By Charles Young, The Exponent Telegram
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WV News) — West Virginia is a facing a $400 million budget deficit for Fiscal Year 2026, said Gov. Patrick Morrisey on Thursday.
Morrisey, who was inaugurated on Monday, said he and a team have worked to examine the current state of the state’s finances and discovered a “structural deficit” built into the budget.
“For Fiscal Year 2026, the period between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026, the state will have a projected deficit of approximately $400 million, and that number is projected to rise more and more in the out years,” he said. “This is where we stand on Day 1.”
The state has had a “heavy reliance on one-shot” revenues to pay for its ongoing obligations, Morrisey said.
