In The News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., announced Monday that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will award $8,535,702 to health centers in Huntington and Baker, West Virginia. The funding will be used to support the medical, dental, behavioral health and pharmaceutical services the centers provide."Both Valley Health Systems and E.A. Hawse Health Center provide critically important care to the communities they serve," Manchin... Read More

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., presided over a hearing Tuesday regarding legislation that would affect air quality standards, specifically regarding ozone.The bills, Senate Bills 263 and 452, would delay the implementation and enforcement of standards to allow governments and businesses additional time to comply with the guidelines.Capito serves as chairwoman of the Clean Air and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The... Read More

The White House has buckled to major congressional pressure and restored more than $300 million in funding to fight drug abuse.President Trump's budget proposal released Tuesday does not cut the funding of the Office of the National Drug Control Policy. An earlier leaked budget proposal eliminated funding for the office, claiming it was duplicative.But the proposed cut caused an uproar in Congress, which just passed major legislation to combat the opioid abuse epidemic last year.Lawmakers... Read More

The White House has backed down from its controversial proposal to virtually eliminate funding for the federal drug control office amid a nationwide opioid epidemic.The administration was originally eyeing a 95 percent cut to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, POLITICO first reported earlier this month. The cut would have essentially halved the staff at the office overseeing the nation's response to the opioid epidemic while slashing two major grant programs.But after facing pressure... Read More

Ever since 1917, any American service member killed or wounded in action has been awarded with the Purple Heart, a medal intended to show the nation’s gratitude for the sacrifice he or she made in service to the country.U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., has personal reasons for signing onto a bill working its way through the United States Senate that would make it a crime to sell a deceased or wounded soldier’s Purple Heart.“My father is a Purple Heart recipient, and... Read More

RONCEVERTE — Wrapping up a battle waged since 2014, state officials and West Virginia’s congressional delegation opened the Greenbrier VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic here on Monday.After air-quality issues led to the closure of the old Greenbrier clinic temporarily in 2014 and permanently in 2015, area veterans had to either visit temporary mobile clinics or trek up to Beckley to one of the state’s main VA hospitals.As Stacy Vasquez, director of the Beckley VA... Read More

WHEELING — West Virginia’s congressional delegation is showing a unified front in pushing for an ethane storage hub for central Appalachia, and they hope state leaders in Ohio and Pennsylvania join them.U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., were joined Thursday by Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., and American Chemistry Council President Cal Dooley for a news conference to tout the economic benefits of placing the hub near oil and gas reserves in Appalachia... Read More

HUNTINGTON - The Huntington VA Medical Center could soon sport the name of one of West Virginia's finest - Hershel "Woody" Williams.U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., announced Thursday they have petitioned Congress to rename the VA after the state's only living Medal of Honor recipient."Woody has dedicated his life to public service, and he has represented the state of West Virginia with the utmost honor and distinction," Manchin said in a statement. "After... Read More

West Virginia lawmakers renewed their push to revitalize their state's chemical manufacturing industry with a new ethane storage hub in Appalachia.Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R) and Joe Manchin (D) rolled out S. 1075 yesterday. And, Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.) said at the same news conference that he will introduce a companion House bill today.The "Appalachian Ethane Storage Hub Study Act" would task the Energy and Commerce departments to determine the feasibility of building a... Read More

CLARKSBURG — Three of West Virginia’s congressional representatives hosted a press conference at the U.S. Capitol Thursday to discuss the potential economic benefits of undertaking a multibillion-dollar energy infrastructure project in the Appalachian region.Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin and Republican Rep. David McKinley held the conference to talk about the Appalachian Ethane Storage Hub Study Act of 2017.The act was introduced in the Senate last... Read More

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., introduced a bill Wednesday to name the Veterans Affairs hospital in Huntington after a Fairmont veteran.Manchin and Capito are petitioning to designate the Huntington Veterans Affairs Medical Center as the Hershel “Woody” Williams Veterans Affairs Medical Center.Williams, 93, is West Virginia’s only living Medal of Honor recipient and a World War II veteran. After retiring from the Marine... Read More

Now that lawmakers have secured a permanent health care fix for more than 22,600 retired coal miners who were at risk of losing their health benefits, efforts are now focused on securing the endangered pensions of those same coal miners.Legislation introduced last week in the U.S. Senate, called the Miners Pension Protection Act, would secure the nation’s retired miners pensions by shoring up the 1974 pension plan which is headed for insolvency due to coal company... Read More

BECKLEY – In an effort to expand care programs for drug-exposed newborns, U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins, R-W.Va., and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., introduced bipartisan legislation Wednesday called the Caring Recovery for Infants and Babies (CRIB) Act. The CRIB Act would build on the best practices of Lily’s Place in Huntington for treating babies born exposed to heroin, opioids and other drugs. It would also make it easier for similar centers to open across the... Read More

Significant federal funding cuts proposed to the Office of National Drug Control Policy would undercut ongoing efforts here in southern West Virginia and Southwest Virginia to combat the region’s opioid epidemic. And that could mean fewer resources locally to fight the ever-growing drug addiction problem.Area lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., are urging the Trump administration to reconsider any funding cuts to the Office of National Drug Control Policy.... Read More

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — Law enforcement agencies in Wood County are working to gain federal resources to combat drug abuse in its communities.The Parkersburg Violent Crime and Narcotics Task Force is hoping Wood County will be designated as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, which would enable further coordination with federal, state and local law enforcement officials to combat problems related to drug use.The task force consists of the West Virginia State Police, the Wood County... Read More

U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Heidi Heitkamp have introduced legislation they hope will help stop the rate of maternal deaths in the country.The goal of the bill is to boost resources to combat the problem by expanding maternal mortality review committees to study and address causes of maternal death cases to make pregnancies safe, according to the Friday news release.“The number of women dying in this country due to pregnancy complications is staggering — especially when you... Read More

While we understand the need for the federal government to get spending under control, proposed cuts to drug-fighting efforts are bad news for West Virginia.The Trump Administration is proposing slashing the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) budget from $380 million to $24 million. That will render it basically useless.In the midst of a drug epidemic of historic proportion, where more and more of our young people die each day before they can seek treatment, the 95 percent cut is... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) Monday announced West Virginia will receive an additional $3,212,000 through the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery program (CDBG-DR).These funds are used to support recovery from major disasters, such as last June’s floods. The additional funding brings the total amount the state will receive to assist in disaster recovery efforts to $107,492,000 for FY2017.Senator Capito... Read More

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., announced Monday additional funds West Virginia will receive to support recovery efforts related to the June 2016 floods.The $3.2 million in assistance comes from the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery program, which is controlled by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.Twenty-three people died in last year’s flood. Additionally, a state of emergency was declared across... Read More

Officials with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy should have no problem granting the request of Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., to designate Wood County a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. Last year, Wood County ranked just fifth in the state for fatal drug overdoses, with the number of deaths having risen 260 percent between 2010 and 2016.Right here at home, 23 of every 100,000 residents suffers a fatal... Read More