On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., held her weekly virtual press briefing to discuss the latest from the U.S. Senate, including an update on new legislation and rising price hikes that she said are putting the American dream further out of reach.
“I am hoping that as the president comes for the State of the Union next week, that he addresses these issues,” Capito said.
Capito also discussed price hikes on the Senate floor.
“Sen. Capito’s speech came moments after the Federal Reserve announced their eighth consecutive interest rate hike they had to deploy in order to curb the Biden administration’s two-year high inflation economy,” the release said.
Some of the highlights of Capito’s speech included housing costs, food costs, energy costs and interest rates.
“An interest rate hike, once reserved as a measure that sends a direct signal to policy makers, is just another Wednesday in this president’s America,” Capito said.
She quoted information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics about the fact that groceries, eating at restaurants and food in general have risen exponentially.
“Whether it’s a conversation with Senate colleagues, waiting in line at a store or constituent calling my office, the cost of food remains a central topic of concern all across this nation,” she said.
When it comes to housing, energy and manufacturing, she talked about the struggle that individuals are facing in these aspects of life.
“New families and hardworking individuals who made smart financial decisions with the hope of purchasing a home can no longer pursue that dream because it’s out of reach, it’s unaffordable,” she said of housing.
“American families are having to choose again — keeping your lights on, filling your car with gas or buying your groceries. This is not only unfair, but it’s avoidable. It is avoidable for folks living in a country with as many resources as we have right here in the United States,” Capito said.
Lastly, she mentioned that a recession might be on the way for U.S. manufacturers.
“The reality is, U.S. manufacturers may be on their way to a recession, and the downturn will likely deepen as purchasing power decreases and interest rates continue to rise, as they did (Thursday). This further demonstrates how out of touch the administration is from the devastating reality American businesses are grappling with,” Capito said.
“My question to President Biden this week is, ‘When is enough, enough?’’’
Additionally, Capito recently led all 48 of her Senate Republican colleagues in introducing a formal challenge to the Biden administration’s Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule through a Congressional Review Act (CRA) joint resolution of disapproval.
“The resolution comes after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced a new rule in December 2022 repealing the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) and changing the definition of waters of the United States in a way that will expand federal regulatory authority,” the official release said.
“With its overreaching navigable waters rule, the
Biden administration upended regulatory certainty and placed unnecessary
burdens directly on millions of Americans,” Capito said in the release. “This
Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval will give every member of
Congress the chance to stand with farmers, ranchers, landowners and builders
and protect future transportation, infrastructure and energy projects of all
kinds in their states. I appreciate the widespread support we’ve received in
both the Senate and House, and across the country, as we fight to place an
important check on this misguided overreach from the Biden administration.”