West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito believes that today's challenges demand bipartisan solutions. She supports commonsense policies that promote economic growth, unleash energy potential, lift up working families, and build a better West Virginia for the next generation.
From growing up in Glen Dale in the Northern Panhandle, to representing the 2nd Congressional District from the Ohio River up to the Eastern Panhandle, to raising her family in Charleston, Shelley knows the ins and outs of every region of the state. Early in life, Shelley saw how her father, Governor Arch Moore Jr., instituted changes to improve West Virginia—building up not only infrastructure and the economy but also families and state pride. It’s that mindset that inspires her work today.
Senator Capito has championed small businesses as the creators of American jobs. She understands American-made goods and services stimulate our economy and encourage further job growth throughout West Virginia. Senator Capito has always advocated for a low-tax, pro-growth economic policy to encourage small business employment and expansion. She will continue to support policies that will spur entrepreneurship, growth and American innovation.
The introduction and implementation of Obamacare harmed many small businesses and has resulted in forced layoffs for many companies. In response, Senator Capito cosponsored the American Job Protection Act, a bill that would protect employers from job-killing Obamacare policies by removing the federal mandate on employers to offer health insurance.
As part of her Capito Connect plan, Senator Capito will ensure that our small businesses have the necessary tools to succeed and expand, including access to high-speed broadband. Broadband is critical to develop new businesses and retain prosperous small businesses that have been built in West Virginia.
Senator Capito believes the federal government is spending too much. West Virginians work hard to live within their means, and Washington should be held to the same standard. Saddling future generations with burdensome debt is not responsible, and our country cannot afford to prolong its reckless deficit spending. Our government should operate more effectively and efficiently on behalf of American taxpayers.
During her time in Congress, Senator Capito has supported a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. She has consistently voted for appropriations measures that reduce federal expenditures. This year, Congress passed a joint budget resolution that balances the country’s budget in ten years without raising taxes. It funds a strong national defense, invests in our nation's transportation and energy infrastructure and promotes job growth.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the joint balanced budget will boost economic growth by $500 billion and create more than 1.3 million jobs over the next 10 years. Hard-working American families will feel the benefits, and West Virginians will see an increase of more than 7,300 jobs by 2025.
Passage of a Senate Budget resolution in March 2015 enabled the Appropriations Committee, of which Senator Capito is a member, ample time to debate and pass bills that fund specific programs. For the first time since 2009, the full committee approved all 12 appropriations bills in 2015.
Especially in light of the president’s proposed budget, which added $8.5 trillion to the national debt, Senator Capito supports balance, accountability and fiscal responsibility. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Capito has the ability to influence federal spending decisions in a powerful, direct way. Congress must make difficult decisions to eliminate waste and reduce our $18 trillion debt in order to reduce the burden on our children and grandchildren.