WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the below statement after voting to pass a continuing resolution to fund the government through February 8, 2018, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for six years.
“I welcome the decision to pass a long-term solution for CHIP that provides certainty to the many families who depend on this critical program. I have been a strong supporter of the Children’s Health Insurance Program for two decades, and I am very happy that the Senate has enacted the longest reauthorization since its original inception. This bill is a big win for the 22,000 West Virginia children who rely on CHIP and their families.
“This legislation also ends the government shutdown, providing funds for our national security and many other priorities that West Virginians and so many others across the country depend on. While this short-term solution will allow us to re-open the government, we have more work to do. I urge my colleagues in the House to act swiftly and pass this important legislation. And then we need to get to work on a longer-term funding bill that delivers critical resources to our military, veterans, seniors, and working families.”
BACKGROUND: Senator Capito has been an advocate for the Children’s Health Insurance Program throughout its 20-year history. As a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates in the late 1990s, she was a member of the conference committee charged with implementing CHIP in the state. She also supported the program as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and made long-term funding for the program a top priority after being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014.
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