The next is the transcript of the interview with West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey, a Republican, that aired on “Face the Country with Margaret Brennan” on Nov. 9, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We cross now to the Republican Governor of West Virginia Patrick Morrisey, who joins us from Charleston. Excellent morning to you, sir.
GOVERNOR PATRICK MORRISEY: Hello, excellent morning, Margaret. Excellent to be with you.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So your state has one of the crucial perfect poverty charges within the nation. Just about 16% of citizens depend on meals stamps, that SNAP program we now have been speaking about. Actually, the first actual meals stamp pilot program started in West Virginia again within the Nineteen Sixties. Given the present shutdown and the way rural your state is, I’m wondering can you get lend a hand to people who want it at the moment?
GOV. MORRISEY: Completely, glance nice query. I do wish to get started out, initially, thanks for having me at the program. One piece of data popping out of West Virginia. Now we have had a mining twist of fate, and we now have groups down in search of a lacking miner. I simply wish to say that our hearts and prayers cross out to the circle of relatives of that miner. We are doing the whole thing we will to find that particular person. Now, with regards to the federal government shutdown, we are doing the whole thing we will to lend a hand the ones in want. On the very starting, I began status up for the federal employees, and we introduced that, to deal with probably the most considerations with meals, we had been going to ship vital bucks to the meals banks. Through the following day, that’ll be as much as $13 million. I have activated the Nationwide Guard and we are doing issues to be sure that nobody in West Virginia is going hungry. Our individuals are hurting at the moment, and I am doing the whole thing I will be able to to resolve the issues whilst Washington bickers. However I do wish to be transparent, this shutdown may come to an finish in an instant. It is as much as Chuck Schumer or simply having six extra Democrats step around the line. There may be been a blank CR at the desk to be had for a while. Folks will have to benefit from that, and let’s get the federal government reopened after which we will cross in regards to the industry of adjusting the numerous different issues dealing with our nation.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah. I am sorry to listen to in regards to the mining twist of fate. However at the factor of meals stamps, Governor Moore of Maryland mentioned that he were advised the state can be punished, necessarily, for fronting the cash. Is that the message the government additionally gave to you. West Virginia would possibly not get the ones bucks again?
GOV. MORRISEY: No, smartly, initially, I wish to emphasize the Trump management has been a perfect spouse to paintings with all through the previous yr in the case of the industrial growth that we are making right here in West Virginia.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Positive.
GOV. MORRISEY: But in addition we now have reached out, I used to be the primary particular person to succeed in out to the government, so we had our nationwide parks reopened.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
GOV. MORRISEY: And now we are operating by way of activating the guard and striking sources on the meals banks. We are in reality creating a distinction to stay folks from getting hungry. So we now have been in very shut touch with the Trump management, and they have got been very cooperative. Glance, I feel they know, and everybody’s pissed off, that you are six votes quick. Those Democrats are pronouncing no to reopening the federal government. It is a Schumer shutdown. I feel President Trump is bending over backwards —
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Neatly. —
GOV. MORRISEY: — To be useful, and I am interested by the issues he is doing in the case of how he is dealing with this —
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Neatly. —
GOV. MORRISEY: — And the wider financial problems at massive.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Neatly, there may be the combat within the courts, particularly, about offering complete meals assist. The Trump management initiated that. I wish to play one thing for you as a result of 70% of West Virginians voted for President Trump within the remaining election. However this is how he described the meals stamp program.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: In large part, whilst you discuss SNAP, you might be speaking about in large part Democrats. However I am President, I wish to lend a hand everyone. I wish to lend a hand Democrats and Republicans. However whilst you speaking about SNAP, if you happen to glance, it is in large part Democrats. They are hurting their very own folks.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Have you ever made the White Area acutely aware of the ache from the meals SNAP, the meals program disruption, particularly?
GOV. MORRISEY: Yeah, so we now have been operating carefully with the White Area, and I feel they know they have got been very supportive of numerous the efforts that we are taking to be sure that folks do not get hungry. That is the final purpose. We now have to verify we are protective our folks. Margaret, you might be proper. We now have 270,000 plus folks on SNAP, however as soon as once more, there is one explanation why —
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Yeah. —
GOV. MORRISEY: — why they are no longer getting the sources. It is because individuals are insisting so as to add some of these new items on most sensible of only a invoice to stay the federal government open. —
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Neatly —
GOV. MORRISEY: — That is the worry we now have. However we now have been getting actually excellent reaction from the Trump management around the board. —
MARGARET BRENNAN: — K. —
GOV. MORRISEY: — Whether or not we are speaking in regards to the meals problems, whether or not we are speaking about our power jobs and even only recently, the conversations we are having about President Trump’s Rural Well being Transformation invoice to position sources up entrance to save lots of public expenditures on the again finish. —
MARGARET BRENNAN: — I wish to ask you about that. —
GOV. MORRISEY: — That is the type of excellent operating courting we now have had.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I wish to ask you about that as a result of I do know West Virginia has one of the crucial perfect charges within the nation for presidency insurance coverage. There may be worry about rural hospitals. There may be this Rural Well being Transformation Program Congress arrange. Your state may get $100 million a yr for 5 years, however your West Virginia Medical institution Affiliation says that your hospitals are going to lose greater than one thousand million bucks consistent with yr on account of this newest Giant Stunning Invoice Republicans handed. How do you’re making up that more or less shortfall?
GOV. MORRISEY: Neatly, I feel what President Trump and RFK and Dr. Oz. are looking to do is not unusual sense. In the event you subscribe to the adage a ounce of prevention is value a pound of treatment, what they are looking to do is make investments the one biggest amount of cash in bettering rural well being. And in West Virginia that implies the whole thing as a result of we are an excessively rural state. So the sources can cross to put money into our folks, to put money into our hospitals, our suppliers and the generation that in reality can transfer the needle in the case of bettering well being care results —
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Yeah. —
GOV. MORRISEY: — up entrance. Attacking weight problems and COPD and substance use dysfunction. —
MARGARET BRENNAN: — K. —
GOV. MORRISEY: — So we are actually interested by that, as a result of if we observe the sources the fitting approach —
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Yeah. —
GOV. MORRISEY: — I do not believe we are going to have the diminution of public expenditures on the again finish.
MARGARET BRENNAN: K.
GOV. MORRISEY: That is the commonsense method we are seeing from the Trump management —
MARGARET BRENNAN: — K. —
GOV. MORRISEY: — that we aren’t seeing from Schumer —
MARGARET BRENNAN: — Alright. —
GOV. MORRISEY: — and Democrats in Congress.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Governor, we need to depart it there. We’re out of time. Thanks. We’re going to be proper again.
