About the Republican Policy Committee

Established in 1947, the Republican Policy Committee (RPC) is an official Senate office that serves all Republican members of the United States Senate. The Policy Committee is directed and managed by its Chairman, who is a member of the Senate Republican Leadership and who is elected to the position by his or her peers for a two-year term at the beginning of each Congress.  Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia currently serves as the 18th Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee.    

According to the Rules of the Senate Republican Conference: 

The Policy Committee shall consider the legislative program in the Senate and the question whether any Party policy is involved, shall prepare and present recommendations for action by the Conference, and shall advise all Senators on legislative matters which they desire to present to the Policy Committee.

In the tradition of past chairmen, Chairman Capito is committed to providing all Republican Senators a forum for substantive policy discussions and debate. This is principally carried out through the weekly Policy Lunch, which is a standing meeting of the Policy Committee that includes all Republican Senators and is typically held every Tuesday when the Senate is in session. The Policy Committee also provides Republican Senators and staff with issue research, written and in-person policy briefings, in-depth analysis of all pending legislation, and summaries of member voting records. The Policy Committee also manages Channel 5, which is available on all Senate televisions, and the Trunkline, which is the intranet for Senate Republican offices. The Policy Committee also holds weekly standing meetings of Republican legislative directors and committee staff directors to discuss the legislative agenda.  

The Committee’s origins date back to 1947 and its founding chairman, Senator Robert A. Taft of Ohio. The Committee was created following a bipartisan proposal by the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress in 1946. The Committee was originally composed of nine Republican Senators. Today, official meetings of the Policy Committee include all Republican Senators.

Photo of the Republican Policy Committee In the Chamber room Photo of the Republican Policy Committee In the Chamber room Photo of the Republican Policy Committee In the Chamber room Photo of the Republican Policy Committee In the Chamber room Photo of the Republican Policy Committee In the Chamber room Photo of the Republican Policy Committee In the Chamber room

Republican Policy Committee Chairs

  • Robert A. Taft of Ohio (1947-1952)
  • William F. Knowland of California (1953)
  • Homer Ferguson of Michigan (1954)
  • H. Styles Bridges of New Hampshire (1955-1961)
  • Bourke B. Hickenlooper of Iowa (1961-1968)
  • Gordon Allott of Colorado (1969-1973)
  • John Tower of Texas (1973-1985)
  • William Armstrong of Colorado (1985-1991)
  • Don Nickles of Oklahoma (1991-1996)
  • Larry Craig of Idaho (1996-2003)
  • Jon Kyl of Arizona (2003-2007)
  • Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas (2007-2009)
  • John Ensign of Nevada (2009)
  • John Thune of South Dakota (2009-2012)
  • John Barrasso of Wyoming (2012-2019)
  • Roy Blunt of Missouri (2019-2023)
  • Joni Ernst of Iowa (2023-2025) 
  • Shelley Moore Capito (2025-present)

About Chairman Shelley Moore Capito

West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito believes that today's challenges demand bipartisan solutions. She supports commonsense policies that promote economic growth, unleash energy potential, lift up working families, and build a better West Virginia for the next generation.

From growing up in Glen Dale in the Northern Panhandle, to representing the 2nd Congressional District from the Ohio River up to the Eastern Panhandle, to raising her family in Charleston, Shelley knows the ins and outs of every region of the state. Early in life, Shelley saw how her father, Governor Arch Moore Jr., instituted changes to improve West Virginia—building up not only infrastructure and the economy but also families and state pride. It’s that mindset that inspires her work today.

Shelley first dedicated her professional life to serving students, working as a college counselor and advisor at West Virginia State College (now University). She worked closely with first-generation college students, fueling her passion for providing life-changing opportunity for all West Virginians. Shelley also served as director of the Educational Information Center for the West Virginia Board of Regents, helping to advise higher education policy for the state. Her work there only sharpened her skills to turn policy on paper to tangible results.

While raising three kids, Shelley became more involved in her local community, representing Kanawha County in the West Virginia House of Delegates. In 2000, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where she worked to spur growth by supporting community banks and freeing up capital to rural communities. She also worked extensively to expand transportation infrastructure throughout the state, most notably along Route 35. After seven terms representing the Second Congressional District, she ran for the United States Senate, hoping to be a stronger voice for the Mountain State and to restore order to a Senate stuck in gridlock for far too long. Shelley is the first female Senator in West Virginia’s history and was elected with the largest margin of victory for a Republican in state history in 2020—winning more than 70 percent of the vote and all 55 counties, surpassing the previous mark she set in 2014 when she won more than 62 percent of the vote and all 55 counties. 

Shelley lives with her husband, Charlie, in Charleston. They are the proud parents of Charles (wife Laura), Moore (wife Liberty), and Shelley (husband Colin), and even prouder grandparents of Celia, Charlie, Eliza, Rose, Arch, Macaulay, and Lewis and Thomas.

Contact Us

Senate Republican Policy Committee
347 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Telephone: (202) 224-2946 | Fax: (202) 228-2628