WASHINGTON, DC – As the U.S. Senate concludes the confirmation process for President Donald J. Trump’s Cabinet nominees and pivots to federal budget discussions, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) appeared before a breakfast meeting of The Ripon Society to outline her policy priorities as the newly elected Chair of the Republican Policy Committee.
Senator Capito highlighted the looming budget challenges, including a likely vote-a-rama, and the administration’s push for tax reform.
“We’re staring down the barrel of another vote-a-rama on that particular budget bill,” Senator Capito shared in her opening remarks. “I would anticipate that they will make some changes to it. Folks on our side have been meeting with the President. The President wants permanent tax reform. He also wants some of the things he promised during the election, maybe no taxes on tips and other things.”
In addition to those campaign promises being included, the Mountain State legislator addressed the sweeping budget cuts the President seeks to implement both through the newly minted Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and other federal avenues.
Later on, the Chairwoman praised Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) for managing over twenty successful cabinet-level confirmations.
“We’ve confirmed 21 cabinet-level positions, and we are voting on cloture on Linda McMahon today. So, she will be number 22. John Thune has done an incredible job as leader. He’s been really, really good. He’s told us he’s going to push us hard to make sure that we are able to fulfill the President’s promise of a strong cabinet.”
In addition to fulfilling the fourth highest position in GOP Senate leadership, the Senator also serves as Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) where she is leading efforts on infrastructure policy.
“We just had our first hearing yesterday on reauthorization of the Highway bill, which is not really up until next year, but we want to hit the ground running, find out what’s working and what isn’t. We’re going to work on permitting reform, which is the talk of the town for the last ten years. We did get the permitting reform in the FRA, but we need more.
“We can’t build, and we can’t get projects to fruition without some kind of permitting reform, any project, not just an energy project or not just a broadband project. So, we’re going to look at where our role of permitting reform can – where we can at EPW – fit in.”
In addition to leading EPW, the Senator also sits on both the Commerce and Appropriations Committees. On Commerce, she has focused on the challenges facing college athletics due to Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) regulations.
“I’m really worried about NIL, coming from a small state where your state university – West Virginia University and Marshall – is a major attraction for great athletes and coaches. What’s going to happen to us? We’re not Texas, we’re not Florida, we’re not California that has a lot of huge funders that can come in. There’s going to be funding fatigue.”
On Appropriations, Capito has worked closely with Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) to move critical legislation forward—an area where past leadership had stalled progress.
“I think Susan Collins has done an excellent job. She’s been waiting a long time to be the Chair of Appropriations. She’s a great legislator. Nobody does her homework like Susan Collins. And nobody knows it more deeply than Susan Collins. And nobody feels it more deeply than Susan Collins, too.”
The Ripon Society is a public policy organization that was founded in 1962 and takes its name from the town where the Republican Party was born in 1854 – Ripon, Wisconsin. One of the main goals of The Ripon Society is to promote the ideas and principles that have made America great and contributed to the GOP’s success. These ideas include keeping our nation secure, keeping taxes low and having a federal government that is smaller, smarter and more accountable to the people.