WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito marked her first six months in the Senate Wednesday.

“My voice is much more focused. It’s louder and I think do have a much greater ability to make an impact,” Capito said.

In the last six months the Senate has started to work again according to Capito.

“We made a major fix to a health care issue. We’ve also moved forward in passing the first balanced budget in over nine years,” she said. “We’re trying to find bipartisan solutions to things like the miners’ pensions, the highway bill, energy.”

After spending seven two-year terms in the U.S. House, Capito said she’s overwhelmed by the trust that’s been placed in her.

“It’s really been a wonderful experience the first six months,” she said.