Minority News Releases
Vice Chair Murray, Ranking Member Heinrich, 35 Senators Demand Trump Administration Restore $8 Billion in Funding for Energy Projects They Illegally Canceled
Senators to Trump Administration officials: “Satisfying the President’s desire for political revenge and intimidation is not a lawful basis for your actions. It also betrays the callous indifference of this administration to the impacts of its decisions on everyday Americans. These are impacts that will be felt by Americans, regardless of their political views.” WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, and Martin Hei… Continue Reading
10.09.25
Days Before Open Enrollment Begins, Senator Murray Joins Idaho Leaders, Residents Who Rely on ACA Tax Credits to Call on Republicans to Come to the Table to Prevent Health Care Costs from Skyrocketing
KFF: Most Republicans and MAGA Supporters Say Congress Should Extend the Enhanced ACA Tax Credits Set to Expire Next Year ICYMI: Wall Street Journal - White House Senses Political Risk on Healthcare Despite Shutdown Bravado; Murray takes case directly to Idahoans as new signs indicate Republicans are feeling the heat over their refusal to take action to prevent people’s costs from spiking Typical 60-year old couple in Idaho making $85,000 will face a $17,900 spike in annual premium… Continue Reading
10.09.25
REPUBLICAN SHUTDOWN DAY 9: Sen. Murray Calls on Republican Leaders to Finally Sit Down to Prevent Americans’ Health Care Costs from Exploding
KFF: 8 in 10 Americans Say Congress Should Extend the Enhanced ACA Tax Credits Set to Expire Next Year, Including 6 in 10 Republicans KFF: ACA Marketplace Premium Payments Would More than Double on Average Next Year if Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire ICYMI: Politico - Republicans Are in Disarray One Week Into the Shutdown ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s full floor speech*** Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations… Continue Reading
10.08.25
REPUBLICAN SHUTDOWN DAY 8: Senator Murray Joins Washingtonians Who Rely on ACA Tax Credits to Call on Republicans to Prevent Premiums from Doubling for Millions of Americans
KFF: 8 in 10 Americans Say Congress Should Extend the Enhanced ACA Tax Credits Set to Expire Next Year, Including Most Republicans and MAGA Supporters KFF: ACA Marketplace Premium Payments Will More than Double on Average Next Year if Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire WATCH full press conference HERE; DOWNLOAD HERE 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 Health, E… Continue Reading
10.07.25
Senator Murray Slams Republicans for Refusing to Get Serious About Solving Health Care Crisis, Ending Republican Shutdown
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, delivered the following remarks on government funding at this afternoon’s Senate Democratic leadership press conference. Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below: “Well, less than two weeks ago, Leader Thune said that Democrats’ insistence on addressing the Republican health care crisis was—and I quote— ‘completely unhinged and unreasonable and unserious.’ Somehow… Continue Reading
10.07.25
REPUBLICAN SHUTDOWN DAY 7: Senator Murray Blasts Trump and Vought’s Latest Threats, Slams Republicans’ Refusal to Get Serious About Tackling Health Care Costs
Murray: “I know Republican leaders desperately want to ignore the looming health care crisis they caused. They have put their heads in the sand for months. They have spun wild lies to try to bury the truth. And they are hoping that people stop talking about it. But every day, that gets just harder. Because every day, another warning light goes off showing just how devastating it will be if Republicans refuse to extend the ACA tax credits and let people’s premiums skyrocket.” KFF: 8 in 10 … Continue Reading
10.03.25
REPUBLICAN SHUTDOWN DAY 3: Senator Murray Calls Out Trump, Republicans’ Cruelty & Refusal to Get Serious About Reopening Government, Addressing Health Care Costs
Murray: “President Trump has made clear he doesn’t see this shutdown as a problem to solve. He sees a shutdown as an opportunity to hurt people.” Murray: “The irony of Republicans telling us to wait on health care is as rich as the people they shoveled tax breaks on earlier this year. Because let’s not forget: earlier this year, Republicans chose to spend a lot of time here and a lot of effort extending tax cuts for wealthy CEOs. Those tax cuts were set to expire at the end of the year, just… Continue Reading
10.03.25
REPUBLICAN SHUTDOWN DAY 3: Senator Murray, WA Small Business Owners Who Rely on ACA Tax Credits Lay Out How Republican Inaction Will Cause Their Premiums to Skyrocket
NEW THIS MORNING FROM KFF: 8 in 10 Americans Say Congress Should Extend the Enhanced ACA Tax Credits Set to Expire Next Year, Including Most Republicans and MAGA Supporters KFF: ACA Marketplace Premium Payments Would More than Double on Average Next Year if Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire ICYMI: REPUBLICAN SHUTDOWN DAY 2: Senator Murray, WA Hospital Leaders Lay Out How the Republican Health Care Crisis is Defunding Hospitals, Forcing Premiums to Skyrocket, Kicking People Off Health C… Continue Reading
10.02.25
REPUBLICAN SHUTDOWN DAY 2: Senator Murray, WA Hospital Leaders Lay Out How the Republican Health Care Crisis is Defunding Hospitals, Forcing Premiums to Skyrocket, Kicking People Off Health Care
NEW FROM KFF: ACA Marketplace Premium Payments Would More than Double on Average Next Year if Republicans Refuse to Join Democrats to Save Enhanced Premium Tax Credits NEW FROM WASHINGTON POST: More Americans blame Trump and Republicans than Democrats for Shutdown ICYMI: Senator Murray Joins WA State Insurance Commissioner, WA Small Business Owner Who Relies on ACA Tax Credits to Drive Home Why Democrats are Fighting to Prevent Health Care Costs from Skyrocketing WATCH full press con… Continue Reading
10.01.25
Senator Murray Statement on Trump & Vought Taking Action to Raise Americans’ Costs, Kill Jobs, & Hurt People—Including in WA
Trump, Vought cause shutdown, use it as pretext to enact their extreme agenda & inflict pain on the American people President Trump yesterday: “A lot of good can come down from shutdowns. We can get rid of a lot of things that we didn’t want.” Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee, issued the following statement on announcements made by Whi… Continue Reading
10.01.25
REPUBLICAN SHUTDOWN DAY 1: Senator Murray Joins WA State Insurance Commissioner, WA Small Business Owner Who Relies on ACA Tax Credits to Drive Home Why Democrats are Fighting to Prevent Health Care Costs from Skyrocketing
NEW FROM KFF: ACA Marketplace Premium Payments Would More than Double on Average Next Year if Republicans Refuse to Join Democrats to Save Enhanced Premium Tax Credits ICYMI: Senator Murray Comments After Republicans Push Country Into Shutdown WATCH full press conference HERE; DOWNLOAD HERE 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 Health, Education, Labor and Pens… Continue Reading
10.01.25
Senator Murray Calls on Trump, Republicans to Finally Get Serious, Work with Democrats to Reopen Government & Prevent Americans’ Health Care Costs from Skyrocketing
Murray: “It is not even one day after Republicans chose to shut down the government instead of making any sort of progress on stopping health care premiums from skyrocketing, and it’s already painfully clear Republican leadership is not taking any of this seriously.” ICYMI: New Kaiser Family Foundation analysis finds premiums on the ACA marketplaces will, on average, more than double next year if Republicans refuse to act ICYMI: Senator Murray Comments After Republicans Push Count… Continue Reading
09.30.25
Senator Murray Comments After Republicans Push Country Into Shutdown
Murray: “People are about to get completely priced out of their coverage and Republicans are sitting on their hands. Worse than that, they are reveling in this shutdown.” ICYMI: New Kaiser Family Foundation analysis finds premiums on the ACA marketplaces will, on average, more than double next year if Republicans refuse to act ***WATCH AND DOWNLOAD: Senator Murray’s remarks after Senate rejects funding bills*** Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chai… Continue Reading
09.30.25
Senator Murray Takes to Floor to Lay Out How Republicans Are Forcing a Shutdown, Refusing to Prevent Americans’ Health Care Costs from Exploding
Murray: “President Trump and Republicans in Congress would rather shut down the government than have serious negotiations to lower costs, save health care, and prevent a shutdown.” Murray: “Instead of talking with us about addressing health care from the start, Republicans decided to pass a partisan CR. And they decided they would do nothing about the fact that health care premiums are about to skyrocket. They decided they preferred a shutdown because they don’t want to act in time to… Continue Reading
09.30.25
Senator Murray Remarks on Republicans Pushing the Country into a Shutdown, Refusing to Prevent Families’ Health Care Costs from More than Doubling
***ICYMI: New Kaiser Family Foundation analysis finds premiums on the ACA marketplaces will, on average, more than double next year if Republicans refuse to act*** ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s Remarks*** Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, delivered the following remarks on government funding at this afternoon’s Senate Democratic leadership press conference. Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are bel… Continue Reading
09.29.25
Senator Murray Remarks on Senate Republican Bill to Empower Trump with a Forever CR—Giving Up Lawmakers’ Power Over Spending
***WATCH: Senator Murray’s comments*** Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke on the Senate floor ahead of a vote Senate Republicans teed up on a bill introduced by Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) that would indefinitely extend an automatic 14-day continuing resolution (CR) in the event of a lapse in appropriations. Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below: “This bill has a nice-sounding name, but th… Continue Reading
09.29.25
Top Watchdog Again Finds Trump Has Illegally Blocked FEMA Funds—Including for Disaster Preparedness Systems
Murray responds as GAO finds—for the 7th time in recent months—that Trump has illegally impounded funding Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on a Government Accountability Office (GAO) decision issued today, which concludes that President Trump has illegally impounded Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) funding in violation of the Impoundment Control Act (ICA). This inclu… Continue Reading
09.26.25
Murray, DeLauro Statement on Supreme Court’s Preliminary Ruling on Trump’s “Pocket Rescission” Gambit
Washington, D.C. — Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair, and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member, issued the following statement on the Supreme Court’s preliminary ruling that allows President Trump to continue withholding billions in foreign assistance approved by Congress—including amounts which he is illegally seeking to cancel through a “pocket rescission.” The ruling is not a final decision on wheth… Continue Reading
09.25.25
Senator Murray Statement on OMB Memo Issued Last Night
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on the memo issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) last night regarding agency preparations for a potential government shutdown: “Instead of sitting down with Democrats to prevent a shutdown and protect Americans’ health care, President Trump is threatening to inflict more pain on the American people—in red and blue states alike. “Amer… Continue Reading
09.19.25
Senator Murray on Republicans Voting Down Her Bill to Prevent Shutdown, Protect Americans' Health Care
Murray: “Republicans chose to sit on their hands, or not even show up, rather than lift a finger to address the health care crisis they themselves created.” WATCH: Senator Murray’s remarks Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke at a press conference with Democratic leadership on Senate Republicans voting down the bill she introduced to prevent a Republican shutdown, protect Congress’ power of the purse, and add… Continue Reading