In The News

For many in West Virginia, Obamacare’s skyrocketing costs, few insurance options and limited choices in doctors and hospitals have hurt families, patients and small businesses. At the same time, others have benefited from our state’s decision to expand coverage through Medicaid. Still, the reality is that Obamacare is not working for a majority of Americans. Congress recently took the first steps toward repealing Obamacare and transitioning toward policies that will make health care... Read More

Congressional Republicans have formally kicked off their campaign to roll back pieces of former President Obama’s environmental agenda — but progressive activists are mounting fierce resistance to their efforts. Leaders in both the House and Senate on Monday introduced measures that would overturn the Obama administration’s so-called “Stream Protection Rule,” an Interior Department regulation that adds new restrictions to coal development by requiring companies... Read More

WASHINGTON – Lawmakers have introduced resolutions of disapproval in an effort to overturn the Stream Protection Rule, one of last acts finalized under former President Barack Obama. In December, the Department of Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement finished guidelines to protect 6,000 miles of waterways and 52,000 acres of forestry, mainly in West Virgini, Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsylvania. As part of the rules, a 100-foot buffer zone must be... Read More

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., will continue to serve as a counsel to the majority leader in the 115th Congress, according to a release from Capito's office. Capito is one of four counsels to the majority leader in the 115th Congress. As counsel, Capito will offer input, guidance and advice to the Republican leadership. Capito will also continue to serve as a member of the Senate Republican Whip Team in the 115th Congress.As a member of the Appropriations Committee,... Read More

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – A handwritten note from President Donald Trump to Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., shows his support for West Virginia's coal miners. On Dec. 9, 2016, Capito wrote to then President-elect Trump of her concerns about preserving retirement benefits for the nation's coal miners, saying, "I write to you to request your help and support for enacting the Miners Protection Act early in the 115th Congress." A handwritten note from President Trump on the... Read More

CHARLESTON, WV (WCHS/WVAH) — President Donald Trump responded to a call to action from U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, telling her he is for West Virginia’s coal miners. On December 9, Capito sent Trump a letter calling for him to take up the Miners Protection Act in his administration. On Wednesday, Capito received the letter back with a handwritten note from Trump saying, “I am all for the miners.”The Miners Protection Act is an... Read More

WASHINGTON — Four Republican U.S. Senators, including West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, introduced Monday the Patient Freedom Act (PFA) of 2017, a bill the senators call a "comprehensive replacement plan for Obamacare." "The Patient Freedom Act (PFA) of 2017 would take power from Washington and return it to state capitols in order to increase access to affordable health insurance and improve patient choice, while preserving important consumer protections," the release said. "This... Read More

CHARLESTON, W.Va – Senator Shelley Moore Capito recently introduced a plan to replace the Affordable Care Act that she says will benefit West Virginians more than the Affordable Care Act has. Her plan is called, The Patient Freedom Act of 2017. Under the act, Senator Capito would reduce the Affordable Care Act regulations that she says have caused health insurance premiums to skyrocket.It would return authority to the states and provide people with more choices.However, it would keep key... Read More

WASHINGTON (WSAZ) – U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, who is helping spearhead the Patient Freedom Act, spoke with WSAZ Tuesday about the plan. Capito, R-W.Va., says the Affordable Care Act is not working for West Virginians and that the Patient Freedom Act is a smart choice. “What this does is it helps people whose premiums are skyrocketing, whose deductibles are skyrocketing, who basically have lost their insurance,” Capito said. “It will help employers who are... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) as well as Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.) have come out in support of President Donald Trump’s executive order to move forward with the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. In a statement, the White House said Trump is fulfilling a campaign promise in approving Keystone XL, adding it “would create tens of thousands of jobs for American workers” and make the United States more energy... Read More

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Sen. Shelley Moore Capito is supporting legislation that would allow states to keep the Affordable Care Act if they want — or choose a new state alternative, or even to design their own alternatives. The “Patient Freedom Act,” designed to be a partial replacement for the Affordable Care Act, was proposed Monday. Capito, who co-signed the bill, said it will trim regulations and reduce costs but retain popular aspects of the Affordable... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nominees for key positions in the Trump administration are beginning to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. West Virginia U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito both voted Friday evening to confirm General James Mattis as Secretary of Defense and General John Kelly for secretary of Homeland Security. Manchin on Mattis:“Today I voted to confirm General James Mattis as the U.S. Department of Defense Secretary. As a former Governor, I understand how... Read More

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Coinciding with President Donald J. Trump’s inauguration, the official White House web page switched over to make its first policy brief a pledge to eliminate the Climate Action Plan and the Waters of the U.S. rule that had been backed by the Obama administration. Many of West Virginia’s political figures, including the congressional delegation and the state Attorney General, have been critical of those policies. When the White House website... Read More

Two area lawmakers have reintroduced a critical federal measure that seeks to spur new business investment in communities that are facing economic challenges due to job losses in the coal industry. The Creating Opportunities for Rural Economies (CORE) Act has been reintroduced in the new Congress by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins, R-W.Va. The CORE act would allocate a portion of available New Markets Tax Credits to be used for development in... Read More

At noon today, Donald J. Trump will stand on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol Building with his left hand on the bible and his right in the air, as Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts administers to him the presidential oath of office. This moment is the culmination of what many are calling an unconventional presidential campaign, and it will be the beginning of what many are predicting to be an equally unconventional term in office. “I think one of the things that came out of the... Read More

CHARLESTON —  U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., is busy preparing for the beginning of Donald Trump’s administration, and she has high hopes. She believes the incoming administration changes will help Congress get things done. “The last eight years have been challenging,” Capito said. “The policies have hindered growth and jobs in West Virginia, and we need to get our confidence back.”Capito said one of her goals is increasing access to... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WDTV) – U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced the names of the two West Virginia students who will serve as delegates to the 55th annual United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) in Washington, D.C. Joseph Marshal Touma of Huntington and Antonella Carmen Blanco of Union were selected to attend the program’s Washington Week on March 4-11 with more than 100 other student delegates. “Through exceptionally hard... Read More

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The federal legislation that would guarantee pension and health care funding for retired coal miners and the widows of miners has been reintroduced in the U.S. Senate. The Miners Protection Act would use money from the Abandoned Mine Lands fund to inject money into a program that has fallen on tough times in recent years for several reasons including a growing number of bankrupt coal companies. The program is currently being funded by a continuing resolution passed... Read More

NEW YORK — Anna Westin was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa when she was 16. After fighting her insurance company for years to get them to pay for the amount of treatment she required, she committed suicide, feeling like her family would be better off without her as a “burden." In December, Congress passed the 21st Century Cures Act, which includes the Anna Westin Act. The bill will use existing funds to create grant programs to train school personnel, primary care physicians, and... Read More

While media attention is largely focused now on the ongoing efforts by Republican lawmakers to repeal and replace Obamacare, legislation quietly passed by lawmakers last month — and signed into law by President Barack Obama — will provide billions in federal funding to fight cancer, Alzheimer’s and other serious health ailments. The 21st Century Cures Act also allocates more than $1 billion in funding to help fight the deadly opioid crisis that is ravaging states like West... Read More