Ranking Member's Press
Murray, DeLauro Reintroduce Paycheck Fairness Act to Close Gender Wage Gap
Paycheck Fairness Act would strengthen and close loopholes in the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and ensure women are paid what they deserve Bill introduction comes 10 years after President Obama passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, marking an important step in the fight to end the gender wage gap Paycheck Fairness Act was cosponsored by 45 Senators and every Democratic Member of the House of Representatives Washington, D.C. - Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Heal… Continue Reading
01.29.19
Murray Calls for Long-Term Funding for Critical Primary Care Programs That Serve Communities Nationwide
At HELP hearing, Murray emphasizes impact of funding uncertainty last year on community health centers and the families they serve, touts bipartisan bill to provide stable funding for years to come Community health centers help 27 million patients a year find care close to home Teaching health centers and the National Health Service Corps help support centers and bring medical professionals to practice in underserved areas Murray: "This time last year… community health center… Continue Reading
01.29.19
Murray Demands Information From Johnson & Johnson Following Reports of Cover Up of Potential Asbestos in Baby Powder
Murray demands answers from Johnson & Johnson CEO following Reuters report indicating the company covered up potential asbestos in its baby powder for decades Murray: "I am troubled by recent reports of an alleged decades-long effort by Johnson & Johnson to potentially mislead regulators and consumers about the safety of one of its products, which may have resulted in long-term harm for men, women, and children who used Johnson & Johnson baby powder." Washington, D.C. - Yeste… Continue Reading
01.17.19
Murray Criticizes Trump Administration for Proposing New Rules to Sabotage Health Care Amid Government Shutdown
Proposed changes would amount to a health care tax on families across the country Nonpartisan analysis found the change would lead to higher premiums and less coverage for families across the country Murray: "Even 27 days into the shutdown he caused, President Trump has somehow found time to further sabotage health care for patients, families, and women." Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Com… Continue Reading
01.16.19
Murray Slams Republicans for Attacking Women’s Health Care Instead of Addressing the Ongoing Trump Shutdown
Republicans are preparing to vote on backwards legislation to undermine women's health care and chip away at their constitutionally protected reproductive rights Republicans are not preparing to vote on legislation to open the government, pay workers across the country, and end the chaos caused by President Trump's shutdown Murray: "All it would take [to end the shutdown] is a vote-we know it would pass… But what have Republican leaders done instead? …They've scheduled a v… Continue Reading
01.16.19
Top Democrats Introduce Bill Gradually Raising Minimum Wage to $15 by 2024
WASHINGTON - Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and House and Senate leadership to introduce the Raise the Wage Act of 2019. The bill would gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2024, index future minimum wage increases to median wage growth, and ensure all workers are paid at least the… Continue Reading
01.11.19
Murray and 33 Democratic Colleagues Investigate Shutdown’s Impact on Safety of Nation’s Food Supply and Approval of Medical Products
Murray and 33 other Democratic Senators sent a letter asking the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about the shutdown's impact on its efforts to ensure the safety of the nation's food supply and approval of medical products Senators requested information on how FDA has scaled back oversight of foreign and domestic food facilities due to the shutdown Shutdown could cause a backlog and hinder approval of new medical products Senators also asked what the agency is doing to address the… Continue Reading
01.10.19
Murray, DeLauro Urge DeVos To Extend Comment Period for Title IX Rule So Students Can Make Their Voices Heard
Secretary DeVos' rule would drastically change how schools handle sexual assault and harassment, including allowing schools to shirk their responsibility to respond to sexual assault Many students and survivors have said Secretary DeVos proposed a rule without listening to their stories and experiences of sexual assault Murray and DeLauro: "We ask that you ensure every voice is heard in this process and that includes allowing the public a meaningful opportunity to comment" Washingto… Continue Reading
01.09.19
Democrats Call On Trump-Pence Administration to Rescind Proposal That Would Undermine Health Care by Burdening Women Seeking Coverage for Reproductive Care With Cumbersome, Duplicative Billing Process
34 Senators and 179 House Members wrote to Secretary Azar calling on him to rescind a proposed rule which would discourage insurers from covering abortion care Proposed rule would create new burdens for women seeking insurance that covers comprehensive reproductive care by requiring insurers to send two separate billing statements and requiring consumers to make two separate payments The rule would increase administrative complexity and could reduce access to reproductive care and even c… Continue Reading
01.09.19
New Government Report Shows Many College Students Are Unable to Afford Food, Recommends Federal Action to Address Food Insecurity in Higher Education
Report requested by Murray, Warren, Stabenow, and Markey shows that food insecurity is a widespread issue on college campuses Report is the first of its kind and makes recommendations for federal action to address hunger issues for students in higher education President Trump's shutdown is further jeopardizing students' food security; if shutdown continues, students will lose SNAP benefits after February Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of… Continue Reading
01.03.19
Murray Statement on Republicans’ Failure to Confirm Nominees to Important Agencies Responsible for Protecting Workers’ Rights
Republican Senate leaders ended the 115th Congress without confirming nominees to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the National Labor Relations Board Without Chai Feldblum, the EEOC now lacks a quorum and cannot perform some of its critical duties to protect workers' civil rights The NLRB lacks Mark Pearce's expertise and knowledge-while Republican Board members rush to make decisions that chip away at workers' rights Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA),… Continue Reading
12.21.18
Murray Statement on DeVos Decision to Rescind Guidance Aimed At Fighting Racism in Schools
Departments of Education and Justice rescinded guidance aimed at ending discipline practices that unfairly target students of color Murray: "It is absolutely shameful that Secretary DeVos and Acting Attorney General Whitaker are using the guise of school safety to rescind guidance aimed at stopping racism in our schools and ending the school-to-prison pipeline" Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) … Continue Reading
12.21.18
Murray, Hatch Introduce EARNS Act to Expand and Improve Apprenticeships to Help Workers, Businesses, and the Economy
EARNS Act would expand apprenticeship opportunities while supporting existing apprenticeship programs There are more than 22,000 registered apprenticeships programs that provide workers with the skills they need to succeed Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, along with Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Tim Scott (R… Continue Reading
12.20.18
Democrats Further Scrutinize Trump-Pence Administration Following Repeated Attempts to Undermine Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program
Sen. Murray and Rep. Lee lead Democrats in questioning Secretary Azar over Health Department's administration of Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program Multiple court rulings have thwarted the Trump-Pence administration's efforts to dismantle, undermine, and alter programs focused on helping reduce teen pregnancy Attempted changes would have skewed program away from evidence-based practices and toward ideological goals Washington, D.C. - Yesterday, led by Senator Patty Murray, (D-WA), Ran… Continue Reading
12.19.18
After Republican Senator Blocks Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Nominee, Murray Vows to Keep Fighting
For many of the women and men who came forward to share stories of sexual harassment or assault in the workplace, the EEOC is one of the few places they can turn Because one Republican Senator blocked the nomination of Chai Feldblum, the EEOC will likely lack a quorum next year Murray also called for the Senate to confirm Mark Pearce to the National Labor Relations Board Murray: "In this moment, when sexual assault and harassment in the workplace is at the forefront of our national c… Continue Reading
12.19.18
New Oversight Report: Murray Shines Spotlight On Sexual Assault, Harassment In Key Industries; Recommends Next Steps To Stop Harassment At Work
Yearlong oversight report highlights stories of brave women and men who came forward to share experiences of workplace harassment, their stories are making an impact Report highlights need for new federal action to give workers the tools and support they need to hold employers accountable Murray: "I wanted to make sure that Congress paid attention not just to the stories from Hollywood or here in the nation's capital, but to all workers" ***Read the full report HERE*** Washington… Continue Reading
12.18.18
Murray Statement on School Safety Commission: “It Is Insulting To Students, Parents, and Teachers That Secretary DeVos Wasted This Opportunity”
Trump Administration school safety commission released report failed to address commonsense gun safety reform, recommended reversing policies aimed at addressing discriminatory discipline practices in schools Murray: Report "underscores that Secretary DeVos is more interested in pandering to the NRA than listening to the students, parents, and teachers" Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committ… Continue Reading
12.14.18
Murray: “Blatantly Partisan” Republican Legal Threat Once Again Jeopardizes Pre-Ex Protections; Families’ Health Care
Murray urges Republicans who claimed to support pre-existing conditions to show leadership; ensure people are protected from reckless Republican political games (Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement on a ruling jeopardizing health care for tens of millions of people across the country. "Thanks to Republicans' nonstop effort to jeopardize health care in ou… Continue Reading
12.13.18
Murray Statement on Department of Education Finally Providing Relief to Students Left in the Lurch by For-Profit Colleges
After court order, Secretary DeVos is beginning to implement a 2016 "borrower defense" rule to protect students from predatory for-profit colleges While 15,000 borrowers will see immediate relief, 100,000 cheated and defrauded students are still waiting for Department to process their claims and are stuck paying back loans 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 sta… Continue Reading
12.11.18
Murray Continues Fight Against President Trump’s Far-Right Judicial Nominees, Opposes Nominee Tied to Fake Women’s Health Clinics
Murray spoke on the Senate floor against Circuit Court nominee Jonathan Kobes and laid out why his volunteer work for fake women's health centers is disqualifying Kobes volunteered to help defend a law that interfered in the relationship between providers and patients by requiring providers to give fake information to women seeking reproductive care Kobes is the sixth nominee from President Trump to be rated "unqualified" by the American Bar Association ***Watch Senator Murray's ful… Continue Reading
