Click here or on the image above to watch Senator Capito’s remarks. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, delivered remarks at a full Appropriations Committee markup on the FY26 Labor-HHS funding bill.

Below is the opening statement of Chairman Capito as prepared for delivery:

“Thank you, Chair Collins and Vice Chair Murray.

“I applaud your steadfast commitment to returning to regular order, and I hope that our work continues to the Senate floor.

“As we near the end of these subcommittee markups, I’d like to thank all my fellow committee members for their input.

“We received 12,548 total member requests for the Labor-H appropriations bill. This bill is always one of the most difficult appropriations bills to negotiate.

“This is the third year Senator Baldwin and I have been at the helm of the Labor-H Subcommittee, and I’m pleased to once again present a bipartisan bill to the Full Committee.

“The Labor-H bill allocates limited taxpayer resources to key bipartisan priorities at a lower level than fiscal year 2025.

“The bill includes a number of bipartisan member priorities such as greater investments in America’s biomedical research, child care, education, mental and rural health, and continued efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.

“As we work to right-size the federal government, the bill also includes careful, targeted decreases, while ensuring that agencies have appropriate staffing levels to carry out their statutory responsibilities.

“The bill also maintains long-standing riders and excludes any new controversial riders.

“I have heard from many West Virginians throughout this process about questions they have regarding funding for programs throughout the state. I am proud that this bill provides critical funding for those worthy initiatives.

“Our legislation seeks to provide more certainty and support for the work being done in my home state that help improve the lives of so many West Virginians.

“Our bill provides an increase for the National Institutes of Health to continue prioritizing biomedical research in the United States.

“This investment includes targeted increases for research in specific areas such as Alzheimer’s, Diabetes, Parkinson’s, women’s health, maternal health, rare diseases, and cancer.

“We have also maintained funding for NIH’s IDeA program, that provides funding to 23 states that historically had lower levels of NIH funding, including my state of West Virginia.

“The IDeA state program has been so important for research at West Virginia institutions like WVU and Marshall University.

“Today’s bill also builds on our efforts to combat substance abuse, which remains a serious problem in West Virginia, by providing funding for addiction treatment, prevention, research, and recovery programs. 

“This bill also provides resources to support our health workforce, including nurses, geriatric providers, and professionals to respond to the addiction crisis, which will help providers in West Virginia. 

“The Labor-HHS bill again prioritizes our children starting with early childhood all the way through postsecondary education to make sure our students are prepared for jobs today and in the future.

“The bill also makes critical investments in our workforce to improve outcomes for workers looking to upskill and advance in their careers.

“The bill includes funding for apprenticeship grants, including those designed to boost the utility sector workforce, to support the administration’s goal of creating 1 million active apprenticeships.

“The bill maintains important funding to support workers’ rights and ensure the safety of our workplaces.

“I’ve just described several bipartisan programs we have included to improve the lives of Americans, and I encourage my colleagues to support this Labor-H bill.

“I want to briefly thank all the staff that worked to put this product together.

“On Senator Baldwin’s staff: Mike Gentile, Mark Laisch, Meghan Mott, Kathryn Toomajian, Erin Dugan, Amanda Beaumont, and Janie Dulaney.

“On my Labor-HHS staff: Emily Slack, Catherine Knowles, Elizabeth Joseph, Heather Wadyka, and Jordan Lawlor.

“And, I’d like to thank those on the Full Committee staff that help all of our subcommittees: Clint Trocchio, Ben Hammond, and the wonderful GPO team led by Valerie Hutton.

“Thank you again Chair Collins and Vice Chair Murray.”

 

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