Press Releases

After nearly seven months of bickering and finger-pointing, Congress on Wednesday agreed to allocate $1.1 billion to help fight the spread and effects of the Zika virus. The deal is part of a broader agreement to continue to fund the government after the fiscal year ends on Friday and the current budget expires. It brings to an end a partisan fight...

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 28, 2016 – The leaders of the Senate health committee, Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), today released the following statement on their work on a Senate version of the 21st Century Cures legislation: “We continue our work on bipartisan legislation to spur cures and treatments and...

In new letter to Mylan, Murray cites specific concerns re: patent settlement reached with Teva Pharmaceuticals in 2012 that may have led to “virtual monopoly” of EpiPen market   Murray says “publicly available information indicates that the agreement may resemble a “pay for delay” agreement”   Murray...

MARYVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 26 – Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today made the following statement on the news that BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee – the state’s largest insurer – is pulling out of Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville, leaving more than 131,000 Tennesseans “scrambling”...

In a new letter to the Dept. of Defense, Senators express concerns that women serving in the U.S. military “ may not have access to the most effective or preferred methods of contraception”   Senators cite several barriers to contraceptive access across all four services—lack of pre-deployment counseling on contraception,...

WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 22 – Senators today reached agreement on short-term legislation to prevent an end to a successful program driving faster treatments and cures to children with rare diseases. Sens. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) called on the House to quickly pass the...

Education Dept. will withdraw recognition of ACICS—Murray has been a leading voice in the Senate working to strengthen college accountability   Following collapse of Corinthian Colleges, Murray pushed Education Dept. to ensure college accreditors are enforcing rigorous standards: LINK   Murray called on NACIQI to terminate ACICS...

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 22, 2016 – U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the Senate education committee, today released the following statement about the decision by the U.S. Department of Education to terminate federal recognition of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, a national institutional...

Several states have reported significant teacher shortages—with shortages “disproportionately felt in special education, math and science, and in bilingual and English-language education,” as highlighted last week in the Washington Post: LINK   Murray and Scott worked to include funding in Title II of our nation’s new...

WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 22 – Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander’s (R-Tenn.) prepared remarks for today’s hearing, “Exploring Current Practices in Cosmetic Development and Safety,” are as follows:  Today’s hearing is an opportunity for the committee to learn about how cosmetics and...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20—Today U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said that under the FDA’s proposal to regulate laboratory-developed tests, which Alexander pointed out are already regulated by an arm of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), “the biggest loser, it seems to me, would be Americans who stand to benefit...

In a new letter to Education Dept., 23 Senators say ITT Tech’s “deceptive practices” and “dubious educational quality” rightly required action to halt new enrollment and continued use of taxpayer dollars   Senators now call on ED to “use its existing legal authority” to increase total debt relief and...

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 15, 2016 – U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today released the following statement on Senate Democrats’ resolution in support of a “public option,” meaning a government-run health care plan: "The Democrats are trying to cure the Obamacare disease using the same prescription that created the...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley and Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Patty Murray (D-WA), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), along with 22 of their colleagues, introduced a Senate resolution calling for a public option in the health insurance market. “The Affordable Care Act has already...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14—A group of eight United States Senators today introduced emergency, one-year legislation that would give states the authority to allow Americans who rely on Obamacare subsidies to have more options to buy health insurance unavailable on the failing Obamacare exchanges, and waive any penalty if they do not find a plan that...

Efforts to restructure Puerto Rico’s debt and implement “PROMESA” take critical step with appointment of new oversight board   In new letter, Murray called on board to ensure basic worker protections, including a minimum wage increase and compliance with new overtime rule   Murray also urged Puerto Rican officials to...

WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 6 – Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today said “there is no excuse whatsoever for Democrats to block $1.1 billion to combat the Zika virus” after Senate Democrats voted against funding to protect babies from Zika-related birth defects for a third time. “You don’t need...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’s comprehensive revision of the Head Start Program Performance Standards. The standards reflect best...

MARYVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 31, 2016 – U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) today said Tennessee has been awarded $1 million in two federal grants to help prevent opioid abuse, including by raising awareness about the dangers of sharing medication and overprescribing of opioids. “Each year, more than 1,000...

*** “Last December, with broad support and the President’s signature, Congress reversed the trend toward a national school board and restored control of public schools to states and communities. Now the Secretary is heading in the exact opposite direction. His proposed regulation would give Washington, D.C., control over state...