Chair's Press

Murray sent a letter to Secretary of Labor Acosta on DOL’s decision to end the Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers (CCC) program and permanently close nine centers   Job Corps CCCs provide underserved youth in rural areas with job training and help the U.S. Forest Service conserve natural parks and lands, as well as respond to...

Senator Murray, joined by patients, shared stories of families struggling with prescription drug costs and outlined her plans to help bring costs down   Recently, Senator Murray released legislation to remove roadblocks companies use to keep more affordable versions of expensive brand-name drugs off the market and tackle high drug...

Murray: “People across the country deserve to know the professionals they turn to for help planning their financial futures are putting their clients’ financial security ahead of their own bottom line.”   Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor,...

Murray joins bipartisan effort from all 25 female Senators to Commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Senate passage of the amendment securing women’s right to vote   Murray reflects on progress women have made since securing the right to vote   Murray emphasizes the need to continue fighting to make sure all communities have...

Trump Administration proposal would undermine access to care for the LGBTQ community, women, and individuals who already face barriers to care   Murray: “Patients don’t need the ideological judgment of President Trump, Vice President Pence, or anyone else for that matter—they need to know that when they seek the health care...

New legislation aims to prevent drug companies from using sham patents to block competition from cheaper generic drugs   Murray: “As families across the country struggle to fill their prescriptions and make ends meet, drug companies should be focused on getting more people the treatments they need, not on keeping cheaper drugs off the...

Senators to DOL: New Rule would Set Overtime Threshold at Level Not Nearly High Enough, would Deprive Estimated 3 Million Low- to Middle- Income Workers Potential Wages   WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Patty Murray (D-WA) led 20 Senators in writing a letter this week to the U.S. Department...

Eligible servicemembers have potentially overpaid tens of millions in federal student loan interest payments that they did not owe because of lack of communication between federal agencies   Text of Letter (PDF)   Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions...

Federal court rules against FDA’s decision to delay review of newly regulated tobacco products, including e-cigarettes   CDC study found one-in-five high school students using e-cigarettes as of 2018   Murray: “As youth tobacco rates skyrocket… it’s clearer than ever we can’t afford for the Food and Drug...

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Representative Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), Chairman of the House Committee on Education...

Murray speaks out against extreme abortion ban passed in Alabama, and judicial nominee with alarming track record attacking women’s reproductive rights   Murray on Alabama abortion ban: “I am appalled by the extreme, cruel, shameful abortion ban passed yesterday in Alabama. This legislation is nothing short of an attack on...

One in five college students are victims of cyberbullying, and LGBTQ students are nearly twice as likely to be harassed than their peers   Legislation would require colleges and universities to establish policies to prohibit harassment based on race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), disability, or...

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee released the following statement following a meeting in her office with a Delta Air Lines representative regarding their ongoing efforts to coerce workers and infringe upon their rights to...

FDA found one in twenty closed-channel duodenoscopes remained contaminated even after cleaned   Murray asks three duodenoscope manufacturers how they plan to respond to the findings to ensure patient safety   Murray released a report in 2016 detailing how contaminated duodenoscopes had led to patient deaths, and pushed to strengthen...

Murray, Cortez Masto demand information from Health Department after 16-year-old unaccompanied minor dies in Health Department custody   Over the last six months, three migrant children have died while in U.S. government custody   Senators: “These tragedies are of serious concern, and raise grave questions about broader approaches...

Republican leaders jammed through a nominee to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in an attempt to further stack the deck against workers   The EEOC is a critical civil rights agency that enforces workplace discrimination laws, protects LGBTQ rights in the workplace, and addresses workplace harassment   As so many brave...

In a floor speech ahead of Mother’s Day, Senator Murray criticizes Trump Administration’s agenda on issues important to women and families across the country   Senator Murray shared stories from Washington state mothers illustrating the harm of President Trump’s attacks on women’s health and the need to address...

At HELP Committee Hearing, Senator Murray outlines key obstacles patients and providers face when accessing electronic health records   Following Congress’ passage of the HITECH Act in 2009, use of electronic health records has become widespread, leading to better quality of care   Citing remaining challenges, Murray stressed the...

WASHINGTON – Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA), Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, released the following statement in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) release of a final...

Washington, D.C. – Today, House and Senate Democrats introduced the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act—comprehensive legislation to strengthen protections for workers’ right to organize a union and bargain for higher wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions. As wage inequality continues to leave workers and...