WASHINGTON, D.C. (WVDN) – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee (RPC), released the below statement following the passage of the Republican Reconciliation bill:
“The Republican Reconciliation bill is a clear reflection of our priorities: securing our borders, rebuilding our military, preventing the largest tax increase in U.S. history, and unleashing American energy. I was proud to vote in favor of this commonsense legislation that not only delivers on the promises we’ve made to the American people, but will put West Virginia and our entire nation on a path to greater economic growth, national security, energy independence, and opportunity,” Senator Capito said.
Senator Capito, who also chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, led efforts to craft legislative text for the reconciliation bill within the EPW Committee’s jurisdiction. Click HERE for more details on this portion of the bill, including a one-pager, highlights, and a section-by-section.
Additional West Virginia wins included in the legislation are below:
- Extends the Hydrogen Tax Credit (45V) until January 1, 2028, which will save Hydrogen Hubs across the country, including West Virginia’s ARCH2 project and the thousands of jobs that it will bring to West Virginia.
- Permanently restore 163j interest deductibility beginning after December 31, 2024, which will provide West Virginia’s small business owners the tools they need to compete, grow, and hire.
- Adds metallurgical coal as a critical mineral to 45x, which will have a significant impact on Southern West Virginia.
- Provides historic investments to strengthen America’s border security and immigration system, something that Senator Capito has long-championed during her time in the Senate, including during her many years as the top Republican on the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee.
- Supports law enforcement officers by providing funding for training and equipment, hiring, and critical grant programs.
- Provides resources to help curb the opioid crisis, particularly the fight against fentanyl, by increasing funding to the U.S. Department of Justice to support efforts to combat deadly drug trafficking.
- Provides funding to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the acquisition, construction, sustainment, and improvement of air traffic control (ATC) facilities and equipment.
- Sustains safety net programs like Medicaid and SNAP over the long-term. Specifically, the legislation puts Medicaid back on a more fiscally stable trajectory for those who need it.
- Invests significant funding in a rural health transformation program to improve access to care and stabilize critical hospitals and other providers.
- Creates a relief fund for rural hospitals, helping to support their critical services and those they serve in rural communities like the many throughout West Virginia.
- Establishes investment accounts for newborns to secure financial futures for every American child from birth.
- Provides $25 billion to replenish and increase stockpiles of critical munitions, including many that have key components manufactured at sites like Allegany Ballistics Laboratory in Mineral County, W.Va.
- Provides $500 million to support the readiness of National Guard units.
- Provides $100 million to accelerate production of the MQ-25 Stingray unmanned refueling drone, of which key components are manufactured in Harrison County, W.Va.
- Provides $1 billion for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) support to border security missions and counterdrug enforcement to protect West Virginians from drug trafficking and fentanyl.
- Provides $9 billion to support service members and their families, including improvements to housing, healthcare, child care, and education benefits.
- Enhances the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC), a tax credit that helps working parents offset the cost of child care.
- Establishes workforce Pell, which will allow students across West Virginia to utilize the Pell Grant to obtain certificates and credentials through short term programs, something Senator Capito has long-advocated for.
- Improves the Employer-Provided Child Care Credit (45F), which supports businesses that want to help provide child care for their employees.
- Expands the Dependent Care Assistance Plans (DCAP), which are flexible spending accounts that allow working parents to set aside pre-tax dollars to pay for child care expenses.
- Invests in rural America by providing significant funding for competitive grants to assist in the construction, alteration, acquisition, modernization, renovation, or remodeling of agricultural research facilities under the Research Facilities Act—something that various institutions of higher education throughout West Virginia support.
