VIDEO: Capito Delivers Speech on Day 39 of Schumer Shutdown

To watch Senator Capito's remarks, click here or on the image above.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:

Senator Capito's remarks as prepared for delivery:

"Madam President,

"Well, here we are again. Day 39 of the Schumer Shutdown. And what is there to show for it?

"Families anxious about their next paycheck, federal workers unsure when they'll be back on the job, SNAP recipients worried about whether they'll be able to put food on the table, travelers stranded in airports, veterans facing delays.

"The American people don't deserve this. And West Virginians certainly don't deserve this.

"Yet, instead of ending the shutdown, Democrats have come forward with their so-called 'offer,' a one-year extension of the Affordable Care Act subsidies.

"Let me be very clear: this proposal is absurd.

"The Democrats' plan is a $35 billion handout to insurance companies.

"It benefits the wealthy, it includes no fraud protections, and it does nothing - absolutely nothing - to lower the actual cost of health care.

"While Americans are feeling the consequences of this shutdown, our Democrat colleagues feel the answer is to shovel $35 billion to the insurance industry.

"That's not compassion. That's fiscal insanity.

"And, let's not forget, these subsidies were born out of the pandemic and from the health care they created and proudly call Obamacare.

"Former President Biden's COVID bonuses were never meant to be permanent.

"Democrats themselves set them to expire at the end of this year.

"Now, instead of doing their job and reopening the government, Democrats want to make those temporary giveaways permanent.

"They want to double down on the failures of Obamacare, a system that they themselves have admitted isn't working by these irrational demands.

"These so-called 'premium subsidies' don't lower the cost of healthcare. They simply shift that cost onto the taxpayer.

"And under the Democrats' proposal, wealthy families, people making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, would now qualify for taxpayer-funded healthcare.

"How is that fair to a coal miner in Logan County, or a nurse in Morgantown, or a teacher in Wheeling?

"These West Virginians work hard, pay their taxes, and they expect government to live within its means - not hand out bonuses to big insurers and the wealthy.

"Meanwhile, because of this Senseless Schumer Shutdown, real people are paying the price.

"In my state of West Virginia, thousands of families rely on SNAP benefits to put food on the table.

"Those benefits are at risk because Washington Democrats refuse to act.

"Federal employees, park rangers, mine safety inspectors-people who keep our communities safe-they're being forced to wait, to wonder, and to worry.

"In many ways, I don't what is worse: all those who are forced to sit at home when they would rather be working, or all those such as in law enforcement who have to work without pay.

"Both of these circumstances are insulting to so many.

"Families trying to fly home for the holidays are seeing longer lines, canceled flights, and growing frustration.

"All of this chaos and uncertainty is completely avoidable.

"Senate Republicans have made clear: we are ready to negotiate.

"We are ready to debate how to actually lower health care costs and increase transparency.

"But, we cannot-and will not-negotiate with the government held hostage.

"To Leader Schumer and his colleagues: take yes for an answer.

"Open the government first. Then let's have an honest conversation about healthcare, about real solutions that actually help working families.

"I've talked a lot about the financial cost that this shutdown has brought forth on the American people, but there's another no-so-hidden cost- one that's harder to measure.

"That's the uncertainty and anxiety this brings to families and businesses across this country.

"The worry of not knowing when your next paycheck will come, when you'll be able to return to work, when things will go back to normal.

"Those costs can't quite be measured, but they are very, very real.

"And, I have a hard time believing my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have truly grasped the impact. Because if they did grasp the impact, they wouldn't have dragged this out for 39 days.

"We can do better. We must do better. We owe that to the men and women we represent.

"I am a member of the Appropriations Committee, and I have to say, after too many years of neglect by Senate leadership, we have shown the ability to legislate.

"We have passed bills out of committee-including my bill to fund the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, and Labor.

"It is historically a challenging bill to pass, but we passed it in committee with overwhelming bipartisan support.

"We've passed bipartisan bills through committee, we've passed three bipartisan bills through the full Senate, and Leader Thune has fulfilled a commitment to bring these bills to the floor, with more to come.

"That is what legislators do.

"One of the great frustrations to me in this whole process is that members who supported these bills in committee-and on the Senate floor-now aren't allowing us to move forward to do more.

"So today, I urge my Democratic colleagues: stop with the gimmicks. Stop with the political theater. Stop holding the government and the American people hostage to your partisan wish list.

"West Virginians don't want political games.

"They want their government open, they want their benefits secure, and they want their leaders focused on results.

"Let's reopen the government, let's restore certainty, and then let's do the hard work of reforming healthcare in a way that lowers costs and empowers patients.

"That's what leadership looks like, that's what governing looks like, and that's what the American people deserve.

"Thank you, Madam President. I yield the floor."

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