West Virginia’s recent change of leadership has portrayed two very different pictures of the state’s budget. Before leaving Charleston for Washington, U.S. Sen. Jim Justice announced West Virginia recorded a $36.7 million surplus in December, the sixth month of Fiscal Year 2025. Shortly after taking over as governor, Patrick Morrisey projected the next fiscal year to start with a $400 million deficit. He did acknowledge that he believed Fiscal Year 2025 would end with a balanced budget. During a call with Sen. Justice, Eyewitness News asked for clarification on the numbers and he said it’s not clear where the deficit numbers came from and he doesn’t believe them. Morrisey said his team has found that educational costs, the Public Employees Insurance Agency and a reliance on one-time revenue sources are contributing to the projected deficit.