Washington is proud to be a national leader in agriculture, and its farmers, growers, and ranchers are critical to our state’s economy, environment, and quality of life. Senator Murray knows farmers and growers face constant challenges – from difficult market conditions and changing weather patterns to natural disasters and high input costs. She has consistently fought in Washington, D.C., for agricultural producers and farmworkers, and will continue to work to ensure farmers have access to domestic and international markets for their high-quality products. Washington state’s rural communities have unique housing needs, and Senator Murray continues to work to ensure that farmworkers and rural Washingtonians have the housing, education, and job training opportunities they deserve.
When harmful, unnecessary cuts kicked in in 2013, Senator Murray worked across the aisle with now-Speaker Ryan on a bipartisan budget deal that restored critical investments in support programs such as Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to help farmers and growers maintain a competitive edge in the global marketplace, and Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) to help solve critical specialty crop issues. Her bipartisan budget deal also helped protect rural housing programs through USDA, providing rental assistance to low income tenants in rural communities and essential resources to build new affordable housing options in rural Washington.
Senator Murray has been working to support Washington’s agriculture and rural communities by:
Senator Murray keeps fighting for our rural communities by: