Ranking Member's Press
Murray Statement on DeVos Decision to Rescind Guidance Aimed At Fighting Racism in Schools
Departments of Education and Justice rescinded guidance aimed at ending discipline practices that unfairly target students of color Murray: "It is absolutely shameful that Secretary DeVos and Acting Attorney General Whitaker are using the guise of school safety to rescind guidance aimed at stopping racism in our schools and ending the school-to-prison pipeline" Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) … Continue Reading
12.21.18
Murray, Hatch Introduce EARNS Act to Expand and Improve Apprenticeships to Help Workers, Businesses, and the Economy
EARNS Act would expand apprenticeship opportunities while supporting existing apprenticeship programs There are more than 22,000 registered apprenticeships programs that provide workers with the skills they need to succeed Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, along with Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Tim Scott (R… Continue Reading
12.20.18
Democrats Further Scrutinize Trump-Pence Administration Following Repeated Attempts to Undermine Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program
Sen. Murray and Rep. Lee lead Democrats in questioning Secretary Azar over Health Department's administration of Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program Multiple court rulings have thwarted the Trump-Pence administration's efforts to dismantle, undermine, and alter programs focused on helping reduce teen pregnancy Attempted changes would have skewed program away from evidence-based practices and toward ideological goals Washington, D.C. - Yesterday, led by Senator Patty Murray, (D-WA), Ran… Continue Reading
12.19.18
After Republican Senator Blocks Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Nominee, Murray Vows to Keep Fighting
For many of the women and men who came forward to share stories of sexual harassment or assault in the workplace, the EEOC is one of the few places they can turn Because one Republican Senator blocked the nomination of Chai Feldblum, the EEOC will likely lack a quorum next year Murray also called for the Senate to confirm Mark Pearce to the National Labor Relations Board Murray: "In this moment, when sexual assault and harassment in the workplace is at the forefront of our national c… Continue Reading
12.19.18
New Oversight Report: Murray Shines Spotlight On Sexual Assault, Harassment In Key Industries; Recommends Next Steps To Stop Harassment At Work
Yearlong oversight report highlights stories of brave women and men who came forward to share experiences of workplace harassment, their stories are making an impact Report highlights need for new federal action to give workers the tools and support they need to hold employers accountable Murray: "I wanted to make sure that Congress paid attention not just to the stories from Hollywood or here in the nation's capital, but to all workers" ***Read the full report HERE*** Washington… Continue Reading
12.18.18
Murray Statement on School Safety Commission: “It Is Insulting To Students, Parents, and Teachers That Secretary DeVos Wasted This Opportunity”
Trump Administration school safety commission released report failed to address commonsense gun safety reform, recommended reversing policies aimed at addressing discriminatory discipline practices in schools Murray: Report "underscores that Secretary DeVos is more interested in pandering to the NRA than listening to the students, parents, and teachers" Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committ… Continue Reading
12.14.18
Murray: “Blatantly Partisan” Republican Legal Threat Once Again Jeopardizes Pre-Ex Protections; Families’ Health Care
Murray urges Republicans who claimed to support pre-existing conditions to show leadership; ensure people are protected from reckless Republican political games (Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement on a ruling jeopardizing health care for tens of millions of people across the country. "Thanks to Republicans' nonstop effort to jeopardize health care in ou… Continue Reading
12.13.18
Murray Statement on Department of Education Finally Providing Relief to Students Left in the Lurch by For-Profit Colleges
After court order, Secretary DeVos is beginning to implement a 2016 "borrower defense" rule to protect students from predatory for-profit colleges While 15,000 borrowers will see immediate relief, 100,000 cheated and defrauded students are still waiting for Department to process their claims and are stuck paying back loans Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following sta… Continue Reading
12.11.18
Murray Continues Fight Against President Trump’s Far-Right Judicial Nominees, Opposes Nominee Tied to Fake Women’s Health Clinics
Murray spoke on the Senate floor against Circuit Court nominee Jonathan Kobes and laid out why his volunteer work for fake women's health centers is disqualifying Kobes volunteered to help defend a law that interfered in the relationship between providers and patients by requiring providers to give fake information to women seeking reproductive care Kobes is the sixth nominee from President Trump to be rated "unqualified" by the American Bar Association ***Watch Senator Murray's ful… Continue Reading
12.06.18
Murray, Kaine, and Senate Democrats Urge Department of Justice Watchdog to Investigate Decision-Making Process for Epstein Case
In 2007, then-U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta entered a non-prosecution agreement with Jeffrey Epstein, accused of abusing and coercing young girls into sex acts According to new Miami Herald investigation, Epstein was given "the deal of a lifetime" Senate Democrats raised alarm during Acosta's nomination process for Secretary of Labor, new details raise further questions about Acosta's handling of the case Washington, D.C. - Led by U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of… Continue Reading
12.06.18
Senate Democrats Urge DeVos to Hold Student Loan Companies Accountable, Increase Transparency to Ensure Companies Are Following the Law
Following DeVos' troubling pattern of shielding student loan companies from accountability, Senators urge DeVos to increase transparency and accountability for companies receiving taxpayer-funded contracts Senators: "Borrowers, taxpayers, schools, and policymakers are poorly served by the lack of transparency over student loan servicing" Washington, D.C. - Led by U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, 25 Sen… Continue Reading
12.06.18
Murray, Durbin, Markey, and Colleagues Keep Pressure on Food and Drug Administration to Go Further in Combating Youth Tobacco Use
Murray, Durbin, Markey, and 18 of their colleagues wrote to Commissioner Gottlieb supporting plans to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars and urging additional action to reduce youth e-cigarette use Recent study found a sharp spike in youth e-cigarette use, with one-in-five high school students using e-cigarettes as of 2018 Senators: "It is well past time to end the marketing of products that so clearly impact the health of our youth, and we urge the agency to act quickly to mak… Continue Reading
11.29.18
Murray Highlights Bipartisan Success as Committee Passes Legislation to Help Families and Communities
HELP Committee passes five more bills to help families and communities across the country Legislation is focused on access to maternity care services, Alzheimer's, Traumatic Brain Injury, children's emergency care, and museums and libraries Washington, D.C. - Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, delivered opening remarks at the Committee's November markup hearing where members on both sides of the aisle … Continue Reading
11.29.18
Murray: Trump Administration Offers “How-to Guide for Health Care Sabotage”
Trump Administration reveals templates showing states how to apply for permission to flout patient protections under new guidance for 1332 waivers Last month the Trump Administration issued a new guidance that warped 1332 waivers by weakening enforcement of the guardrails for the program and undermined protections for people with pre-existing conditions Murray and other Democratic Leaders have urged the Trump Administration to reverse course and warned the new guidance is inconsistent wi… Continue Reading
11.29.18
Senator Murray Seeks Update on Ebola Outbreak Response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Senator Murray requests information regarding Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's capabilities to respond to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Current outbreak includes 375 confirmed cases and 195 deaths, according to the World Health Organization's latest update Murray: "Ensuring the health and security of our country means having a robust response to public health threats and outbreaks globally." Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murr… Continue Reading
11.28.18
Murray, Hassan, Advocates and Survivors of Sexual Assault Urge Secretary DeVos to Withdraw Title IX Rule, Urge Students and Survivors to Make Their Voices Heard
Senators Murray and Hassan, advocates, and sexual assault survivors urged Secretary DeVos to withdraw her rule, listen to students and survivors, and aggressively implement student protections Secretary DeVos' proposed Title IX rule would weaken protections for survivors and make it easier for schools to shirk their responsibility to keep students safe *Watch a livestream of the press conference here* (Washington, D.C.) Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate … Continue Reading
11.28.18
Murray Calls On Republicans to Listen to Voters, End Health Care Sabotage Agenda, and Return to Negotiating Table to Lower Costs
At HELP Committee hearing, Senator Murray calls on Republicans to listen to voters, return to negotiating table to address Trump sabotage and lower health costs Murray: "The will of the people could not be clearer-they are tired of President Trump's broken promises, backwards steps, and blatant gimmicks. They want real solutions to make sure quality health care is accessible and affordable." Murray: "I hope Republicans finally got the message and are ready to turn over a new leaf. I hope th… Continue Reading
11.27.18
Senators Criticize Trump Administration After Watchdog Finds Vulnerabilities at Facility Charged with Caring for Children in Health Department’s Custody
Senators Murray, Feinstein, Wyden, and Durbin all issued statements following new report on failures of grantee entrusted to care for children in the custody of the Health Department's Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member of t… Continue Reading
11.21.18
Murray Statement on DeVos Decision to Reinstate Controversial For-Profit College Accreditor
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 on Secretary DeVos' decision to reinstate the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) as a federally-recognized accreditor. ACICS lost its federal recognition in 2016 after the Obama Administration determined it was not adequately reviewing for-profit colleges, including the now-defunct Corinthi… Continue Reading
11.20.18
Murray, Feinstein Lead Colleagues in Urging Trump Administration to Rescind Rule Unnecessarily Punishing International Students
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued guidance that could cause serious harm to international students in the United States Due to complex immigration law, many international students do not know they have violated terms of their visa-now could be barred from re-entering U.S. for up to 10 years Senators: "The policy change would unnecessarily punish minor or technical violations of immigration status by students, scholars, and exchange visitors who become confused by our comp… Continue Reading
