United States Senator Patty Murray

Senator Murray is focused on creating jobs and growing the economy in Washington state from the middle out, not the top down.  She believes that when workers succeed and middle class families have more money in their pockets—then businesses succeed and the economy can grow in a truly productive way.

As one of the few members of Congress able to break through the gridlock and dysfunction, Senator Murray has been proud to work with Democrats and Republicans to create jobs and boost the economy. After years of Tea Party budget crises culminating in a government shutdown in 2013, Senator Murray worked with now-Speaker Paul Ryan on a bipartisan budget deal that prevented another government shutdown, restored investments in education, health care, research, and jobs—and showed that bipartisan budget work was possible when Democrats and Republicans worked together to get results. She also worked with Republicans to pass bipartisan laws to expand worker training, including workforce education for returning veterans—as well as to secure local investments for cutting-edge scientific research, high-tech education, and infrastructure upgrades to make Washington state a leader in the 21st century economy. Senator Murray is now working to build on that bipartisan foundation and is hopeful that Republicans will work with her to deliver more results, even in an election year. 

Following the Great Recession at the end of the Bush Administration, the economy was losing hundreds of thousands of jobs a month, millions of families were bracing to lose their homes, and workers across the country were worried about their jobs and their families economic security. Senator Murray worked to help pull the economy back from the brink with middle class tax cuts and investments to help get workers back on the job and small businesses to hire again. She worked to pass Wall Street reform the country’s financial system so that taxpayers would never again be on the hook for risky and reckless behavior by Wall Street. While there is still a long way to go to make sure the economy is working for all families, the unemployment rate has come down from a high of 10%, businesses are now adding jobs again, and families are feeling just a bit more secure. 

While the economy is moving in the right direction, Senator Murray is working to build on the progress made over the last few years to ensure it is working for all families, not just the wealthiest few. That is why she is leading the charge in the Senate for a Worker Economic Security Agenda that includes:

• Increasing the federal minimum wage floor so that workers who work full time don’t have to live in poverty.
• Guaranteeing paid sick leave for workers, so that no worker has to choose between her health and her job.
• Pushing the Administration to update the outdated overtime rule and make sure that more workers who work overtime hours get overtime pay, and empower workers to exercise their right to join together and gain a seat at the bargaining table with legislation like the WAGE Act.
• Making college more affordable and tackling the crushing burden of student loan debt.
• Fighting for equal pay for equal work.
• Cracking down on worker scheduling abuses so that workers can have more certainty about their hours.
• Investing in affordable housing so that every family has a safe and stable place to call home.

Senator Murray also feels very strongly that tax cuts should be directed at middle class families and small business owners, not millionaires, billionaires, and massive corporations. That is why she fought to end the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. And it’s why she will keep fighting for tax relief for child care, earned income, college education, and other middle class and worker priorities.