Chair's Press

Chairs Murray, Scott: “The Department of Education should repair the broken safety net for low-income borrowers by addressing past failures and establishing a new income-driven repayment (IDR) plan that keeps payments affordable, prevents debts from ballooning over time, and provides a reliable pathway out of perpetual...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on the 15-week abortion ban that the Kentucky legislature enacted last night, which goes into effect immediately, and the 15-week abortion ban that Florida Governor...

Senator Murray: “This isn’t going away—Republicans did not stop in Texas or in Idaho, and they won’t stop in Oklahoma either. This is a fight for our generation. This is a fight for our times. And I will do everything I can to protect the right to abortion.”    (Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S....

***READ: Broad coalition of labor groups stress need to address child care crisis via reconciliation***    (Washington, D.C.) – ICYMI, late last week, in a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), more than 90 leading labor groups urged the Senate to pass Senator Patty Murray’s (D-WA), Chair of the...

Senator Murray: “The FDA’s failure over decades to regulate and enforce food safety standards, on issues ranging from bacteria in vegetables to arsenic in baby food, has put the health of Americans at risk.”    (Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health,...

  Senator Murray: “At our recent hearing on the FDA, I said business as usual at the agency was not working—and this report shows exactly why.”    (Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the...

Senator Murray: “We’re talking about basic, life-saving health care, like cancer screenings. Or the birth control that so many patients depend on …. So to me, it’s just unthinkable that you wouldn’t support this program—but that’s exactly where extreme Republicans are right...

Senator Murray: “Washington state families cannot rely on foreign competitors to make a brighter future possible for our country—we have to build it in America. That’s what this bipartisan bill is about.”    (Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health,...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tina Smith (D-MN), and a majority of Senate Democrats in sending a letter to President Joe Biden urging his Administration to address the ongoing child care...

Senator Murray: “As a mom and a grandma, it breaks my heart to know so many kids are shouldering so much stress, anxiety, trauma, and more—which is why, as a Senator, I am working hard every day to get our kids the support and the care they need to heal.” ***WATCH: Senator Murray, Surgeon General Murthy Discuss Youth Mental...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement on the Biden administration’s announcement that it will extend the student loan payment pause until August 31.    “Last month, I pushed the Biden...

200,000 uninsured people estimated to get covered under the proposal, and 1 million would see the cost of coverage drop   Senator Murray: “President Biden’s proposal is a common sense step to lower health care costs and a big win for families.”    (Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray...

Hassan, Murray, Colleagues’ Request Follows Revelations that McKinsey Consulted for FDA on Opioid-Related Projects While Working for Opioid Manufacturers Like Purdue Pharma    (Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined a group...

Senator Murray: “We have to make sure the approval process works for families—not just pharmaceutical companies’ bottom lines.”    (Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, led a hearing on reauthorizing...

Senator Murray: “This reporting makes crystal clear what I’ve already heard from so many struggling student borrowers in Washington state and across the country: our student loan system is seriously broken, it has been for years—and it must be fixed before borrowers are expected to start making payments...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on President Biden’s nomination of Kalpana Kotagal to serve as a Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).   “As we work to...

Senator Murray: “Lifesaving drugs don’t do any good if people can’t afford them—but we’re going to fix that.”   ***WATCH: MURRAY, WARNOCK TALK LOWERING DRUG COSTS***    (Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and...

In their letter, the Senators asked the agencies what steps have been taken to change federal policies regarding challenging student borrowers who seek bankruptcy relief   (Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee; U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement after the Senate failed to confirm David Weil as Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division at the U.S. Department of Labor.   “I'm incredibly disappointed...

Funding will help Washington state patients get the birth control, STI testing and treatment, and other preventive care they need     As Democrats deliver essential family planning funds for communities across our country, Senate Republicans seek to reinstate Trump’s gag rule   Senator Murray: “While Republicans are...