Minority News Releases
Murray Leads Colleagues in Calling on RFK Jr. to Reinstate 50+ Recently Cancelled Teen Pregnancy Prevention Grants
On Friday, Trump admin cancelled vast majority of grants awarded to communities nationwide to prevent teen pregnancy Washington, D.C. — Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, led a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. blasting his recent decision to terminate nearly all Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Program grants—and calling on him to immediately reinstate the funding for over 50 grantees nationwide… Continue Reading
07.02.26
Murray, Peters, Schumer, & Merkley Lead All Senate Democrats in Demanding OMB Rescind Rule Giving President Sweeping Power to Politicize Federal Grants
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee; Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee; Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Democratic Leader; and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, led the entire Senate Democratic caucus in demanding Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought immediately rescind OMB’s proposed regulation on federal fin… Continue Reading
06.30.26
Murray, Baldwin, Sanders Lead All Senate Democrats in Demanding Trump Halt Illegal Move to Undermine Special Ed, Civil Rights Enforcement
As part of Trump Admin’s push to shut down the Department of Education, Trump is illegally kicking out special education programs, civil rights enforcement from Department Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee; Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations; and Bernie Sanders, Ranking Member on the Senate Health, Educ… Continue Reading
06.24.26
Senator Murray on Trump’s Supplemental Request
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on President Trump’s request for $87.6 billion in supplemental funding for the Iran war and a variety of other unrelated priorities his Department of Defense (DOD) is seeking, as well as requests in several other areas. “President Trump launched a reckless and costly war with Iran—without authorization from Congress or the support of the American pe… Continue Reading
06.23.26
Murray, Murphy Urge Watchdog to Investigate Trump Admin’s Use of Taxpayer Dollars for Trump’s Ballroom
Appropriators ask GAO to issue a legal decision after the Trump administration redirects nearly $400 million in Secret Service funding to finance Trump’s ballroom ICYMI: Washington Post: A year of Trump insisting his ballroom won’t cost taxpayers a dime Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee, wrote to the Government Accountabili… Continue Reading
06.17.26
Murray, Padilla Press Trump Admin on Corrupt Plan to Establish New Strategic Petroleum Reserve with Sable Offshore Corporation
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Alex Padilla (D-CA), member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, are pushing the Trump Administration for answers about Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s comments suggesting the Administration is pursuing a West Coast Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in direct coordination with Sable Offshore Corporation (Sable). During a recent visit to one of Sable’s units in … Continue Reading
06.16.26
Murray Blasts Trump and McMahon’s Decision to Abandon Students with Disabilities & the Administration’s Legal Responsibility to Protect Students’ Civil Rights
Murray slams the Inter-Agency Agreements inked today by the Education Department to offload the responsibilities of the Office for Civil Rights to Todd Blanche’s DOJ and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) to RFK Jr.’s HHS Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s announcement today that the Department of Education is… Continue Reading
06.04.26
GAO Investigation Requested by Murray, Kaptur Confirms Energy Department Illegally Steered Funding Away from Clean Energy
ICYMI: Murray, Kaptur Asked GAO to Look Into Energy Department’s Decision to Steer Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Away from Wind, Solar in Defiance of Spending Law Washington, D.C. — Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded that the Department of Energy’s (DOE) decision last year to steer hundreds of millions of dollars provided by Congress in fiscal year 2025 for the research and development of clean energy sources toward energy sources favored by Secretary Chris … Continue Reading
06.03.26
Pressed By Murray on Whether He Advised Trump to Go to War with Iran, Rubio Affirms Unwavering Support for Iran War
***WATCH: Senator Murray’s full questioning*** Washington, D.C. — Today—at a Senate Appropriations State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee hearing on the FY27 budget request for the Department of State—U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, pressed Secretary Marco Rubio on whether he advised Trump to go to war with Iran, and she slammed Trump’s proposal to blow $1.5 trillion on his war budget instead of helping families… Continue Reading
06.02.26
Senator Murray Presses Mullin on Urgent Need for ICE, Border Patrol Reforms & Admin’s Claims About Policy Changes
***WATCH: Senator Murray’s full questioning*** Washington, D.C. — Today—at a Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing on the FY27 budget request for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)—U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, pressed Secretary Markwayne Mullin on the conduct of ICE and Border Patrol, Republicans’ refusal to enact reforms into law, and the Trump administration’s claims about changes it has already m… Continue Reading
05.21.26
Senator Murray Presses NIH Director on Trump’s Proposal to Cut Medical Research Funding to Pay for $1.5 Trillion War Budget
NIH Director declines to defend Trump's request to cut NIH funding while boosting defense budget by half a trillion dollars ***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 National Institutes of Health (NIH)—U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, slammed Direc… Continue Reading
05.20.26
At Hearing, Murray Slams Trump Admin for Seeking to Gut Funding for Ports, Drought Mitigation, and Critical Infrastructure Projects
Murray on Trump’s budget request: “We cannot let Trump open the floodgates for defense contractors while our families and farmers barely get anything.” Murray says Committee must address fast approaching infrastructure cliff when Bipartisan Infrastructure Law expires in September ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s opening remarks*** ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s full questioning*** Washington, D.C. — Today—during a Senate Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee he… Continue Reading
05.20.26
After Duffy Refuses to Answer Basic Ethics Questions in Angry Outburst at Senate Hearing—Senator Murray Calls for Inspector General to Investigate Duffy’s Corporate-Sponsored Road Trip
ICYMI: Senator Murray Grills Secretary Duffy on Corporate-Paid Reality TV Road Trip as Americans Pay Sky-High Gas Prices Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, called on the Department of Transportation Inspector General to open an official investigation into Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s involvement on his “Great American Road Trip” documentary which was paid for by the same corporations he is tasked with… Continue Reading
05.19.26
Senator Murray Questions Secretary Duffy on Corporate-Paid Reality TV Road Trip as Americans Pay Sky-High Gas Prices
Duffy refuses to engage with basic questions from Murray on corporate-sponsored trip Murray to Duffy: “Americans don’t have corporate sponsors to pay for their gas.” ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s full questioning*** Washington, D.C. — Today—at a Senate Appropriations Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the FY27 budget request for the Department of Transportation (DOT)—U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senat… Continue Reading
05.19.26
Sen. Murray Calls for Blocking Trump’s $1.8 Billion MAGA Slush However Possible—Including Through Appropriations
ICYMI: At Hearing with Acting AG Blanche, Senator Murray Blasts Outrageous Creation of $1.8 Billion MAGA Slush Fund Washington, D.C. — Following this morning’s hearing with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche—during which Blanche failed to provide any justifiable defense of the Department of Justice (DOJ) establishing a new $1.8 billion slush fund to pay out Trump loyalists—Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, called for Congress to block the $1… Continue Reading
05.19.26
At Hearing with Acting AG Blanche, Senator Murray Blasts Outrageous Creation of $1.8 Billion MAGA Slush Fund, Presses for Apology to Epstein Victims
Murray on Trump’s new $1.8 billion taxpayer-funded MAGA slush fund: “What we are talking about is nothing short of the sitting President of the United States looting from the Treasury for his own gain.” When pressed by Murray, Blanche refuses to directly apologize to Epstein victims for DOJ’s failure to protect their privacy ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s full questioning*** Washington, D.C. — Today—at a Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS)… Continue Reading
05.14.26
Senator Murray Slams HUD Secretary for Backing Budget to Fund War Instead of Helping Americans Afford Housing
ICYMI: Senator Murray on President Trump’s FY27 Budget Request ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s full questioning*** Washington, D.C. — Today—at a Senate Appropriations Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the FY27 budget request for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)—U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, pressed Secretary Scott Turner on his efforts to dismantle key h… Continue Reading
05.13.26
Senator Murray Presses EPA Administrator on Agency Siding with Mega Polluters, Plans to Gut Clean Water Funding
ICYMI: Senator Murray on President Trump’s FY27 Budget Request ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s full questioning*** Washington, D.C. — Today—at a Senate Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the FY27 budget request for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, pressed Administrator Lee Zeldin on how EPA has been captured by industry and is abandoning its mi… Continue Reading
05.12.26
Senator Murray Grills Kash Patel on Tenure at FBI
Murray: “We need somebody at this agency who’s focused on solving criminal cases, not passing out branded bourbon, or jetting around the globe. Your job is to be reachable. … If you want to pass out liquor, or pop bottles in a locker room, stick to podcasting.” ICYMI: Senator Murray on President Trump’s FY27 Budget Request ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s full questioning*** Washington, D.C. — Today—at a Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcom… Continue Reading
05.12.26
Senator Murray Grills Hegseth on Iran War, Trump’s Astronomical $1.5 Trillion War Budget, and Spending Priorities
Pressed by Murray on Trump’s comments that the U.S. can’t afford child care or health care—only fighting wars, Hegseth defends Trump’s budget request: “I certainly support this.” ICYMI: Senator Murray on President Trump’s FY27 Budget Request ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s full questioning*** Washington, D.C. — Today—at a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing on the FY27 budget request for the Department of Defense (DoD)—U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of … Continue Reading