Ranking Member's Press
One Year After Senate Trumpcare Bill Failed, Murray Highlights Trump Administration’s Health Care Sabotage, Urges People to Speak Out
Almost one year after harmful Trumpcare proposal failed in the Senate, Murray highlights President Trump's efforts to sabotage families' health care on his own Murray condemned ongoing health care sabotage by the Trump Administration which has hiked premiums, eroded patient protections, slashed investments that help people find coverage, and refused to defend protections for pre-existing conditions in court Murray: "Last year we came together and gave President Trump's health care repea… Continue Reading
07.23.18
Enzi, Casey, Alexander, Murray applaud Senate passage of bipartisan career and technical education bill
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., and Bob Casey, D-Pa., along with Senate education committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Ranking Member Patty Murray, D-Wash., applauded the Senate's passage of legislation to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education (CTE) Act. The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act would make important, necessary updates to career and technical education to give workers and students the ski… Continue Reading
07.18.18
Murray, Wyden Urge Internal Revenue Service to Clarify That Cheated or Defrauded Students Cannot Be Taxed on Loan Discharges
Approximately 47,000 student loan borrowers that were cheated or defrauded by Corinthian Colleges received a notification from the IRS that they will be taxed on relief from their student debt IRS has already clarified that relief on federal loans is not taxable, Senators Murray and Wyden are requesting guidance for students with private loans Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Se… Continue Reading
07.18.18
Murray, Democrats Grill Trump Administration for Ignoring Evidence and Experts, Opposing Resolution in Support of Breastfeeding
According to news reports this month, at World Health Assembly, Trump Administration attempted to use strong-arm tactics to torpedo resolution supporting breastfeeding Despite past U.S. support for breastfeeding, Trump Administration ignored evidence and public health experts and strongly opposed resolution supporting health of women and infants CDC has deemed breastfeeding "clinical gold standard for infant feeding," position echoed by UNICEF, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Pu… Continue Reading
07.18.18
Murray, Blumenthal, ACOG Experts Speak Out Against Trump-Pence Efforts to Undermine Women’s Health
Senator Murray, Senator Blumenthal, and experts from American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists outlined the potential damage of the Trump-Pence Administration's proposed changes to federal family planning program Administration's proposal would restrict access to care for millions of women and interfere with providers' ability to discuss full range of reproductive care Changes would impact care providers that deliver contraceptives to more than 82,000 patients in Washington sta… Continue Reading
07.17.18
Murray, Democrats Introduce New Legislation to Stop Trump Administration from Detaining and Shackling Pregnant Women
Murray, and 21 cosponsors, introduced new legislation in response to ICE's poor treatment of pregnant women in detention In March, Trump Administration publically ended Obama-era policy against detaining pregnant women Trump Administration changed policy despite opposition of more than 250 civil and human rights organizations Murray joined colleagues to call for investigation into treatment of pregnant women in ICE custody Murray: "It is absolutely unacceptable that in our count… Continue Reading
07.17.18
Senator Murray Criticizes Trump Administration for Failing to Lower Drug Prices, Focusing on Raising Families’ Premiums Through Sabotage
At latest HELP hearing on health care costs, Murray condemned the Trump Administration's health care sabotage, which has hiked premiums and eroded patient protections Murray criticized President Trump's toothless drug pricing blueprint, and released a new report outlining how drug prices have climbed since the start of the Trump Administration Murray: "We confirmed last week that some of the policies in his blueprint were actually proposed by the pharmaceutical industry. That's not ref… Continue Reading
07.17.18
Murray Applauds Push for National Heat Stress Safety Standard
Today, over 130 groups and individuals petitioned OSHA to create a national heat safety standard Washington state is one of only three states with a protective heat standard for workers Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement today in support of a petition signed by over 100 labor, public health, environmental, and advocacy groups to urge the Occupational S… Continue Reading
07.16.18
Murray Statement on States Devoting More Resources to Underserved Students Through Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
Government Accountability Office study found that states and local communities are devoting more resources to the students who need the most support Approximately 4.6 million youth ages 16 to 24 were neither in school nor employed in 2016 In 2014, Murray passed the bipartisan Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to update nation's federal workforce programs and help students, workers, and businesses compete Murray: "I'm pleased that states and local communities are taking strong… Continue Reading
07.13.18
Murray: Report Shows Disgraced Former Health Secretary Owes Nation $341,000 for Public Funds Wasted on Private Luxury Flights
New report from government watchdog finds former Health Secretary Tom Price misused government funds for private travel Price resigned in disgrace last year over reports of his abuse of public funds for private flights OIG report found 20 improper flights, costing well over $341,000 in taxpayer dollars Murray: "The findings of this report are clear-former Secretary Price blatantly cheated the public and wasted taxpayer dollars for his personal luxury travel." (Washington, D.C.) -… Continue Reading
07.12.18
Murray, Murkowski, Jayapal Announce Bipartisan, Bicameral Reintroduction of Legislation to Bolster Critical Care for Survivors of Sexual Assault
Bipartisan and bicameral coalition reintroduced Survivors' Access to Supportive Care Act (SASCA), on press call featuring Members of Congress and advocates for sexual assault survivors SASCA would expand access to forensic examinations, help develop national standards of care for survivors of sexual assault, and improve access to care for native women and women living in rural communities A 2016 GAO report requested by Murray and colleagues outlined major flaws in survivor access to sexu… Continue Reading
07.12.18
Senate Democratic Women Warn Supreme Court Nominee Would Roll Back Reproductive Rights
As several pending cases about women's constitutional right to make their own health care decisions work their way through lower courts, President Trump's alarming nominee for SCOTUS would be a deciding vote against women's reproductive rights Judge Kavanaugh was vetted by conservative groups determined to find candidates who met President Trump's repeated promises to nominate "pro-life" judges to the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade Recent polling finds two-thirds of the country do… Continue Reading
07.11.18
Murray: Health Care for Families, Protections for People with Pre-existing Conditions, On the Line in Supreme Court Fight
President Trump's nominee for SCOTUS represents a serious threat to protections for people with pre-existing conditions Judge Kavanaugh and President Trump have both criticized Chief Justice Roberts for not striking down the Affordable Care Act Murray previously voted against Judge Kavanaugh's nomination to the D.C. Circuit Court Murray: "We need a judge willing to provide a check against President Trump's health care sabotage and efforts to take away protections for patients with pr… Continue Reading
07.10.18
Murray Statement on Trump Administration’s Decision to Gut Investments in Helping Inform People of Coverage Options
Trump Administration slashes funding even further for Affordable Care Act navigators; doubling down on cuts announced last fall Murray: President Trump has chosen a Supreme Court nominee who has already made clear he'll stand with President Trump, not families, when it comes to health care in our country WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) issued the following statement on news that the Trump Administration will further slash investments in helping families seeking… Continue Reading
07.10.18
Murray Statement on Trump Administration Missing Court-Ordered Deadline for Family Reunification: Democrats Will Keep This Administration’s Feet to the Fire
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Department of Health and Human Services where the Office of Refugee Resettlement is housed, issued the following statement on the Trump Administration's failure to meet a court-ordered deadline for reunifying children younger than five separated from their parents under President Trump's "zero-tolerance" immigration polic… Continue Reading
07.10.18
Murray Joins Workers, Teachers, and Unions to Fight Back Against Special Interest Attacks; Stresses Importance of Speaking Out in Light of President Trump’s Anti-Worker Supreme Court Nominee
Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) hosted forum on organized labor's path forward following the Supreme Court Janus decision and role of dark money in bankrolling anti-union, anti-worker campaigns In Janus decision, Supreme Court majority sided with corporate special interests over workers, undermining collective bargaining ability of public sector unions Murray emphasized critical role unions play in raising wages and creating pathways to the middle class Murray: … Continue Reading
07.06.18
Democratic Leader Patty Murray Delivers Weekly Democratic Address
"Let's be clear: President Trump has broken a whole lot of campaign promises, but he has never wavered in attacking Obamacare and undermining women's access to health care," said Senator Patty Murray (D-WA). Senator Murray: "… those who want to go back to the days when insurers could deny patients coverage because of a pre-existing condition-or when women had to seek out back-alley abortions-want you to feel powerless now… But we can't let them… Tweet, post, march, call… Continue Reading
07.05.18
Murray, HELP Committee Staff Raise Alarm About President Trump’s Ideological Appointee Overseeing Family Planning Program
HELP Committee Democratic staff memo outlines alarming history of ideological positions from Diane Foley, President Trump's appointee overseeing the Title X family planning program Earlier this year, the Trump-Pence Administration announced a domestic gag rule to restrict Title X funds that would limit access to care for millions of women Foley has compared abortion to slavery and the Holocaust and referred to adoption following an unplanned pregnancy as a "double death" Murray lett… Continue Reading
06.29.18
Murray & Scott on the Rollback of Civil Rights for Students with Disabilities, Students of Color
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, issued the following statements after the U.S. Department of Education announced a two-year delay of the Equity in IDEA rule. Senator Murray said: "By delaying a critical rule aimed at addressing the widespread disparities in the treatment of students of color… Continue Reading
06.29.18
Senator Murray Writes to BIO, PhRMA CEOs Calling for Stronger Industry Steps to Address Workplace Harassment
Murray sent letters to associations representing biomedical and pharmaceutical companies asking about harassment in the industry and what steps they are taking to address harassment in the workplace Inquiry follows troubling reports on industry-sponsored party: "Biotech Firms Run Away After Industry Party With Topless Dancers" Murray: "Workers across the country are speaking out about their experiences, and their stories have made clear that we all have a great deal of work to do to addr… Continue Reading
