justice. On Wednesday, Mooney criticized Justice for being "silent" on the decision by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. Mooney said he "fully backs" the impeachment inquiry into Biden after a months-long investigation in the House. On Tuesday, Mooney accused Justice of owing "millions of dollars in fines" from mines owned by the Justice family.

However, Justice said Wednesday that Mooney was a "desperate man."

"I'm surely not going to drop myself to Alex Mooney's level," Justice said. "He's a desperate man. He's so far behind we can't even see he's in the race. So let him do what he wants to do."

Recent polls have shown Justice defeating both Mooney and then Manchin in the U.S. Senate race.

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com. Follow him @BDTOwens