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West Virginia Governor calls for changes to school clothing vouchers to prevent ATM withdrawals

Photo: jetcityimage - stock.adobe.com

August 6, 2026

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Gov. Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia is calling for the school clothing voucher program to be adjusted. He has made this call due to data that the vouchers are instead used to withdraw cash from ATMs, according to areport by WCHS TV.

His office claims that around 49.5% of all funds are withdrawn from ATMs, making the state unable to tell where the money is spent.

"I want the money for school clothes, not for beer or cigarettes," Morrisey said. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to push for that, and I'm not going to let people change the topic."

Anti-poverty advocates say that the governor's arguments are overlooking key realities, such as the fact that many retailers don't allow purchases via Electronic Benefit Transfer cash cards, so they have to withdraw the money first.

"They think you're buying beer and cigarettes," Amy Jo Hutchison, campaign organizer for MomsRising, said in the report. "When really, you're going to the ATM machine because the store in your town doesn't accept EBT for clothing purchases."

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