To watch Senator Capito’s interview, click here or on the image above.

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, today joined Bloomberg TV’s “Balance of Power” to discuss her meeting with White House officials yesterday.

HIGHLIGHTS:

STICKING WITH CORE INFRASTRUCTURE: “The best way to look at it is what we need and then what that’s going to cost and how we pay for it. That’s the approach we’ve taken. Let’s look at the essential infrastructure items: roads and bridges, waterways, airports, rail, and broadband. Let’s put together a robust package, and let’s move the numbers where we need to do that.”

ON ELECTRIC VEHICLE INFRASTRUCTURE: “What we’re doing here is mirroring what we’re doing in committee. I’m the Ranking Member of EPW. We’re doing a surface transportation bill. There is electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure in that bill as there was last year in the bill I voted for that never became law. Our anticipation is that this would be a part of this [larger infrastructure deal], yes. I think it’s an important part…I don’t want to go into a space where private investment can really fill the space, which I think is what happens with EV infrastructure.  So let’s figure out a way that government can jumpstart it, and then let that private investment go. Because there’s going to be money made here on that.”

WAYS OF PAYING FOR IT: “We spent a lot of time talking about how we can get private investment into this infrastructure space. I think that’s critical, whether is public-private partnerships. We are looking at some kind of financing authority, revolving fund, infrastructure bank to be able to give us the longevity to fill the gap that we have from the gasoline tax because that’s a declining resource…We’ve got to get something to fill the gap. We’re going to look at EV users. They’re not paying into the road fund. We’ve need to figure out a way to have them help us with the maintenance of the roads that they use.”

REPURPOSING DOLLARS: “We definitely want to pay for it. There’s all kinds of different ways that we’re looking at. Certainly repurposing some of the COVID dollars. I’ve been looking at those 21 states that are no longer paying the enhanced unemployment. Why don’t we repurpose those dollars to help those folks coming off unemployment to get work in an infrastructure package? It sounds like a good win-win situation for those dollars.”

REGULAR ORDER: “I think it’s important to note that our committees are working. We’ve already passed the water part of this infrastructure package out of our committee and out of the Senate floor. My committee with Chairman Carper, we’re working on surface transportation which is really the anchor part of this infrastructure. But also over on Commerce [Committee], they’re working on broadband and safety and parts of the program through regular order in our committees, which I think is significant. Because if get the buy in at the committee level, then we can definitely get it onto the floor.” 

# # #