Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) lobbied President Joe Biden’s administration to secure a multimillion-dollar grant on behalf of a coalition of groups that included an organization with ties to his campaign, according to Fox News.
Appalachian Climate Technology (ACT) Now is a coalition led by the Coalfield Development Corporation, which is composed of several West Virginia municipalities, schools, and organizations. One of those organizations is the Charleston Area Alliance, an economic development group led by Jack Rossi, Manchin’s campaign treasurer.
Coalfield Development’s ACT Now Coalition was one of several organizations competent for $100 million in federal funding from Biden’s American Rescue Plan.
Ultimately, the Department of Commerce awarded ACT Now $62.8 million. Of the nearly $63 million, $13 million went to the Learning, Innovation, Food & Technology (LIFT) Center in Charleston, West Virginia, which benefits Rossi’s Charleston Area Alliance.
