MARTINSBURG — Just a few short hours before it was announced a deal had been made to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., sided with the West Virginia public.
“The length of this shutdown has just been awful,” Capito said. “And the people that are affected by this in terms of no pay and working without pay are being done a grave disservice and we have got to get going and running again and I think that it may be by this weekend.”
Capito explained that she feels the stall in reopening the government centered around both sides wanting to be able to say “they won” when it comes to the border security and immigration debate.
Capito spoke Friday morning, and it was announced Friday afternoon that a deal had been struck that would allow the government to open through Feb. 15. During this time, President Donald Trump said a committee of lawmakers would be formed to discuss further action to be taken about border security and spending, according to Associated Press reports.
“I think border security is exceedingly important,” Capito said. “I went to the border probably six weeks ago. We have 53,000 people that are coming into this country illegally that are apprehended and a lot of drugs and trafficking that occurs, so we need to spend the money to fortify that. So I believe in what President Trump is doing — whether it’s a wall or technology or other kinds of security. But I do believe that a shutdown is useless and now we have harmed people who are not getting paid.”
Capito went on to explain that she wants furloughed workers in West Virginia to know that she had been working with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., in an effort to reopen the government as quickly as possible.
Capito and Manchin have both stated their desire to reopen the government while working with both Republican and Democratic representatives.
Manchin, in a roundtable he held on Jan. 18, explained to those in attendance that he does not see progress being made with the decision to shutdown, and he is willing to work with anyone on either side of the aisle to get the government open again for the American people.
“I’m only one person but I’m raising all kinds of Cain,” Manchin said. “I’m trying to work in a bipartisan way, I’m working with anybody and everybody to try and reach a decision.”
Both senators have stated their approval of a three-week window to allow legislators to come to an agreement while also allowing federal employees to be paid.