(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray issued the following statement on the markup of the partisan, political House Republican Labor, Health, and Human Services (LHHS) appropriations bill.
“I believe that budgets are about far more than numbers on a page. They are about values and priorities—and the harmful, partisan bill being debated in the House today is unfortunately just one more example of extreme Republicans putting partisan politics ahead of women, workers, and families. This bill, filled with poison pill riders and red meat for the Tea Party, is a sprint away from bipartisanship and cooperation and a giant step toward more budget chaos and dysfunction, which is especially disappointing following our work in the Senate to move this bill in a bipartisan way.
“In particular, I’m deeply disappointed that this Republican-controlled Congress is on track to leave town without acting to protect women and families from the serious threat of the Zika virus—and this partisan bill doubles down on Republican efforts to restrict women’s access to reproductive care they need, including by eliminating funding for family planning clinics and the Affordable Care Act.
“At a time when women and families are looking to Congress for action on a serious public health threat, House Republicans should be working with Democrats on an effective response—not wasting time pandering to the Tea Party on everything from women’s health to workers’ rights and protections. We unfortunately have just a few days left to deliver the results families are rightly expecting, and I urge Republicans to drop the politics and work with us.”
Senator Murray worked across the aisle with LHHS Chairman Roy Blunt (R-MI) on bipartisan counterpart legislation, which passed the Senate appropriations committee in June.
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