Press Releases

WASHINGTON, May 8 —Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said the Senate is now poised to confirm Dr. Scott Gottlieb to serve as Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after the Senate today voted to end debate on his nomination. “With the remarkable discoveries our nation’s researchers are...

In light of recent reports of ongoing negotiations among Senate Republicans on their version of Trumpcare, ranking members of Senate HELP and Finance Committees urge chairmen to hold public hearings and debate   Murray, Wyden call again for an end to partisan political efforts to undermine families’ health care   (WASHINGTON, D.C.)...

This week Murray urged her colleagues to join her in opposition to Green’s nomination—LINK   (Washington, D.C.) – Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement today on the withdrawal of Mark Green from consideration for the role...

MEMPHIS, Tenn., May 5, 2017 – U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today told cancer researchers in Memphis that Congress just delivered a $2 billion increase for medical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the second consecutive year. “This bill provides a major boost for programs like the ‘Cancer...

MEMPHIS, Tenn., May 5, 2017 – U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today said that unless Congress acts on the health care law, 29,000 Memphis area residents may be unable to buy insurance with their Affordable Care Act subsidy in 2018.  “Memphis area residents currently have one choice of insurer on the Affordable Care Act...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, condemned President Trump for signing an executive order that would facilitate discrimination of LGBTQ individuals, women, religious minorities, and others under the guise of religious...

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement about President Trump’s Army Secretary nominee, Dr. Mark Green.   “The men and women who sign up to serve our country deserve a leader who instills a culture of integrity and respect for all of our servicemembers, regardless of their religion,...

The Save Women’s Preventive Care Act would help shield preventive health care services—cancer screenings, birth control, domestic violence screenings, and more—from attacks by Trump Administration   Senators say legislation is urgently needed, especially in light of political attacks on women’s health and rights by...

House Republicans voted 217-213 to pass Trumpcare, bill now goes to the Senate   Trumpcare would kick tens of millions off health insurance, raise premiums for pre-existing conditions, raise health care costs, and create chaos in the nation’s health care system   Murray: “Trumpcare is headed straight to a dead-end here in the...

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 4, 2017 – Senate health committee chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today released the following statement on House passage of the American Health Care Act: "I congratulate the House on passage of its bill. The Senate will now finish work on our bill, but will take the time to get it right. My own goals for a Senate...

WASHINGTON, May 4, 2017 — Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today said the Fiscal Year 2017 Omnibus Appropriations bill—which today passed the Senate—delivers increased funding for breathtaking advances in biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by $2 billion for the second consecutive...

In new letter, Senators request information from President Trump on his decision to dismiss Surgeon General Murthy   Senators say they are concerned given this Administration’s “pattern of politically motivated and ethically questionable personnel decisions”; precedent for Surgeons General to serve across administrations of...

Murray slammed President Trump during a press conference reintroducing the Equality Act: “We’re here to make very clear President Trump does not represent who we are as a nation” – LINK   Murray called out President Trump for nominating several anti-LGBTQ advocates, in particular the choice of Mark Green to serve as...

(Washington, D.C.) –Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA), the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, respectively sent a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos yesterday requesting regular briefings from the Department of Education on the outage of the...

Data retrieval tool that makes it easier for students to apply for student aid was taken down on March 3 citing security concerns   Senators request regular briefings and action plan to get tool back online, including addressing security concerns and any options to reinstate the tool before the announced October deadline   (Washington,...

Washington, D.C. –U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) today applauded the restoration of year-round eligibility for the Pell Grant program in the bipartisan budget deal to fund the government through September 30, 2017.  “For years, Senator Alexander and I have worked together to restore funding for...

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2017 — Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today said the Fiscal Year 2017 Omnibus Appropriations bill increases funding for breathtaking advances in biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by $2 billion for the second consecutive fiscal year. The bill also restores year-round...

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 1 – Today, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution introduced by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) celebrating the 18th annual National Charter Schools Week, which runs from May 1 through May 5 and congratulates the students, parents, teachers, and leaders of our nation’s 6,950 charter...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, criticized President Trump’s appointment of Teresa Manning, an anti-abortion activist, to the role of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs at the Department of Health and Human...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement as Congress nears passage of a bipartisan appropriations bill free of poison pill riders on women's health.   “One budget fight after another, efforts to...