Senator Murray Vows to Continue Fighting for the Disability Community during the Coronavirus Crisis

(Washington, D.C.) –  U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), successfully blocked Republican efforts to give Secretary DeVos a blank check to waive students’ civil rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Republican efforts to restrict providers that serve the disability community from receiving crucial financial assistance. As we continue to respond to this crisis, Senator Murray vowed to continue fighting to protect people with disabilities and ensure they can access the services they need.

“This bill will do a lot to help families, workers and students across the country—and I’m glad that we were able to remove language that would strip away rights for students with disabilities. But much more needs to be done to ensure that people with disabilities have access to crucial services–from health care, to independent living support, to transportation–during this public health emergency. As we continue our coronavirus response efforts, I will keep fighting along with my Democratic colleagues to push for funding for home and community based services, direct service providers, and critical supports people with disabilities need to stay safe during this crisis,” said Senator Murray.

The Senate coronavirus relief package includes financial assistance for small businesses and non-profits struggling to stay afloat and continue to provide services during this unprecedented crisis. Republicans made a partisan attempt to restrict disability organizations from this crucial assistance. Senator Murray and Senate Democrats successfully fought to exclude the provision during negotiations, and will continue to fight to ensure that disability organizations including home care providers can access to resources they need to support people with disabilities and their families.

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