10 stories credited to Senator Patty Murray
Latest story Apr 22, 2026 · on ChamberLight since Apr 2026
A story can appear as several articles (copies of the same piece), so counts of stories and of articles differ.
Scores for Senator Patty Murray
Political lean
10 stories · 95% range 6–18 · updated Sep 25, 2026
Originality
10 stories · updated Sep 24, 2026
Writing quality 91 of 100: the average rating of 10 stories, each rated on its own (separate from credibility). How it is measured
Scores last checked Sep 25, 2026.
Stories ChamberLight collected, by month
Stories credited to Senator Patty Murray, by publication date. ChamberLight collects articles that mention the officials it tracks, so this shows its own coverage of this source, not how much the source publishes.
- Stories from Senator Patty Murray
- Shaded: ChamberLight collected no stories, or almost none, from any outlet (a gap in its collection, not in the outlet’s publishing)
Show as a table
| Month | Stories | All outlets |
|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | 10 | 3,220 |
| May 2026 | 0 | none collected |
| June 2026 | 0 | none collected |
| July 2026 | 0 | none collected |
| August 2026 | 0 | 1 (collection gap) |
| September 2026 | 0 | 1,320 |
Top topics
Share of this source’s stories tagged with each topic. A story can carry several topics, so the shares do not add up to 100%.
- Budget/Spending7
70% of 10 stories · 31% across all outlets
- Defense/Military6
60% of 10 stories · 25% across all outlets
- Ethics/Corruption4
40% of 10 stories · 58% across all outlets
- Healthcare4
40% of 10 stories · 8% across all outlets
- Foreign Policy3
30% of 10 stories · 29% across all outlets
- Immigration2
20% of 10 stories · 13% across all outlets
- Labor/Unions2
20% of 10 stories · 4% across all outlets
- Economy1
10% of 10 stories · 26% across all outlets
The thin mark on each bar is the topic’s share across all outlets.
Who they cover
Party of the officials these stories are mainly about, across all 5 officials named. A story counts once for each official it is mainly about, so the split is over 15 story–official pairs, from 10 stories.
- Democrat73% · 11 pairs
- Republican27% · 4 pairs
Most covered
Stories mainly about each official, and their share of the source’s 10 stories.
Article tone
ChamberLight’s article analysis assigns each story a tone toward the official it covers. It describes the coverage of that official, not Senator Patty Murray’s stance, and reader votes do not change it. 10 stories.
- Good Look
- 4 (40%)
- Mixed
- 6 (60%)
- Informational
- 0 (0%)
- Bad Look
- 0 (0%)
Challenges to these scores
No one has challenged a score on this page yet. Anyone can; editors publish every outcome here.
Articles served from murray.senate.gov
15
In New Video, Senator Murray Rejects Trump’s $1.5 Trillion War Funding Request, Outlines Better Ways to Spend Taxpayer Dollars to Help People
***WATCH: Senator Murray lays out much better ways to spend taxpayer dollars*** Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released a video slamming Trump for his reckless war of choice with Iran, and his proposal to slash domestic investments to help pay for a defense spending increase of roughly half a trillion dollars and billions more in additional funds he is still expected to request for the war in Iran. Senator Murray detailed just a handful of much better ways our country could spend the money than on Trump’s astronomical $1.5 trillion request for war funding, such as extending the ACA tax credits, expanding child care, building affordable housing, fighting child hunger, researching cures for cancer and other devastating diseases, making health care and higher education affordable, and so much more. “Trump just asked Congress to increase defense spending by roughly half a trillion dollars. And to do it, he wants to cut programs people rely on—a home heating and cooling program, housing programs, afterschool programs, small business support, and a whole lot more. In Trump’s own words: ‘We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of day care.’ As a former preschool teacher—I have to tell you—that’s absolutely wrong. In fact—we can’t afford to ignore child care,” said Senator Murray. “I think it is pretty obvious to most Americans, that there are a lot of better ways our nation could spend billions of dollars than blowing it on bombs and bullets for a war that no one asked for. So today—we’re going to look at a few of the many better options for how our nation could spend the $500 billion war increase from Trump’s budget. Things like expanding child care, or building affordable housing, or researching cures for cancer and other devastating diseases, making health care and higher education affordable, and more. WATCH HERE: What Could We Fund Instead of Trump’s War Budget? Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below: “Hey everyone, Senator Patty Murray here. Right now, at the same time Donald Trump is making everyday life more expensive for families, he has also been setting your tax dollars on fire. Instead of making sure federal funding serves our families. Trump is destroying the White House to build his golden ballroom. He is letting Stephen Miller burn billions of dollars sending untrained ICE officers to harass our communities, and detain Americans. “And—of course—he is blowing tens of billions of dollars on the war he chose to start with Iran. A war that is driving gas prices sky high and putting our servicemembers in harm’s way for no reason. We, frankly, have no idea exactly how much money Trump has already set on fire in Iran. Though it’s certainly in the tens of billions at this point. “And we have even less of an idea of how much Trump will blow on his war in total because that would require an actual strategy, something it is clear Trump has never had. But you should know Trump just asked Congress to increase defense spending by roughly half a trillion dollars. And to do it, he wants to cut programs people rely on—a home heating and cooling program, housing programs, afterschool programs, small business support, and a whole lot more. “In Trump’s own words: ‘We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of day care.’ As a former preschool teacher—I have to tell you—that’s absolutely wrong. In fact—we can’t afford to ignore child care. But more on that later. “I think it is pretty obvious to most Americans, that there are a lot of better ways our nation could spend billions of dollars than blowing it on bombs and bullets for a war that no one asked for. So today—we’re going to look at a few of the many better options for how our nation could spend the $500 billion war increase from Trump’s budget. “Things like expanding child care, or building affordable housing, or researching cures for cancer and other devastating diseases, making health care and higher education affordable, and more. Let’s get into it. [LOWERING HEALTH CARE COSTS] “Last year, Trump and Republicans made the biggest cut to health care basically ever—all to pass tax cuts for billionaires. And then—to top it all off, they refused to extend health care tax credits for working families. They caused premiums for families that relied on those tax credits to double, triple, and even worse. The result? We saw prices skyrocket and health coverage plummet. Millions of people lost their insurance this year and millions more had to downgrade to a worse plan—often still for a higher price. “So what if instead of spending hundreds of billions of dollars on Trump’s war of choice, Republicans had worked with us to save health care? Well—a two year extension, which Democrats argued for, would have cost just $60 billion dollars. So, for the cost of what we’ve already spent on Trump’s war in Iran, we could have extended tax credits this year. Or for $200 billion—so not even half of the budget increase Trump proposed for the Department of War—we could have renewed the health care tax credits for around six years! That would’ve stopped enormous health care premium hikes—and helped countless people get coverage. “Or, another option, since Trump’s plan is to add half a trillion to the War Department’s annual budget, what would that look like for one year of health care? Well that is the cost of Medicaid coverage for over 50 million people. That sure seems like a better use of tax dollars, than letting Trump single handedly launch our kids into war in Iran. “Another way to put the cost of this war into perspective? Half a trillion dollars—is more than double the total of all medical debt owed by Americans. Instead of a war of choice in Iran, with no clear end in sight, Trump’s war budget is enough to declare a war on medical debt—and wipe it out pretty much entirely. “But rather than doing anything on health care, Republicans are talking about sending more money to Trump’s war of choice and even discussing more cuts to health care to do that. That’s unbelievable. [HELPING FAMILIES AFFORD CHILD CARE] “Now, I’ve been focused on child care basically as long as I have been in politics. I got my start as a mom in tennis shoes—fighting to save my own kids’ preschool program. So, when I see Trump calling for half a trillion dollars to fight another endless war in the Middle East, while saying—right out loud—that we can’t afford child care. “I have to wonder—what if instead of blowing your tax dollars on bombs dropped on Iran, we invested big to help moms and dads in tennis shoes. Because, we have a child care crisis in this country. It’s too hard to find child care, too hard for families to afford it, and too hard for child care providers to stay in businesses. This is holding back families and holding back our economy. But putting the kind of money Trump is talking about into child care would be a world of change for all families. “I fought hard to secure an historic level of funding for child care in our last funding bill. All said and done, around $20 billion for programs like the Child Care and Development Block Grant and Head Start. But with the amount of money Trump is considering for his war in Iran, with just half of his Defense budget increase, we could increase our child care investments ten times over. That would be transformational for our country. “Half a trillion dollars would make high-quality child care affordable for every family that needs it. It would allow child care providers to pay their teachers and staff a living wage, so they can stay in these careers. It would mean employers wouldn’t have to worry about their employees missing work because they couldn’t find child care. “Ask any parent what would be more helpful, shoveling money at a war that also drives up gas prices and alienates our allies, or funding child care—one of the single biggest expenses many new parents struggle with. I will tell you right now—it’s no contest. “In fact—we already know nearly three-quarters of parents support universal child care. That is hardly news to those of us who have been [in] this fight for years now. And believe me, I am going to keep fighting for bold reforms so we can get every family quality, affordable child care. [ENDING CHILD HUNGER] “Here’s an idea—what if instead of spending half a trillion fighting Trump’s wars, we spent that money fighting child hunger in this country? For the amount of money Trump wants to blow on bombs, and bullets, and destruction, we could put a free lunch on a lot of school trays, dinner on a lot of families’ tables, and a healthy meal in a lot of hungry bellies. “With $500 billion—we could fund free school lunch for every child in the United States, and still have $370 billion left over. One option for the extra—we could fully fund free school lunch for the next couple decades. Another would be to expand summer lunch programs as well to keep more kids fed year-round. We could help stock up food banks. “Or maybe we could undo some of the SNAP cuts from Republicans’ big ugly bill. Because remember—in order to fund tax breaks for the rich, and fuel private jets. Republicans made huge cuts to SNAP last year. They are kicking families off the program, and taking food off the table and they did it to give more money to the richest people on the planet. [MAKING HIGHER EDUCATION AFFORDABLE] “What if instead of Trump spending $500 billion sending our kids to war in Iran, we put that money toward sending kids to college and helping them attain a higher education? Increased federal investments would open the doors of opportunity to millions of students across our country. “One option would be to sharply increase support for community college students across the country. With just $200 billion we could provide free community college for anyone who wants to further their education and careers, or, fully cover the costs for 5 million students a year—for the next decade. “Another option would be to enhance Pell grants—which helps millions of students every year afford their dreams of a higher education. For the cost of Trump’s war budget increase, we could double the maximum Pell grant to make a postsecondary education drastically more affordable for millions of students “There are a lot of different ways we could tackle making higher education more affordable. The one thing they have in common—they are all a much better investment in our future than Trump’s plan to spend hundreds of billions of dollars starting a new ‘forever war’ in the Middle East. [LOWERING THE COST OF HOUSING] “Why would we let Trump spend half a trillion to continue a war in Iran, when we could be using that money to end homelessness right here in this country. That’s not some pie in the sky idea, with $500 billion dollars it becomes an achievable goal. Instead of putting bombs over the skies in Iran, we could use this money to put roofs over a lot of heads. “Just consider: The National Alliance to End Homelessness, has estimated that for around $10 billion dollars we could provide rapid re-housing or permanent supportive housing to everyone in a homeless shelter who struggled to get housing in one year. That is just a fraction of Trump’s half a trillion dollar war budget. Meaning we could invest in other housing affordability programs too. “For example—by one estimate, in addition to getting everyone out of homeless shelters, we could cover the cost of Section 8 housing for a year for every single person eligible—and still have over $350 billion left over. “And of course, a huge challenge with the housing crisis is expanding the supply. We have to build far more affordable housing units, that is something I push for every year, even as Trump keeps trying to cut those investments in his budget. For $350 billion dollars—we could cover the costs of building over 800,000 affordable housing units. “We could make this funding go even farther through policy changes. The Center for American Progress has put forward a policy plan they say could close the 2 million housing supply gap in 5 years—for $95 billion. That’s not even a quarter of what Trump plans to spend on a war. “So why in the world would we spend so much money on destruction across the globe. When we can make those same dollars go a lot farther for construction right here at home. [FUNDING MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS] “While Trump is creating new threats abroad through his reckless warmongering and demanding hundreds of billions of dollars to fight wars that Americans never wanted him to start in the first place, there is another set of enemies, right here at home—killing our people, and that we could all but vanquish with robust investments. And that is disease. “Given the same $500 billion Trump wants to send to a war in Iran, we could increase our investments to beat cancer and Alzheimer’s ten times over. Instead of a war that risks American lives, we could be fighting to save countless lives researching cancer, and Alzheimer’s, and heart disease, and more. “Just consider according to one estimate, it would take just over $24 billion dollars—so not even 5 percent of Trump’s war budget, to prepare prototype vaccines for each of the 26 known viral families that cause human disease. Even if that estimate were off by double, we could have a vaccine for every known viral family, and still have well over $400 billion dollars left over. “And what could we do with that? Well one option—would be to end the AIDS epidemic. PEPFAR has already been one of the most successful programs in history—and at a budget far below what Trump has proposed for his war. If we spent our energy fighting HIV and AIDS instead of fighting whatever war Trump decides to start, this is a fight we can win. UN AIDS estimated we could end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 if the US increased its funding by $29 billion dollars. Wouldn’t that be something. A deadly global enemy—actually eradicated. “It’s almost heartbreaking to think we are passing up these kinds of opportunities, just to blow more money on bombs for Trump. [CONCLUSION] “The crazy thing is I’ve only just scratched the surface of better ways we could spend all the money Trump wants to set on fire to fuel his war in Iran. And I would love to hear your suggestions in the comments as well. We could spend that money replacing lead water pipes, or improving access to mental health care, or building bridges and fixing roads, or providing better care for our veterans. “Remember when Trump promised tariff rebates? Another broken promise. By some estimates—President Trump’s tariffs cost the average family over a thousand dollars last year. “In fact, for the amount Trump wants to increase war spending—$500 billion dollars, you could send each of the 130 million households in this country $3,800 dollars. “At the end of the day—it is almost hard to think of a worse way to spend hundreds of billions of dollars than Trump’s war in Iran. Though I have no doubt he will try to outdo himself. “And it’s important to remember, when we talk about how Trump’s budget would jack up defense spending by half a trillion dollars, that is only half the problem. Trump doesn’t only propose spending more money on missiles and war, he wants to cut programs our families rely on to do that, affordable housing, small business support, teacher training, and a lot more. “So stay tuned, because I am going to have a lot more to say about that. Last year I promised to tear Trump’s budget in half, and that is exactly what I did. So I know exactly what to do with this new one.” ### The post In New Video, Senator Murray Rejects Trump’s $1.5 Trillion War Funding Request, Outlines Better Ways to Spend Taxpayer Dollars to Help People appeared first on Senator Patty Murray.
Senator Murray Slams RFK Jr. for Endorsing Cuts to Critical Programs Families Rely on to Fund Trump’s Wars Abroad
RFK Jr. on Trump budget request to spend money on war instead of child care: “It’s not my department.” ICYMI: Senator Murray on President Trump’s FY27 Budget Request ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s full questioning*** Washington, D.C. — Today,—at a Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the FY27 budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, questioned HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Trump’s proposal to slash funding for programs families count on to help fund Trump’s massive half trillion dollar increase in war funding. [CUTTING HHS PROGRAMS TO FUND WAR] Senator Murray began by grilling RFK Jr. on the president’s proposed budget slashing funding for NIH, substance use and mental health, and other key programs while doing nothing to help families afford child care or the basics. MURRAY: Mr. Secretary, I don’t think it’s any secret that you and I disagree on a lot of things. But I think we might actually agree that our taxpayer dollars should be spent here at home, not on wars abroad. That’s not what the president thinks. He made clear that just before his budget was released, he said, “We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of day care.” And he backed it up with the numbers in this budget: his budget increases war funding by half a trillion dollars but he does not increase child care funding by a penny. And it actually slashes funding for preschool programs by $315 million. Now, I know you don’t get to decide defense spending. But I remember our first meeting when you told me that you supported expanding child care access. So, I wanted to ask you today, as families’ everyday costs are getting higher and higher, do you think we should be spending money on foreign wars instead of making child care more affordable for people here at home? KENNEDY: Senator, do you really want me to defend the Iran war right now? Is that what you want me to spend my time doing? MURRAY: I’m asking — KENNEDY: Because I can. But I’d rather talk about health. MURRAY: I’m asking you, personally, whether you think we should be spending more on foreign wars or on child care? KENNEDY: I mean, the Democratic party for the last 20 years has said Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and they have kicked that down the road. MURRAY: Well, I don’t think you are here to defend that. I’m just asking you what happened to childcare in this budget? KENNEDY: Okay, let’s talk about childcare then instead of the war. One of the few agencies— MURRAY: Well, what’s happening—Mr. Secretary just so it’s clear, the reason this budget and appropriations is going to be so hard to write, is that the president is requesting $1.5 trillion in funding for defense which cuts our nondefense incredibly. KENNEDY: It’s not my department. MURRAY: So, we here are not able to help our families because of the president’s request. So that’s why we are asking about this. KENNEDY: We’re asking about this because we have a $39 trillion debt that somebody else ran up, not this president. MURRAY: Well let’s put this in perspective, I think this is important: the president spent more on bombs in just the first week of the war in Iran than we spend in an entire year for parents to afford child care. And I will just say for all of us out here struggling with this, and the people we see struggling, we need child care in this country. And we have to make choices when we make our budget, and the budget that is presented to us makes the choice of a war rather than helping our families here at home. And I think that’s important for us to understand from the president. Now meanwhile, while this budget bankrolls Trump’s war agenda, it is also cutting crucial, lifesaving health investments. It slashes NIH funding by more than five billion dollars, which would mean delayed cures, it means cancelled studies, it means no hope for patients who are fighting for their lives. The president seems to be comfortable increasing his war budget by 100 times that amount. So I just want to ask you, did you push back on the NIH cuts to the president? KENNEDY: On? MURRAY: On the NIH cuts, did you push back to the president and the White House about cutting that? KENNEDY: As I said, long before the war, we were told we need to tighten our belt at this agency. I said before, nobody in the agency wants to cut these programs. MURRAY: But your budget does. KENNEDY: If you end up funding the programs, I’ll spend the money. It’s Congress’s choice about whether to do it or not. It’s not my choice. We gave you a proposed budget that does what the president wants, which is to have broad cuts across the agency. MURRAY: My question to you actually was did you push back on the president when he said he wanted to cut NIH? Did you push back in any meeting? KENNEDY: You want me to tell you why I think those cuts are justified at NIH? MURRAY: I would like to hear your rationale. KENNEDY: We spend—we are providing now at NIH almost 80% of the biomedical research on Earth. A lot of the money there was wasted. And I can read you the kind of studies—the insane studies that NIH was doing before I got there. We’re now— MURRAY: Can you? What I am hearing is that women’s health is being decimated. I’m hearing that a lot of the people who are in clinical trials being decimated. You just throw out, “we are cutting waste,” and I don’t know what you consider waste. KENNEDY: Oh well, let me give you some examples of waste. MURRAY: At NIH. KENNEDY: Yeah, at NIH. $800,000 to the Medical College of Wisconsin to study cardiometabolic impact of gender affirming hormone therapy on transmasculine adults. $650,000 to Georgia State University, an intersectional approach linking minority stressors experienced by transgender and gender diverse adults to alcohol and drug use, comorbid mental and physical health outcomes. None of the—I have got hundreds of these. MURRAY: Do you? KENNEDY: None of them developed a drug. None of them did research that told us the cause of a disease. MURRAY: I noticed you’re focusing on gender identity. I know there is a debate in this country, but boy, you are picking on an agency that funds research that finds cures every day. There are families, there are doctors, there’s providers who are counting on getting the answers to this research. And so to me, cutting NIH by $5 billion just seems to be cutting our families out, cutting hope out, cutting medical research out. We are known in the world for our medical research. And to me, devastating cuts like this mean that we are cutting hope for the future. So you and I disagree on that priority. [CLOSING COMMENTS] MURRAY: And my time is about up. And I just have to say, we have measles and whooping cough ripping through communities. We have got trusted vaccines that have been undermined. We have cancer and other disease trials that are being upended, we have patients being left without options, researchers having to pay expenses out of their own pockets, I hear this from them directly. We have grants being frozen, turned on and off. You actually cancelled more than half a billion dollars in cutting edge vaccine research, only to fund a dangerous, unethical [Hep B] vaccine study, and redirected funding from state-of-the-art vaccine development to replace it with your handpicked vaccine project that uses technology from the 1950s. So the workforce has been gutted. We are seeing cancelling of billions of dollars in substance use, mental health. We see you pausing $5 billion in public health funding, and terminating grants in blue states only. So I just have to say here loud and clear, this is hurting public health, it is hurting our families, it is hurting our research, it’s hurting the future of the country. ### The post Senator Murray Slams RFK Jr. for Endorsing Cuts to Critical Programs Families Rely on to Fund Trump’s Wars Abroad appeared first on Senator Patty Murray.
Senator Murray Slams RFK Jr. for Endorsing Cuts to Critical Programs Families Rely on to Fund Trump’s Wars Abroad
RFK Jr. on Trump budget request to spend money on war instead of child care: “It’s not my department.” ICYMI: Senator Murray on President Trump’s FY27 Budget Request ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s full questioning*** Washington, D.C. — Today,—at a Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the FY27 budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, questioned HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Trump’s proposal to slash funding for programs families count on to help fund Trump’s massive half trillion dollar increase in war funding. [CUTTING HHS PROGRAMS TO FUND WAR] Senator Murray began by grilling RFK Jr. on the president’s proposed budget slashing funding for NIH, substance use and mental health, and other key programs while doing nothing to help families afford child care or the basics. MURRAY: Mr. Secretary, I don’t think it’s any secret that you and I disagree on a lot of things. But I think we might actually agree that our taxpayer dollars should be spent here at home, not on wars abroad. That’s not what the president thinks. He made clear that just before his budget was released, he said, “We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of day care.” And he backed it up with the numbers in this budget: his budget increases war funding by half a trillion dollars but he does not increase child care funding by a penny. And it actually slashes funding for preschool programs by $315 million. Now, I know you don’t get to decide defense spending. But I remember our first meeting when you told me that you supported expanding child care access. So, I wanted to ask you today, as families’ everyday costs are getting higher and higher, do you think we should be spending money on foreign wars instead of making child care more affordable for people here at home? KENNEDY: Senator, do you really want me to defend the Iran war right now? Is that what you want me to spend my time doing? MURRAY: I’m asking — KENNEDY: Because I can. But I’d rather talk about health. MURRAY: I’m asking you, personally, whether you think we should be spending more on foreign wars or on child care? KENNEDY: I mean, the Democratic party for the last 20 years has said Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and they have kicked that down the road. MURRAY: Well, I don’t think you are here to defend that. I’m just asking you what happened to childcare in this budget? KENNEDY: Okay, let’s talk about childcare then instead of the war. One of the few agencies— MURRAY: Well, what’s happening—Mr. Secretary just so it’s clear, the reason this budget and appropriations is going to be so hard to write, is that the president is requesting $1.5 trillion in funding for defense which cuts our nondefense incredibly. KENNEDY: It’s not my department. MURRAY: So, we here are not able to help our families because of the president’s request. So that’s why we are asking about this. KENNEDY: We’re asking about this because we have a $39 trillion debt that somebody else ran up, not this president. MURRAY: Well let’s put this in perspective, I think this is important: the president spent more on bombs in just the first week of the war in Iran than we spend in an entire year for parents to afford child care. And I will just say for all of us out here struggling with this, and the people we see struggling, we need child care in this country. And we have to make choices when we make our budget, and the budget that is presented to us makes the choice of a war rather than helping our families here at home. And I think that’s important for us to understand from the president. Now meanwhile, while this budget bankrolls Trump’s war agenda, it is also cutting crucial, lifesaving health investments. It slashes NIH funding by more than five billion dollars, which would mean delayed cures, it means cancelled studies, it means no hope for patients who are fighting for their lives. The president seems to be comfortable increasing his war budget by 100 times that amount. So I just want to ask you, did you push back on the NIH cuts to the president? KENNEDY: On? MURRAY: On the NIH cuts, did you push back to the president and the White House about cutting that? KENNEDY: As I said, long before the war, we were told we need to tighten our belt at this agency. I said before, nobody in the agency wants to cut these programs. MURRAY: But your budget does. KENNEDY: If you end up funding the programs, I’ll spend the money. It’s Congress’s choice about whether to do it or not. It’s not my choice. We gave you a proposed budget that does what the president wants, which is to have broad cuts across the agency. MURRAY: My question to you actually was did you push back on the president when he said he wanted to cut NIH? Did you push back in any meeting? KENNEDY: You want me to tell you why I think those cuts are justified at NIH? MURRAY: I would like to hear your rationale. KENNEDY: We spend—we are providing now at NIH almost 80% of the biomedical research on Earth. A lot of the money there was wasted. And I can read you the kind of studies—the insane studies that NIH was doing before I got there. We’re now— MURRAY: Can you? What I am hearing is that women’s health is being decimated. I’m hearing that a lot of the people who are in clinical trials being decimated. You just throw out, “we are cutting waste,” and I don’t know what you consider waste. KENNEDY: Oh well, let me give you some examples of waste. MURRAY: At NIH. KENNEDY: Yeah, at NIH. $800,000 to the Medical College of Wisconsin to study cardiometabolic impact of gender affirming hormone therapy on transmasculine adults. $650,000 to Georgia State University, an intersectional approach linking minority stressors experienced by transgender and gender diverse adults to alcohol and drug use, comorbid mental and physical health outcomes. None of the—I have got hundreds of these. MURRAY: Do you? KENNEDY: None of them developed a drug. None of them did research that told us the cause of a disease. MURRAY: I noticed you’re focusing on gender identity. I know there is a debate in this country, but boy, you are picking on an agency that funds research that finds cures every day. There are families, there are doctors, there’s providers who are counting on getting the answers to this research. And so to me, cutting NIH by $5 billion just seems to be cutting our families out, cutting hope out, cutting medical research out. We are known in the world for our medical research. And to me, devastating cuts like this mean that we are cutting hope for the future. So you and I disagree on that priority. [CLOSING COMMENTS] MURRAY: And my time is about up. And I just have to say, we have measles and whooping cough ripping through communities. We have got trusted vaccines that have been undermined. We have cancer and other disease trials that are being upended, we have patients being left without options, researchers having to pay expenses out of their own pockets, I hear this from them directly. We have grants being frozen, turned on and off. You actually cancelled more than half a billion dollars in cutting edge vaccine research, only to fund a dangerous, unethical [Hep B] vaccine study, and redirected funding from state-of-the-art vaccine development to replace it with your handpicked vaccine project that uses technology from the 1950s. So the workforce has been gutted. We are seeing cancelling of billions of dollars in substance use, mental health. We see you pausing $5 billion in public health funding, and terminating grants in blue states only. So I just have to say here loud and clear, this is hurting public health, it is hurting our families, it is hurting our research, it’s hurting the future of the country. ### The post Senator Murray Slams RFK Jr. for Endorsing Cuts to Critical Programs Families Rely on to Fund Trump’s Wars Abroad appeared first on Senator Patty Murray.
Senator Murray on Republicans Releasing Their Budget Resolution to Cut Another Blank Check for ICE & Border Patrol
ICYMI: On Senate Floor, Murray Talks DHS Funding—Calling on House Republicans to Stop Extending Record-Breaking Shutdown Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and a senior member and former chair of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement on the release of Republicans’ budget resolution that establishes the framework for Republicans to approve $70 billion in new funding for ICE and Border Patrol on a party-line basis. “Instead of doing literally anything to lower costs, Republicans are spending their time working hard to cut another massive blank check for ICE and Border Patrol—without any reforms, or even basic guardrails. “After the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, people across the country demanded ICE be reined in—but instead of working with Democrats to enact real reform, Republicans rejected the most basic accountability measures, and now they’re rushing to give ICE billions of dollars more. “Families want relief from sky-high prices, not more of their tax dollars thrown at a rogue agency that doesn’t respect their rights. Republicans are moving heaven and earth to cut yet another blank check for ICE, but they won’t put a cent toward making health care or housing more affordable.” Last summer, Republicans in Congress approved over $190 billion for the Department of Homeland Security in their Big Ugly Bill. That included over $162 billion in immigration enforcement and border-related funding, including $75 billion for ICE, $65 billion for CBP, and a $10 billion slush fund for the Secretary to use for “border support.” Republicans’ budget resolution sets them up to provide an additional $70 billion in funding for DHS—without any strings attached or basic reforms to its operations. Throughout negotiations over the fiscal year 2026 Homeland Security funding bill, Democrats made clear they would not provide more money to ICE and Border Patrol without reforms—but after weeks of tough negotiations, Republicans ultimately rejected common-sense reforms for the agencies, including reforms the White House had already agreed to. ### The post Senator Murray on Republicans Releasing Their Budget Resolution to Cut Another Blank Check for ICE & Border Patrol appeared first on Senator Patty Murray.
On Senate Floor, Murray Blasts Trump’s Budget Request and Speaks About Path Forward for FY27 Appropriations
Murray: “None of the priorities Trump campaigned on are reflected in this budget. He’s breaking every single promise he made about lowering costs, and helping families, and putting America first. Instead of ‘putting America first,’ he is asking Congress to slash investments in families to help fund his reckless foreign wars, and line the pockets of defense company CEOs and their stockholders.” Murray: “We have to put more resources into helping people out, not funding Trump’s wars abroad. Do Republicans really want to give Trump’s warmongering a blank check while giving families the short end of the stick? Because that’s the basic pitch Trump has made.” Murray: “We should be fighting a war against cancer, not another war in the Middle East.” ICYMI: Senator Murray on President Trump’s FY27 Budget Request ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s full floor speech*** Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, took to the Senate floor to speak about President Trump’s fiscal year 2027 budget request—and to outline the challenges ahead for this year’s appropriations process and underscore the importance of investing in families, instead of financing Trump’s wars abroad. Senator Murray also spoke about the latest on fiscal year 2026 funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Those remarks can be found HERE. Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below: [TRUMP’S BUDGET REQUEST] “This week, now that President Trump finally submitted his FY27 budget request, which he did over the recess, we are kicking off the FY27 appropriations process in earnest with hearings in the Appropriations Committee. “Now, a budget is a statement of values, and what this budget says about our president’s values is bleak. Trump’s vision for our future is not better schools for our kids. It’s not curing diseases like cancer or Alzheimer’s. It’s not lowering costs for families like child care or home energy bills. It is war, war—plain and simple. “None of the priorities Trump campaigned on are reflected in this budget. He’s breaking every single promise he made about lowering costs, and helping families, and putting America first. [TRUMP’S $1.5 TRILLION DEFENSE ASK] “Instead of ‘putting America first,’ he is asking Congress to slash investments in families to help fund his reckless foreign wars, and line the pockets of defense company CEOs and their stockholders. “He summed it up pretty well when he said recently that quote: ‘We’re fighting wars. We can’t take care of day care.’ That was him, it doesn’t get more explicit—or more wrong—than that. Trump is saying: we can’t afford to help families afford the basics, because we have to fight wars that he chose to start! “We also have Trump admitting in an interview that gas prices may be higher in a few months because of his latest war. But for my Republican colleagues who can’t bring themselves to watch Trump’s interviews or read his posts, don’t worry, because Trump’s budget is sending the same pro-war, anti-family message—just with more numbers, fewer typos, fewer unhinged tangents attacking the pope, and no AI photos depicting Trump as Jesus. “And I assure you: the values in this budget are just as morally bankrupt. Because Trump wants to defund programs that lower people’s costs, while increasing war spending by half a trillion dollars. All told, he wants a $1.5 trillion defense budget. That is a trillion—that is twelve zeroes. And there seems to be no rhyme or reason for that number except that Trump liked the sound of it, woke up one day, and announced on Truth Social he’d seek one and a half trillion dollars for defense. “It’s really hard to put that number into perspective, but I’m going to try—because the tradeoffs could not be more stark. Instead of spending half a trillion dollars more on war, we could easily extend the health care tax credits that Republicans let expire, for many years to come. We could [build] millions of affordable new homes, or help millions of Americans afford quality child care, or just about end homelessness, or make sure that no kid in this country goes hungry. We could develop new cures and treatments for devastating diseases, or cut families’ energy bills in half, or help students actually afford to go to college. “Seriously—half a trillion dollars more for war is such a mind-boggling amount, that White House aides scrambled to even produce a request to meet Trump’s number. There is no world in which the Pentagon can spend that kind of increase responsibly. [CUTTING DOMESTIC PROGRAMS TO PAY FOR WAR] “But blowing up the war budget—and blowing up the debt—is only half the story with Trump’s absurd budget. Because while Trump’s budget has plenty of cash for warmongering—while he is more than happy to shovel your tax dollars at defense contractors, Trump wants to cut funding for our schools. He wants to cut funding for medical research. He wants to cut funding for affordable housing programs. And a whole lot more. “Truly—the only thing that might be more breathtaking than the amount of money Trump wants to spend warmongering abroad is the amount of damage he wants to do with those cuts here at home. “There are entire programs that do real good for families across this country that Trump wants to turn into dust. A few examples: Trump wants to eliminate programs that help families pay their energy bills—which Trump has already sent skyrocketing with his tariffs, clean energy cuts, and now this war. Just last month, the price of home heating oil increased by 30 percent. 30 percent! Trump wants to eliminate nutrition assistance for our seniors—not even a year after Republicans made the largest SNAP cuts in history. Trump wants to eliminate the Title X program—cutting off access to family planning and preventive care, at the same time the Republican health care hike just pushed millions of people off their insurance, and extreme abortion bans that are putting women’s lives in danger. Trump wants to eliminate housing supply programs—even as he wrecks the economy, sends inflation higher, and puts homeownership even farther out of reach. He also wants to eliminate roughly 30 K-12 programs—totaling over $6 billion in funding—including support for our homeless students, and our after school programs. Not to mention another 30 DOJ programs that help keep our communities safe. “I could go on all day. “And beyond the programs Trump wants to zero out completely, there are many others he just wants to cut down to the bone: He wants to cut NIH by $5.75 billion, he wants to cut CDC by a third, and cut funding for mental health, rural health, maternal health, even more. Think about that—Trump wants to slash funding to fight against disease so he can bankroll his war against Iran that no one asked for. At the same time Trump wants a record breaking, budget-busting half trillion dollar increase for war, he wants to cut COPS grants by a quarter—that will make our communities less safe. He wants to cut our National Parks by a third—that would eliminate 2,500 positions and put our national treasures at risk. He wants to slash EPA in half—that will let polluters run amok and put our families in danger. He wants to cut the Small Business Administration by two thirds—as if he hasn’t already done enough damage to the economy. Or—when it comes to NASA—the world was just captivated by the ARTEMIS mission, sending humans further from Earth than ever before and preparing to return to the moon for the first time this century. Most of us in this country watched that mission and we were awe-struck. We watched and said ‘Wow—this country can still inspire the world. We can still reach for the stars.’ Well Trump watched that mission and he said—’Whatever, let’s cut NASA by a quarter.’ Not to mention other cuts to science, slashing the National Science Foundation in half, so we just let China continue to win when it comes to science and technology. Trump also wants to cut funding for Amtrak and for transit projects across the country. He wants to cut funding to address violence against women. He wants to slash WIC benefits that help our moms and kids get healthy food. He wants to practically eliminate federal funding for drinking water and sewer infrastructure—even as those old sewage pipes in DC nearly put our nation’s Capital at risk. Not to mention he wants to rob states like mine of funding for critical projects. He is once again zeroing out funding for the Howard Hanson dam and he is trying to shortchange the Hanford cleanup. And once again—I will not stand for that. “I cannot drive home enough how backwards this all of this is. Trump’s budget has zero dollars—zero—to increase child care funding, but, again, he has got half a trillion dollars more to increase war spending. “Not because we actually need that much to keep our country safe. But because Trump apparently likes starting wars and threatening to end civilizations. He likes sending our sons and daughters into Venezuela, and Iran, and who knows where next—without any sort of plan or any regard for the consequences, like those skyrocketing gas prices. “That is not what Trump campaigned on. And it is not what anyone wants. And as long as I am on the Appropriations Committee—you can be darn sure it is not what we are going to be doing in our annual funding bills. “Trump’s budget request to blow half a trillion on wars across the world, while cutting programs here at home, belongs in the trash. And that is exactly where I intend to send it. [MAJOR FUNDING CHALLENGES AHEAD AS NON-DEFENSE BUDGET IS PUSHED TO BRINK] “But as we look ahead to FY27, we are staring down some major challenges—in many respects, even bigger challenges than we have faced in the past year. “Because while Trump pushes a half-trillion-dollar war-spending bonanza, the reality is, that for three successive years now, our domestic budget has essentially remained flat—and that’s in nominal terms. For three years in a row, Republicans have squeezed non-defense programs as much as possible while pushing for higher defense spending. “Democrats have fought off countless cuts pitched by Trump and House Republicans, but the fact of the matter is when Republicans hold these programs roughly flat for three years, and inflation—not to mention tariffs and chaos—keeps raising costs, that is effectively a cut. [DOMESTIC FUNDING SHORTFALLS] “Over the last few years, we’ve turned over just about every couch cushion we can find to prevent cuts to child care or cancer research. But there are only so many cushions in that couch, and we will need significantly more funding for non-defense to simply tread water this year. “For example, the Pell program is facing a $17 billion shortfall. If we don’t address that, students are going to pay the price. “Medical care for our veterans will cost many billions more. If we don’t have more non-defense funding, we’ll either shortchange veterans, or have to cut other programs that families count on. “Housing costs as we all know, continue to rise and we will need more funds to simply tread water and keep serving the Americans who count on rental assistance. It’s the same story for WIC—and so many other important programs that people count on. [FAST-APPROACHING INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING CLIFF] “And then, there is the massive infrastructure cliff that we are about to barrel over. Because the bipartisan infrastructure law that we passed about five years ago included tens of billions of dollars each year for key non-defense programs. “Those programs and funds have supplemented our annual appropriations in an absolutely critical way, those funds run out in September. “We are talking about resources to repair roads and bridges, expand public transit, lower energy costs, create good jobs, and invest in communities across this country—all gone in the blink of an eye. “You know how many pages Trump spends planning to address that in his budget? Zero. None. That’s unacceptable—and we cannot fail to address this infrastructure cliff and increase domestic investments that help families and put our communities first. [MORE MONEY FOR FAMILIES, NOT WAR] “And as we know, meanwhile—inflation is squeezing families across the board, electric bills are going up, tariffs have sent groceries prices higher and higher, child care is still expensive and hard to find, and health care premiums are skyrocketing. “In the face of all of that, we have to put more resources into helping people out, not funding Trump’s wars abroad. “Do Republicans really want to give Trump’s warmongering a blank check while giving families the short end of the stick? Because that’s the basic pitch Trump has made. “M. President, the problems with Trump’s budget—are many. But it boils down to this: Trump would rob our families to pay for war—while still burdening our grandkids with mountains of debt—and for what? To make defense contractors rich? To buy more bombs Trump can threaten to ‘end civilization’ with? “We should be building bridges here in America, not destroying them in Iran. “We should be lowering costs here in America, not waging wars that send prices through the roof. “We should be fighting a war against cancer, not another war in the Middle East. “We should be investing in our working families, not funding whatever new war Trump decides to start. [PATH AHEAD FOR FY27] “So as we now start our appropriations process for FY27, I am going to be pressing Trump’s cabinet about these backwards priorities. As with the previous fiscal years, I hope my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee can do what we do best, come together, and write common sense bills that put the priorities of American families and our communities first. “As I said when I started, we are nearly there on Homeland Security funding, and we got this far despite the obstacles, because we have worked so closely in a bipartisan fashion to focus on what is important and what is needed, and truly what we can do best. And I look forward to working with my colleagues as we start the FY27 process. “Throughout the process I will be clear with my colleagues that I want to work with you, but we have to write funding bills that—instead of slashing funding for families, provides significant new investments in the American people—especially as we face major shortfalls, a fast-approaching IIJA cliff, and rising prices that are hitting every family’s budget. “And instead of writing a blank check for whatever war Trump tries to start next, we have to write a measured, strategic defense budget focused on actually keeping our country safe.” ### The post On Senate Floor, Murray Blasts Trump’s Budget Request and Speaks About Path Forward for FY27 Appropriations appeared first on Senator Patty Murray.
On Senate Floor, Murray Talks DHS Funding, Calling on House Republicans to Stop Extending Record-Breaking Shutdown
Murray: “We cannot lose sight of the fact that the reason we find ourselves in this mess is that last summer—in their Big Ugly Bill—Republicans did an end-run around the bipartisan appropriations process and handed ICE and Border Patrol vastly more money than they receive each year.” Murray on Republicans’ reconciliation plans: “Let’s be crystal clear about what that means: Republicans are now choosing to cut another blank check for these agencies—and to forfeit Congress’ ability to put checks on them for the next three years. … After America spoke out demanding more accountability—Republicans are actually doing less.” ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s full floor speech*** Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke on the Senate floor about the latest on funding for the Department of Homeland Security. She also spoke at length about President Trump’s fiscal year 2027 budget request, the path ahead for appropriations, and the imperative to make serious investments here at home, not in wars abroad, as President Trump has proposed. Those remarks can be found HERE. Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below: “M. President. We are nearly done with our FY26 spending bills. It has been a long road, no question, and we still have some serious disagreements around reforms and funding for ICE and Border Patrol—which I will speak to in a minute. But despite the major challenges, we accomplished something important in passing 11—and hopefully soon, 12—of our funding bills. We outright rejected Trump’s plan to gut programs families rely on. We protected crucial investments that people count on every day. And we took some important steps to reassert Congress’ power of the purse. And that matters immensely. “And we would be almost be there on the Homeland Appropriations bill too if it were not for Speaker Johnson. Because despite the Senate unanimously passing a bill—twice in fact—to fund the parts of DHS we can agree on, while continuing to work on the areas of disagreement when it comes to ICE and Border Patrol, Speaker Johnson and the House Republicans have refused to put the bill up for a vote. And they have chosen to needlessly extend the DHS shutdown, making it the longest shut down in history. House Republicans need to stop holding disaster relief hostage—and put that bill up for a vote. We know it’ll pass overwhelmingly. “But I also want to step back for a moment, because we cannot lose sight of the fact that the reason we find ourselves in this mess is that last summer—in their Big Ugly Bill—Republicans did an end-run around the bipartisan appropriations process and handed ICE and Border Patrol vastly more money than they receive each year. “They gave ICE $75 billion, CBP $65 billion, and even more funding on top of that for the Secretary to tap however they like. All told, Republicans signed off on over $160 billion in funding for Trump’s mass deportation campaign at DHS—that is nearly 3 times the entire Department’s annual budget. And they did so with virtually no guardrails. “We all know what happened next: President Trump and Stephen Miller built ICE and Border Patrol up into untrained paramilitary forces—and sent them out to terrorize communities across the country. American citizens were wrongfully detained. Peaceful protestors were tear gassed, tackled to the ground, and pepper sprayed for no reason. Windows and doors were smashed in by masked agents with no warrant, no ID. And of course, American citizens like Renee Good and Alex Pretti were shot by federal agents, and slandered by the Trump Administration. “Democrats made clear: there has to be reform—and we will not approve more funding for these agencies until that happens. But after weeks of very tough negotiations, Republicans ultimately refused to agree on some very basic reforms—including reforms that the White House had already, by the way, agreed to. “And now, while they continue refusing common sense reforms, Republicans are once again vowing to give ICE and Border Patrol even more money, without any accountability. “That’s right—after America spoke out demanding more accountability—Republicans are actually doing less accountability. From what I am hearing, they are looking to now approve funding for ICE and Border Patrol for the rest of Trump’s term with none of the accountability measures we regularly include in our annual spending bills. “By pursuing this path, they are intentionally walking away from the reforms that we were negotiating over. And on top of that, they will not include long-standing, legacy guardrails that have been bipartisan when it comes to DHS funding. So let’s be crystal clear about what that means: Republicans are now choosing to cut another blank check for these agencies—and to forfeit Congress’ ability to put checks on them for the next three years. “If Republicans want to cut Stephen Miller another blank check to terrorize American cities and communities, Democrats will have no part of it, and we will fight them every step of the way. But if they are ready to get serious about reforms—which ICE needs a heck of a lot more than another money bomb—Democrats are at the table, ready to rein in these rogue agencies.” ### The post On Senate Floor, Murray Talks DHS Funding, Calling on House Republicans to Stop Extending Record-Breaking Shutdown appeared first on Senator Patty Murray.
Murray, Kaine Introduce Bicameral Resolution to Repeal Trump Administration Rule to Politicize Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), joined Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) to introduce a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn a final rule by the Trump Administration to politicize and destabilize the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program by allowing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to limit eligibility and disqualify certain public service employers—a clear attempt to intimidate and punish certain organizations. A companion resolution has been introduced in the U.S. House by Representatives Joe Courtney (D, CT-02), Alma Adams (D, NC-12), and Scott Peters (D, CA-50). Once the senators collect 30 signatures from their colleagues in support of their resolution, it can be called up for a vote on the Senate floor by any one senator within 60 session days. It needs a simple majority to pass. “Trump broke PSLF during his first term so that it was functionally nonexistent—denying countless American public servants the benefits they were owed,” said Senator Patty Murray. “It is outrageous that Donald Trump is once again weaponizing the Department of Education to execute his extreme agenda. Americansthat dedicate their lives to serving their neighbors should not have to worry about whether our government is going to hold up its end of the bargain. Trump is blatantly trying to cheat public service workers—I am pushing for Congress to repeal this corrupt rule as soon as possible.” “Americans benefit from highly qualified teachers, firefighters, nonprofit hospital staff, social workers, and other critical public servants,” said Kaine. “But now the Department of Education wants to turn those incredible people into pawns in the Trump Administration’s ridiculous, politically motivated crusades. That’s unfair to the millions of Americans who have dedicated their careers to serving their fellow citizens and is a direct threat to the quality of the services our communities rely on. I’m proud to join my colleagues in leading an effort to protect the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program from needless and dangerous politicization.” The Trump Administration’s new rule would undermine the intent of the program. Specifically, the Trump Administration’s changes would: Politicize and destabilize the PSLF program, by allowing Secretary McMahon to limit eligibility based on a nonprofit’s mission or perceived ideological alignment, making the program vulnerable to shifting political priorities under any future administration. Grant overly broad and subjective discretion to the Department of Education, by permitting disqualification of employers deemed to have a “substantial illegal purpose”—an undefined and subjective standard that invites arbitrary and inconsistent enforcement. Target marginalized communities and the nonprofits that serve them. Discourage public service careers and weaken the nonprofit workforce. As a senior member and former chair of the HELP Committee, Senator Murray has helped lead the charge to make the student loan system work better for students and families and lower the cost of college. She has fought to fix the PSLF program so that it works for borrowers and actually gets relief to public servants who have earned it. The program was created in 2007 under President Bush. Under Trump’s first administration, nearly 99% of all applications for PSLF were rejected—denying borrowers relief they were entitled to. At the end of the first Trump Administration, only7,000 borrowers had received student loan debt relief through PSLF. Senator Murray urged the Biden-Harris administration to take a series of steps to fix the broken student loan system—including by fixing the issues with PSLF that impacted public servants relief. Murray worked closely with the Biden-Harris Administration to fix these implementation problems and during the Biden-Harris Administration, over one million student loan borrowers had their loan balances forgiven through PSLF. The Senate resolution is cosponsored by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Edward J. Markey (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). The legislation is supported by AccessLex Institute, AFL-CIO, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American Association of University Women (AAUW), American Bar Association (ABA), American Federation of Teachers: Education, Healthcare, Public Services, Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), Debt Collective, EdTrust, Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG), Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Legal Defense Fund, National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), National Association of Social Workers (NASW), National Education Association (NEA), National Immigration Law Center (NILC), National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA), NextGen California, Protect Borrowers, PSLF Coalition, SEIU, Student Debit Crisis Center, Student Veterans of America (SVA), The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS), The National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients), UnidosUS, and Young Invincibles. The full text of the legislation is available HERE. ### The post Murray, Kaine Introduce Bicameral Resolution to Repeal Trump Administration Rule to Politicize Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program appeared first on Senator Patty Murray.
Murray, Kaine Introduce Bicameral Resolution to Repeal Trump Administration Rule to Politicize Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), joined Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) to introduce a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn a final rule by the Trump Administration to politicize and destabilize the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program by allowing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to limit eligibility and disqualify certain public service employers—a clear attempt to intimidate and punish certain organizations. A companion resolution has been introduced in the U.S. House by Representatives Joe Courtney (D, CT-02), Alma Adams (D, NC-12), and Scott Peters (D, CA-50). Once the senators collect 30 signatures from their colleagues in support of their resolution, it can be called up for a vote on the Senate floor by any one senator within 60 session days. It needs a simple majority to pass. “Trump broke PSLF during his first term so that it was functionally nonexistent—denying countless American public servants the benefits they were owed,” said Senator Patty Murray. “It is outrageous that Donald Trump is once again weaponizing the Department of Education to execute his extreme agenda. Americansthat dedicate their lives to serving their neighbors should not have to worry about whether our government is going to hold up its end of the bargain. Trump is blatantly trying to cheat public service workers—I am pushing for Congress to repeal this corrupt rule as soon as possible.” “Americans benefit from highly qualified teachers, firefighters, nonprofit hospital staff, social workers, and other critical public servants,” said Kaine. “But now the Department of Education wants to turn those incredible people into pawns in the Trump Administration’s ridiculous, politically motivated crusades. That’s unfair to the millions of Americans who have dedicated their careers to serving their fellow citizens and is a direct threat to the quality of the services our communities rely on. I’m proud to join my colleagues in leading an effort to protect the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program from needless and dangerous politicization.” The Trump Administration’s new rule would undermine the intent of the program. Specifically, the Trump Administration’s changes would: Politicize and destabilize the PSLF program, by allowing Secretary McMahon to limit eligibility based on a nonprofit’s mission or perceived ideological alignment, making the program vulnerable to shifting political priorities under any future administration. Grant overly broad and subjective discretion to the Department of Education, by permitting disqualification of employers deemed to have a “substantial illegal purpose”—an undefined and subjective standard that invites arbitrary and inconsistent enforcement. Target marginalized communities and the nonprofits that serve them. Discourage public service careers and weaken the nonprofit workforce. As a senior member and former chair of the HELP Committee, Senator Murray has helped lead the charge to make the student loan system work better for students and families and lower the cost of college. She has fought to fix the PSLF program so that it works for borrowers and actually gets relief to public servants who have earned it. The program was created in 2007 under President Bush. Under Trump’s first administration, nearly 99% of all applications for PSLF were rejected—denying borrowers relief they were entitled to. At the end of the first Trump Administration, only7,000 borrowers had received student loan debt relief through PSLF. Senator Murray urged the Biden-Harris administration to take a series of steps to fix the broken student loan system—including by fixing the issues with PSLF that impacted public servants relief. Murray worked closely with the Biden-Harris Administration to fix these implementation problems and during the Biden-Harris Administration, over one million student loan borrowers had their loan balances forgiven through PSLF. The Senate resolution is cosponsored by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Edward J. Markey (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). The legislation is supported by AccessLex Institute, AFL-CIO, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American Association of University Women (AAUW), American Bar Association (ABA), American Federation of Teachers: Education, Healthcare, Public Services, Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), Debt Collective, EdTrust, Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG), Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Legal Defense Fund, National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), National Association of Social Workers (NASW), National Education Association (NEA), National Immigration Law Center (NILC), National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA), NextGen California, Protect Borrowers, PSLF Coalition, SEIU, Student Debit Crisis Center, Student Veterans of America (SVA), The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS), The National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients), UnidosUS, and Young Invincibles. The full text of the legislation is available HERE. ### The post Murray, Kaine Introduce Bicameral Resolution to Repeal Trump Administration Rule to Politicize Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program appeared first on Senator Patty Murray.
Murray, Kaine Introduce Bicameral Resolution to Repeal Trump Administration Rule to Politicize Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), joined Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) to introduce a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn a final rule by the Trump Administration to politicize and destabilize the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program by allowing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to limit eligibility and disqualify certain public service employers—a clear attempt to intimidate and punish certain organizations. A companion resolution has been introduced in the U.S. House by Representatives Joe Courtney (D, CT-02), Alma Adams (D, NC-12), and Scott Peters (D, CA-50). Once the senators collect 30 signatures from their colleagues in support of their resolution, it can be called up for a vote on the Senate floor by any one senator within 60 session days. It needs a simple majority to pass. “Trump broke PSLF during his first term so that it was functionally nonexistent—denying countless American public servants the benefits they were owed,” said Senator Patty Murray. “It is outrageous that Donald Trump is once again weaponizing the Department of Education to execute his extreme agenda. Americansthat dedicate their lives to serving their neighbors should not have to worry about whether our government is going to hold up its end of the bargain. Trump is blatantly trying to cheat public service workers—I am pushing for Congress to repeal this corrupt rule as soon as possible.” “Americans benefit from highly qualified teachers, firefighters, nonprofit hospital staff, social workers, and other critical public servants,” said Kaine. “But now the Department of Education wants to turn those incredible people into pawns in the Trump Administration’s ridiculous, politically motivated crusades. That’s unfair to the millions of Americans who have dedicated their careers to serving their fellow citizens and is a direct threat to the quality of the services our communities rely on. I’m proud to join my colleagues in leading an effort to protect the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program from needless and dangerous politicization.” The Trump Administration’s new rule would undermine the intent of the program. Specifically, the Trump Administration’s changes would: Politicize and destabilize the PSLF program, by allowing Secretary McMahon to limit eligibility based on a nonprofit’s mission or perceived ideological alignment, making the program vulnerable to shifting political priorities under any future administration. Grant overly broad and subjective discretion to the Department of Education, by permitting disqualification of employers deemed to have a “substantial illegal purpose”—an undefined and subjective standard that invites arbitrary and inconsistent enforcement. Target marginalized communities and the nonprofits that serve them. Discourage public service careers and weaken the nonprofit workforce. As a senior member and former chair of the HELP Committee, Senator Murray has helped lead the charge to make the student loan system work better for students and families and lower the cost of college. She has fought to fix the PSLF program so that it works for borrowers and actually gets relief to public servants who have earned it. The program was created in 2007 under President Bush. Under Trump’s first administration, nearly 99% of all applications for PSLF were rejected—denying borrowers relief they were entitled to. At the end of the first Trump Administration, only7,000 borrowers had received student loan debt relief through PSLF. Senator Murray urged the Biden-Harris administration to take a series of steps to fix the broken student loan system—including by fixing the issues with PSLF that impacted public servants relief. Murray worked closely with the Biden-Harris Administration to fix these implementation problems and during the Biden-Harris Administration, over one million student loan borrowers had their loan balances forgiven through PSLF. The Senate resolution is cosponsored by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Edward J. Markey (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). The legislation is supported by AccessLex Institute, AFL-CIO, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American Association of University Women (AAUW), American Bar Association (ABA), American Federation of Teachers: Education, Healthcare, Public Services, Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), Debt Collective, EdTrust, Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG), Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Legal Defense Fund, National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), National Association of Social Workers (NASW), National Education Association (NEA), National Immigration Law Center (NILC), National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA), NextGen California, Protect Borrowers, PSLF Coalition, SEIU, Student Debit Crisis Center, Student Veterans of America (SVA), The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS), The National Consumer Law Center (on behalf of its low-income clients), UnidosUS, and Young Invincibles. The full text of the legislation is available HERE. ### The post Murray, Kaine Introduce Bicameral Resolution to Repeal Trump Administration Rule to Politicize Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program appeared first on Senator Patty Murray.
Senator Murray Votes Yes on Arms Sale Resolutions, Condemns Netanyahu Government
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) issued the following statement on her vote in favor of two Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRD) sponsored by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) that would block the sale of certain weapons to Israel: “As a longtime friend to Israel, I have always believed that our close allies should exercise restraint in war and always prioritize humanitarian relief for innocent civilian populations—clearly that is not what we have seen over the last several years with our own eyes. After the October 7th terrorist attack by Hamas, I strongly affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself, but Prime Minister Netanyahu has gone far beyond self-defense and any kind of proportionate response. In Gaza, we saw the Netanyahu government impose a man-made famine, bomb indiscriminately, and prolong human suffering in a war that was extended to help ensure Benjamin Netanyahu could stay in power. In the West Bank, we’ve seen increased aggression and hostility and outright illegal violence committed by Israeli settlers, often with the explicit backing of the Netanyahu government. In Lebanon, we have seen hundreds of civilian casualties and more than one million Lebanese civilians displaced from their homes—that is nothing short of a humanitarian catastrophe. The strategy of the Netanyahu government runs so deeply counter to America’s values. “This legislation while imperfect, helps send an important message, a growing number of American leaders, including myself, will not tolerate a reckless disregard for human life and human rights. Maybe President Trump doesn’t care about the destruction Netanyahu has inflicted on the Middle East, but I do—so I am registering that opposition with my vote and my voice. Netanyahu cannot continue on this path—razing the entire Middle East to the ground is not a path to peace for anyone. I continue to believe there must be a two-state solution and that diplomacy must be the first path any nation pursues to resolve disagreements. A permanent and lasting peace in the region will only come when all sides turn to diplomacy first.” ### The post Senator Murray Votes Yes on Arms Sale Resolutions, Condemns Netanyahu Government appeared first on Senator Patty Murray.
Senator Murray Asks CBO About Impact of Trump’s Defense Budget on Deficits
CBO Director confirms: Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill is the single piece of legislation from last 10 years that’s added most to national debt CBO Director tells Murray that Trump’s requested defense increase would dramatically increase the deficit and add $200 billion in interest costs alone over 10 years ICYMI: Senator Murray on President Trump’s FY27 Budget Request ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s full questioning*** Washington, D.C. — Today—at a Senate Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee hearing on the FY27 budget requests for the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and Government Publishing Office (GPO)—U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke about the importance of the legislative branch agencies’ work to Congress and questioned witnesses on what President Trump’s budget request would mean for our nation’s deficits. [BIG UGLY BILL IMPACTS ON DEBT] Senator Murray began by asking Congressional Budget Office Director Phillip Swagel, “What single piece of legislation has contributed the most to increasing the debt in like the last decade?” “The single piece of legislation is the 2025 Reconciliation Act [Republicans’ ‘Big Beautiful Bill’], and that increased the deficit by $4.7 trillion over 10 years, including the interest costs and the dynamic feedback,” replied Director Swagel. “Right, so it was the biggest debt driver in a decade,” said Senator Murray. “Just for the record, every Democrat opposed it, every Republican voted for it. And I am personally just really concerned because what happened is the Republicans maxxed out our national credit card for corporations and billionaires, and then they told working families the wallet was empty when it comes to healthcare. So, I just want to say that for the record today.” [TRUMP’S BUDGET AND THE DEFICIT] Senator Murray then asked about the deficit impacts of President Trump’s defense request for FY27, “I want to ask you about President Trump’s FY27 budget. It requests $1.5 trillion dollars in defense spending—that’s about a half trillion increase over this year’s Pentagon funding. That is an outrageous increase, and it comes as the President is also requesting to defund programs that help make sure that Americans can afford the basics. Can you help us put these figures in perspective? How does that dramatic increase in defense spending compare to something like the cost to extend the ACA tax credits?” Director Swagel responded, “Okay, so as you said, the defense request is about $500 billion above the you know, the resources in the baseline, there’s another $200 billion of interest, roughly $200 billion of interest costs [over 10 years] associated with that request. In comparison, the ACA subsidies extending those for 10 years would be roughly $330 billion, there’d be some interest costs with that also. But think of that as the comparison.” “Okay, so it’s a roughly $450 billion dollar increase in the defense budget and a permanent extension of the ACA tax credits would have cost $350 billion. I think that’s kind of astounding: that if we took the money from this one year of proposed defense spending, we could lower health care costs and expand access to health insurance for 10 years—I just think it’s important to note that,” said Senator Murray. Senator Murray then asked: “If enacted, what impact would President Trump’s proposed FY27 defense budget have on the deficit?” “On the deficit, it would increase it above the baseline by the $500 billion plus the interest costs for the year. So, it would go from $2 trillion to $2.5 trillion,” answered Director Swagel. “So, as in future years, the reality is the cost is going to be a lot more because of—” Senator Murray responded. “Would be higher, that’s correct,” replied Director Swagel. “I hope all the deficit hawks are paying attention to this, because it’s pretty astounding,” said Senator Murray. ### The post Senator Murray Asks CBO About Impact of Trump’s Defense Budget on Deficits appeared first on Senator Patty Murray.
Senator Murray Asks CBO About Impact of Trump’s Defense Budget on Deficits
CBO Director confirms: Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill is the single piece of legislation from last 10 years that’s added most to national debt CBO Director tells Murray that Trump’s requested defense increase would dramatically increase the deficit and add $200 billion in interest costs alone over 10 years ICYMI: Senator Murray on President Trump’s FY27 Budget Request ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s full questioning*** Washington, D.C. — Today—at a Senate Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee hearing on the FY27 budget requests for the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and Government Publishing Office (GPO)—U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke about the importance of the legislative branch agencies’ work to Congress and questioned witnesses on what President Trump’s budget request would mean for our nation’s deficits. [BIG UGLY BILL IMPACTS ON DEBT] Senator Murray began by asking Congressional Budget Office Director Phillip Swagel, “What single piece of legislation has contributed the most to increasing the debt in like the last decade?” “The single piece of legislation is the 2025 Reconciliation Act [Republicans’ ‘Big Beautiful Bill’], and that increased the deficit by $4.7 trillion over 10 years, including the interest costs and the dynamic feedback,” replied Director Swagel. “Right, so it was the biggest debt driver in a decade,” said Senator Murray. “Just for the record, every Democrat opposed it, every Republican voted for it. And I am personally just really concerned because what happened is the Republicans maxxed out our national credit card for corporations and billionaires, and then they told working families the wallet was empty when it comes to healthcare. So, I just want to say that for the record today.” [TRUMP’S BUDGET AND THE DEFICIT] Senator Murray then asked about the deficit impacts of President Trump’s defense request for FY27, “I want to ask you about President Trump’s FY27 budget. It requests $1.5 trillion dollars in defense spending—that’s about a half trillion increase over this year’s Pentagon funding. That is an outrageous increase, and it comes as the President is also requesting to defund programs that help make sure that Americans can afford the basics. Can you help us put these figures in perspective? How does that dramatic increase in defense spending compare to something like the cost to extend the ACA tax credits?” Director Swagel responded, “Okay, so as you said, the defense request is about $500 billion above the you know, the resources in the baseline, there’s another $200 billion of interest, roughly $200 billion of interest costs [over 10 years] associated with that request. In comparison, the ACA subsidies extending those for 10 years would be roughly $330 billion, there’d be some interest costs with that also. But think of that as the comparison.” “Okay, so it’s a roughly $450 billion dollar increase in the defense budget and a permanent extension of the ACA tax credits would have cost $350 billion. I think that’s kind of astounding: that if we took the money from this one year of proposed defense spending, we could lower health care costs and expand access to health insurance for 10 years—I just think it’s important to note that,” said Senator Murray. Senator Murray then asked: “If enacted, what impact would President Trump’s proposed FY27 defense budget have on the deficit?” “On the deficit, it would increase it above the baseline by the $500 billion plus the interest costs for the year. So, it would go from $2 trillion to $2.5 trillion,” answered Director Swagel. “So, as in future years, the reality is the cost is going to be a lot more because of—” Senator Murray responded. “Would be higher, that’s correct,” replied Director Swagel. “I hope all the deficit hawks are paying attention to this, because it’s pretty astounding,” said Senator Murray. ### The post Senator Murray Asks CBO About Impact of Trump’s Defense Budget on Deficits appeared first on Senator Patty Murray.
Senator Murray Votes to End War in Iran and Calls Out Trump’s Broken Promises
Washington, D.C. – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement after voting for a War Powers Resolution to end Donald Trump’s reckless and illegal war against Iran: “For the fourth time, I voted to put an end to Trump’s reckless war of choice in Iran. Since the beginning, Trump has had no strategy and no endgame—meanwhile American lives have been lost, hundreds of servicemembers have been injured, and thousands are in harm’s way. Our country does not want more Americans killed because of a reckless President that a Republican Congress refuses to rein in. While Republicans turn a blind eye as Trump spends billions on bombs, prices across the board—groceries, health care, and gas—are skyrocketing. President Trump promised to deliver Americans: ‘lower prices’ and ‘no new wars.’ When it comes to broken promises—it does not get more blatant than that. I will continue to speak out against this war, and I will keep pushing my Republican colleagues to come to their senses to put an end to this.” Introduced by U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), this is the fourth War Powers Resolution Democrats have brought to the Senate floor since the war began. ### The post Senator Murray Votes to End War in Iran and Calls Out Trump’s Broken Promises appeared first on Senator Patty Murray.
Senator Murray Votes to End War in Iran and Calls Out Trump’s Broken Promises
Washington, D.C. – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement after voting for a War Powers Resolution to end Donald Trump’s reckless and illegal war against Iran: “For the fourth time, I voted to put an end to Trump’s reckless war of choice in Iran. Since the beginning, Trump has had no strategy and no endgame—meanwhile American lives have been lost, hundreds of servicemembers have been injured, and thousands are in harm’s way. Our country does not want more Americans killed because of a reckless President that a Republican Congress refuses to rein in. While Republicans turn a blind eye as Trump spends billions on bombs, prices across the board—groceries, health care, and gas—are skyrocketing. President Trump promised to deliver Americans: ‘lower prices’ and ‘no new wars.’ When it comes to broken promises—it does not get more blatant than that. I will continue to speak out against this war, and I will keep pushing my Republican colleagues to come to their senses to put an end to this.” Introduced by U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), this is the fourth War Powers Resolution Democrats have brought to the Senate floor since the war began. ### The post Senator Murray Votes to End War in Iran and Calls Out Trump’s Broken Promises appeared first on Senator Patty Murray.
ICYMI: In Tacoma, Senator Murray Visits Lollar Pickups & Guitar Repair, Talks Tariff Impacts on Small Businesses in Washington State - Senator Patty Murray (.gov)
ICYMI: In Tacoma, Senator Murray Visits Lollar Pickups & Guitar Repair, Talks Tariff Impacts on Small Businesses in Washington State Senator Patty Murray (.gov)