Dear West Virginian,

On Monday, we will observe Memorial Day. Many West Virginians, past and present, have answered this call of duty, and my thoughts are with the families of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. As the daughter of a World War II veteran, I understand with humble awareness the cost of the freedom we enjoy every day. While this Memorial Day will be honored differently than in years past, it is still as important as ever to honor the brave men and women of the United States Armed Services.

On Wednesday, I spoke on the Senate floor paying tribute to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country and the freedoms we hold dear. Charlie and I are thinking of and praying for the families of those veterans this weekend. Watch my remarks here or click on the image below:

Pelosi’s Fantasy Bill

So far, Congress has worked in a bipartisan fashion to craft coronavirus relief legislation. We’ve passed four broad packages, covering everything from vaccine development to small business and individual relief.

I was disappointed when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi put forth a more than $3 trillion bill that is nothing more than a partisan wish list that includes extraneous policies that have nothing to do with coronavirus.

Here are a few examples:

Stimulus payments to illegal immigrants.
Establishes a “no deportation” policy for illegal immigrants.
Mandates early voting and removes any voter ID requirements.
Requires annual reports on women-owned and minority owned cannabis businesses.
Makes unemployment insurance more attractive than going back to work with the extension of the $600 a week unemployment insurance (in addition to regular state unemployment benefits) supplement through Jan. 31, 2021. Allows the supplement to continue through March 31, 2021 for those who have not exhausted their benefits. This means businesses will be competing with unemployment benefits for workers until April 2021.
Includes funding that will, among other things, assist those who are working to stop coal and natural gas production.

What’s not in the bill?

Anything addressing China.
No help or incentive to get Americans back to work.
No funding for the Paycheck Protection Program and small businesses.
No protection for American jobs.
Liability reform.

More details on this huge $3 trillion bill here: https://bit.ly/2LT547E

I’m hopeful we can get back to a bipartisan mindset when considering any future legislation. Americans across the country are hurting in the middle of this pandemic. They are depending on us to take responsible action to build our economy, put people back to work, and help keep our families safe and healthy. That’s what I plan to do. I spoke about this on the Senate floor earlier this week. Watch by clicking here or the image below:

Expanding COVID-19 Testing

Did you see the news? This week, I announced West Virginia rural health clinics are receiving more than $2.5 million to expand COVID-19 testing services. This funding is provided by the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act that President Trump signed into law on April 24th. This is in addition to the $57 million the state received last week to increase testing in our state. As West Virginia begins to open up parts of our state’s economy, testing must be readily available.

Oversight of the EPA

This week, the Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee held an oversight hearing of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). I was able to ask EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler specifically about some of my top environmental priorities:

Cleaning up the town of Minden.
Setting a maximum contaminant level for PFAS chemicals in drinking water.

Watch my exchange with Administrator Wheeler here or by clicking on the image above.

Last year, Administrator Wheeler joined me in Minden for the announcement of the town’s addition to EPA’s Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) where releases of contamination pose human health and environmental risks—including the Shaffer Equipment/Arbuckle Creek area.

Two weeks ago, the EPW Committee passed two critical pieces of water legislation, which included the requirement of the EPA to set a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for PFAS chemicals, a standard I’ve advocated for extensively. Learn more about my work on PFAS here.

REMINDER: Make Sure You Get Your Individual Check!

The IRS has opened an online portal for lower-income individuals who are not required to file a tax return, have not filed tax returns for 2018 or 2019, and are not on Social Security retirement, Social Security disability (SSDI), or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to provide information in order to receive a stimulus check. Enter your information to track the status of your payment here.

Those who have filed a return for 2018 or 2019 or are on Social Security retirement, SSI, or SSDI do not need to do anything to receive their check.

However, if you’re on SSI and have dependents, you’ll need to fill out additional information to get the extra $500 per child.

Here’s a great Q&A page on the IRS site. If you have questions, check it out!

And here’s another good Q&A page that provides more details about your Economic Impact Payments (EIP).

Be Vigilant for Scammers!

Unfortunately, there are bad actors that are using this health crisis to take advantage of unsuspecting residents, especially our senior citizens. Please note the IRS WILL NOT call you and ask for your bank account information to deposit your individual relief check.

Check out my coronavirus webpage for more information about scams and what I’m doing to try and mitigate them.

Additional Resources

I created a page on my website with information and resources to keep you up-to-date on the coronavirus situation as it continues to evolve. Check out that page here, and please share with friends so they can keep up with the latest.

In addition to my webpage, I also want to make sure you know where to get the latest updates from the medical experts at CDC.gov and West Virginia DHHR.

I will continue doing my best to keep you up to speed on what we are doing here at the federal level to help and other resources that can be useful back at home. I will be posting regular updates on my Facebook and Twitter accounts, so be sure to follow me there.

Important Information If You’re Visiting DC

Because of coronavirus concerns, all Capitol and White House tours have been suspended indefinitely. Please contact our Washington office to reschedule. Additionally, requests for flags flown over the Capitol may be delayed, and access to the Capitol and House and Senate office buildings is being restricted. Feel free to contact our office at (202) 224-6472 with any questions. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Counting on West Virginia

Have you taken your 2020 census yet? PLEASE DO!

Taking the census takes 10 minutes and could mean thousands of more federal dollars for West Virginia!

Do you part and take it here: https://my2020census.gov/

Over the past couple of months, I’ve been discussing the importance of taking the census, and I encourage you to do the same so you can spread the word to fellow West Virginians. Click here to read a column I wrote about this.

How Can We Help?

Whether you need help with a casework issue or have a question about scheduling a meeting at one of my offices, my staff and I are ready to assist you. Learn more about the services we offer at www.capito.senate.gov.

You can also submit your feedback and share your stories with me by visiting my “Share Your Stories” webpage here: www.capito.senate.gov/ShareYourStories.

Social Media Recap

Join me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for regular updates and photos.

Sincerely,

Shelley Moore Capito

United States Senator