Capito, Shelley Moore

Shelley Moore Capito is West Virginia's senior U.S. senator and the first woman elected to the Senate from her state. As chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works since 2025, she sets the agenda for one of Congress's most consequential committees, which oversees infrastructure projects, environmental regulation, water resources, and transportation policy across the nation. The chair controls which bills receive hearings and floor consideration, giving Capito significant influence over how the federal government addresses environmental and infrastructure challenges.

Capito brings decades of legislative experience to this role. She served 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives before her election to the Senate in 2014, and previously served in the West Virginia House of Delegates. Her background includes work as a career counselor and educational administrator, though her primary expertise has developed through her long tenure in elected office. She is the daughter of former West Virginia Governor Arch Alfred Moore Jr., giving her deep roots in state politics and governance.

As chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Capito oversees multiple subcommittees addressing clean air and climate policy, chemical safety and waste management, water resources, and transportation infrastructure. She also serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, where she chairs the subcommittee overseeing labor, health, human services, and education spending. Her legislative priorities have included school security measures and veterans' healthcare initiatives, as reflected in bills she has sponsored.

Capito stands as the dean of West Virginia's congressional delegation and represents a significant shift in her state's political alignment, having been the first West Virginia Republican to win a full Senate term since 1942. She was reelected in 2020, solidifying her standing as a senior member of the Senate Republican caucus.