{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.capito.senate.gov/news/press-releases/video-capito-on-covid-relief-this-could-have-been-done-months-ago", "VIDEO: Capito on COVID Relief: \r\nThis Could Have Been Done Months AgoRead More", "2020-12-21", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "WV", "Shelley Capito", "C001047", "www.capito.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and chairman of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, today spoke on the Senate floor about the coronavirus relief package deal, as well as the omnibus year-end legislative appropriations package. Earlier today, a comprehensive appropriations package was filed in the U.S. House of Representatives to complete the Fiscal Year 2021 appropriations process. Additionally, the legislation includes targeted relief measures for those impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nHIGHLIGHTS:\n\nMONTHS OF DELAY: \u201cWhile I am glad to hear that an agreement was reached \u2013 we certainly should have done this earlier and we certainly could have done this earlier. We have been working since July to deliver additional relief to follow previous efforts like the CARES Act. And, it\u2019s been voted down twice: once in September and once in October. To date, Republicans have offered targeted relief legislation, voted in favor of enhanced unemployment benefits, more money for our schools, which would have been great in early September and should have been available in early September. We voted in favor of standalone emergency funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, which we know is exceedingly important. More dollars for vaccines and testing so that we can get the great news of the vaccine that see coming forward to everybody. We\u2019ve offered all kinds of ideas to the other side. But, they blocked it. All of this. I\u2019m glad that after all of this, we have finally joined together realizing that yes, a deal is better than no deal.\u201d\n\nCONGRESS MUST DO BETTER: \u201cWe have got to do better by the people we represent. It\u2019s disappointing that politics have gotten in the way. It\u2019s disappointing\u2014and quite frankly\u2014insulting in my view when I see the Speaker of the House admitting to holding out on this relief because she thought it would be beneficial politically in the end. We can do much better than this.\u201d\n\nWEST VIRGINIA WINS DELAYED: \u201cI am also a proud member of the Appropriations Committee, and we have worked to get these funds and resources where they are most needed, especially in a year like this one. But \u2013 due to delays \u2013 critically needed resources to combat the opioid epidemic had to wait, investments to improve broadband have had to wait, research dollars into Alzheimer\u2019s disease had to wait, and this list goes on. This is frustrating to me as it should be for all Americans. I know they\u2019re frustrated because they tell us they are. But \u2013 here now \u2013 we are able to include funds that are important to me and my state of West Virginia \u2013 things such as fossil energy research, our universities, and many federal facilities that call West Virginia home.\u201d\n\nPROTECTING OUR HOMELAND: \u201cWe maintain our commitment to border security through a border wall system to include physical barriers and enhanced technology. We avoided a drastic cut to our cybersecurity capabilities that we see we need now more than ever after all the reports and vicious cyberattacks we uncovered\u2026 And we continue our commitment to use every resource at our disposal in the effort to prevent those opioids that are killing our people\u2026we try to get the resources to our Homeland Security folks to prevent those drugs from even entering our country at all. The men and women of the Department of Homeland Security work constantly against threats\u2014both old and new\u2014traditional and emerging\u2014and deserve the support this legislation gives them.\u201d\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.capito.senate.gov/news/press-releases/video-capito-on-covid-relief-this-could-have-been-done-months-ago"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 3.573305904865265, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}