Press Releases

Today, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement opposing the Senate’s motion to discharge from Committee the nomination of Catherine Lhamon to serve as Assistant Secretary for the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of...

Senator Murray: “Our nation has an enormous challenge ahead to build back from this pandemic stronger and fairer. It’s going to take additional bold relief—which Democrats are continuing to fight for—and it’s going to take experienced leaders like Ms. Gomez and Mr. Rodriguez at key agencies like EBSA and...

Today, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held itsnomination hearing for Lisa Gomez to be the Assistant Secretary for Employee Benefits Security at the Department of Labor and Jose Javier Rodriguez to be the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training at the Department of Labor. Ranking Member Richard...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), released the following statement on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas granting the Biden Administration’s request for a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of SB8,...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), released the following statement on the Senate confirming Lisa Brown to serve as General Counsel of the Department of Education, Gwen Graham to serve as Assistant Secretary of Education for Legislation...

Today, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement on the announcement that Dr. Francis S. Collins will be stepping down as Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) after 12 years in the role: “I can’t say enough about the...

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) final rule on Title X. The new rule for the family planning program, which was first proposed on April 14,...

Murray and Pallone were key leaders in congressional effort to end surprise medical billing   After full implementation in 2022, the No Surprises Act will end the practice of surprise billing for medical care, which leaves patients with exorbitant, unexpected charges Members: “We passed the No Surprises Act to protect patients from...

Today, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released a new report with recommendations for strengthening the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) regulatory readiness, building on lessons learned from the pandemic to better prepare for the...

Senator Murray leads hearing with Secretaries Cardona and Becerra on supporting K-12 students, educators, and families during COVID-19   (Washington, D.C.) – Today, Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), led a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing on supporting K-12 students, educators, and families during COVID-19...

Today, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing titled “School Reopening During COVID-19: Supporting Students, Educators, and Families” with Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. This is the Committee’s fourth...

Today, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, introduced the NIL Scholarship Tax Act, legislation to protect the integrity of amateur athletics at colleges and universities across the nation. This legislation would allow student-athletes to choose between receiving a...

Today, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendations for a Pfizer-BioNTech booster shot: “I’m glad Americans are...

(Washington, D.C.)–Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education Labor & Pensions, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Lead Sponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, and Senator Richard Durbin, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the...

Today, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s announcement issuing an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for booster shots of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for high-risk individuals and those over...

Today, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, along with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on...

Legislation would require colleges and universities to establish policies to prohibit harassment based on actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or religion   (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and...

48 Democrats in the Senate and 188 in the House file a bicameral amicus brief in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization   (Washington, D.C.) – Today, 48 Democrats in the Senate and 188 in the House filed a bicameral amicus brief in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, urging the...

Senate votes to confirm James Kvaal by a bipartisan vote of 58-37.   Senator Murray: “Students across the country deserve leaders who are committed to addressing these urgent problems—and who will work to always put students and borrowers first. I believe James Kvaal is exactly that kind of leader.”   ***WATCH SENATOR...

(Washington, DC) – This morning, Senator Patty Murray, Chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), released the following statement on the Supreme Court declining to block Texas’ SB8, the most extreme and harsh abortion ban in the United States.      Under the law, patients cannot...