FAYETTEVILLE, WV (WOAY)- Senator Shelley Moore Capito was in Fayetteville Monday morning for a ribbon cutting of a new bike park in town. However, a group of peaceful protesters came to share their concerns on the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Capito voted yes to when it got to the Senate.
The skateboard park is where Capito met with the protesters and heard what they had to say.
“Where do we see our votes? It’s not coming from the legislators,” said Lee Ann Gore, one of the protesters.
Before heading to her scheduled event in Fayetteville, Capito listened to and addressed the frustrations of the protesters.
“I think it’s important for me to hear and to listen. And I think obviously I was doing that then, but I’ve been doing this through the whole process,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito. “And so I think I conveyed that thought and they conveyed their frustration, which I really appreciated. They took the time this morning to come and talk to me.”
The protesters decided to hold this protest as they felt there was no other way to reach their representatives on these issues. Although they felt Capito didn’t truly hear them out.
“I think that she was trying to do damage control and trying to give us the same spin that they are in Washington, thinking that it would smooth things over, that it would be okay,” said Pam Garrison, one of the protesters.
The Big Beautiful Bill has been a topic of controversy in the country over the multitude of things it covers. Senator Capito says she said yes to this bill as it’s in the best interests of West Virginians in the long run. She believes it’ll help West Virginians prosper and grow.
“I’m trying to look at what I think is best in the long run for this, for the country to have sustainability of medicare, to make sure nobody gets kicked off their benefits and that the snap program, the feet, the food program, is also there for those who really, really need it and it’s not being used fraudulently,” explained Sen. Capito.
Now that the bill has passed, the question is, what happens next for West Virginians?
Capito says that she wants to continue to get congressional-directed spending to fund our rural communities. However, the protesters say they want Capito to fix the mess that this bill would create.
We’ll continue to track this story and keep you all updated.
