Murray to Washingtonians about Trump’s failed agenda: Americans are paying more for just about everything as Trump doubles down on tariffs, health care premiums are more than doubling, workers are faced with a weak job market, and an out-of-control ICE has shocked and horrified Americans everywhere
Seattle Times: WA small businesses struggle to keep up with health insurance hikes
Seattle Times: In WA, thousands are forgoing health insurance this year
The Columbian: ‘Middle-income people that can no longer afford their health care’: Many Clark County residents lost federal tax credits
Washington State Standard: Small business owners squeezed by Trump tariffs await Supreme Court decision
The Olympian: WA’s economy faces $2.2B hit and 32,000 job losses from tariffs
KUOW: ICE agents often ignore safety and privacy practices for detainee patients, Tacoma nurses say
KATU: US senator says ICE agents ‘sic attack dogs’ on Vancouver man
***WATCH full address here ***
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, delivered a virtual address to people in Washington state outlining exactly how President Trump has failed hardworking Americans—whether by passing the largest cuts to health care and SNAP in history or through his catastrophic economic policies that have driven up costs and pushed countless small businesses to the brink of closure, earlier this week, Murray announced she would not attend the State of the Union in person.
“While Trump is getting ready to ramble and lie his way through his state of the union, I am not going to stay home, and yell at my TV, and get angry,” said Senator Murray. “Though I am angry, I am going to roll up my sleeves, channel that frustration, and get to work. I’m fighting for an America where universal health care is a reality. Where everyone can afford the prescriptions they need. I’m fighting for child care every family can afford and count on. Tax breaks for the middle-class—teachers and firefighters—not billionaires. I want to build more affordable housing—not a new ballroom at the White House. I’m fighting for national paid leave. A national right to abortion care… This is just some of what I’m fighting for—a more hopeful future for America is possible when we all speak out and stand up for what we believe in. This is America and no matter what Trump wants you to believe, the power belongs to the people.”
Senator Murray was also joined by Washington state constituents who shared their own personal stories, illustrating how Trump’s destructive policies are hurting American families everywhere; Leslie McNamara, Elected Commissioner of Three Rivers Hospital, whose husband is a small business owner who relied on ACA tax credits to afford health care; Olia Catala, Wilmer Toledo-Martinez’s immigration lawyer, who shared his story and spoke to how immigration enforcement has changed drastically under Trump; and Sarah Esch, International Longshore & Warehouse Workers’ Union (ILWU) Local 19 member and Legislative Committee member, who discussed how Trump’s tariff policies have impacted longshoremen, their families, and local economies in Washington state.
President Trump will be delivering the State of the Union with record low job approval among independents, as millions of Americans are increasingly fed up with Republican policies that are making it more expensive to get by, while billionaires and giant corporations are showered with deficit-busting tax breaks.
Trump and Republicans refused to take action to extend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits, resulting in health care premiums more than doubling and enrollment in the ACA marketplaces down by 1.3 million compared to last year. Trump’s catastrophic tariff policies, which he has already doubled down on after last week’s Supreme Court ruling, have sent the price of everyday goods surging, with the average American family paying an extra $1,300 in 2026 due to Trump’s tariffs, up from $1,000 in 2025, according to a study from the nonpartisan Tax Foundation. Even on immigration, which the President campaigned aggressively on, Trump is bleeding support with two-thirds of Americans agreeing that ICE has gone too far. All the while, the President shamelessly focuses his attention on foreign conflicts and renovating the White House as he unabashedly enriches himself and his family.
In her address, Murray outlined Trump’s failures and explained how Democrats are fighting for a more hopeful future for America—one where health care is affordable and accessible for everyone, where government is focused on building a stronger economy for the middle-class and making daily life more affordable, and where American citizens can expect humane immigration enforcement dictated by law and order rather than chaos and cruelty for the sake of cruelty. Murray emphasized that Trump’s agenda is not inevitable and that every American can make a difference and force a change using their vote and their voice.
“Our diverse hospital district serves about 70 percent Medicare/Medicaid dependent patients, many who were reliant upon insurance through the Affordable Care Act. So, I am quite concerned about our government not extending the ACA tax credits to help subsidize the rising cost of health insurance for our patients, my constituents, and my friends and neighbors. It also hits me close to home, as for the past 40 years my husband has worked, now as the sole employee, of a third-generation mom and pop style building supply store and lumberyard, which is struggling. At the end of December, the ACA subsidies ended. What used to cost us around $250 a month before taxes, with a $2,000 deductible, would now cost us almost $1,000 a month with a $6,000 deductible. This is a huge chunk out of our combined monthly income just for personal health care insurance. We simply cannot afford this hit. So, like many others, we had to make the difficult decision for him to cancel his insurance and take the risk that he remains healthy and we aren’t forced with any emergencies,” said Leslie McNamara, who is from Brewster, WA, and serves on the Three Rivers Hospital’s Board of Commissioners. Leslie’s husband owns and works at Grover’s Building Supply, a three-generation, family-owned building supply store and lumberyard. Leslie’s husband used to receive his health insurance through the ACA marketplace, after the tax credits expired his health care premiums tripled and their family was no longer able to afford to pay them. He has since been forced to go without health insurance. “Unfortunately, we are not alone. Numerous families are now in the same boat and have been forced to go uninsured. People will end up in the ER because they no longer have the means for regular health care. Our hospitals will be in jeopardy as a result. We will see increases for debt and charity care, which generally causes insurance premiums to go up for all commercial policy holders. Some hospitals may force closure, especially with the recent Medicaid cuts to our rural hospitals. When our communities lose access to local hospitals, it hurts our economies and will likely result in actual deaths. Ultimately, everyone suffers and we all pay the price…Health care should be our number one priority. We need to come back to the table, renegotiate the ACA tax credits and re-establish these subsidies…There is a health care crisis in our nation. Until we can get the entire industry under control, we need these stop-gap measures to care for our youth, our elders, our poor, and our underserved. We claim to be a society of caring and compassionate people. Our President and our elected legislators should care more about the affordability and needs of every citizen for health care in the United States. I urge our politicians to join forces and the American people some semblance of affordable health care for all.”
“We are watching due process erode in real time. Cases are predetermined. Bond hearings are denied. Liberty is taken without meaningful review. These are not abstract policy debates. These are human consequences,” said Olia Catala, Wilmer Toledo-Martinez’s lawyer. Last December, Wilmer was violently detained by ICE and mauled by an attack dog despite not resisting arrest or attempting to flee. Wilmer is married to a U.S. citizen and is the father of three U.S. born children, ages two, three, and seven, and this brutality devastated the entire family. He has since been released and is back with his family. Senator Murray was outspoken in calling for his release from the Northwest ICE Processing Center (NWIPC) and condemning the unwarranted assault by ICE. Olia is an immigration attorney from Redmond, WA, as a former refugee from Ukraine she helps families navigate the U.S. immigration system.
“I remember the last busy times in the early 2000s, when it wasn’t unheard of for Local 19 to run with 20 gangs employing 360 members on multiple shifts. Nowadays, Seattle seems to be ‘busy’ when we have 6 gangs employing 108 members on numerous days. And I can’t count the number of days within the last year when we had days with zero container work—maybe I had just a handful of jobs to dispatch at the grain terminal or on the floor. When there are just a few jobs for over 600 A members, that’s a problem. And forget about the casuals working—I spoke with one casual a couple of days ago and he told me that he’s only worked 4 shifts so far this year. That’s just what is happening in Seattle, but we’ve seen the disastrous impact of tariffs all over Washington state’s ports. I spoke yesterday with a good friend of mine at Local 32 in Everett, who is a trained crane operator, and he told me that he has only had one solid week of work in the last three months…The same story can be told for my brothers and sisters at Local 4 in Vancouver, Washington. I spoke with a Local 4 brother yesterday and he said that in his 20 years on the waterfront, last year was certainly the slowest,” said Sarah Esch, ILWU Local 19 member and Legislative Committee member, representing dock workers in Seattle. Sarah has been working on Seattle’s waterfront for over 20 years. Washington state has one of the most trade-dependent economies of any state in the country, with 40 percent of jobs in the state tied to international commerce. In 2024, Washington exported $57.8 billion of goods, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), making Washington state the 9th-largest state exporter of goods last year. “At the end of the day, I’d say what is most frustrating about the current tariff situation is the uncertainty. The constant up-and-down, on-and-off program is frustrating. Shippers and manufacturers don’t know how to plan. Costs will rise and fall, so consumers don’t know how to plan. And certainly the members of the ILWU don’t know what to expect. And never mind that we have yet to see an increase in US manufacturing, like we were promised. In contrast to the 2008 recession, we all knew that we would eventually climb out of that. However, today, in early 2026, I guess all we can do is wait for the end of this presidency and hope that we haven’t completely lost all of the work on our state’s, and our coast’s, docks.”
Senator Murray has been fighting back tirelessly against the Trump administration from the outset. Murray forcefully opposed many of Trump’s cabinet nominees even before Trump was sworn in, warning the nation about the harm they would cause, particularly anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist RFK Jr. Murray consistently raised the alarm on Trump and Musk’s DOGE mass firing federal employees and jeopardizing essential services Americans rely on, and highlighted the stories of former federal workers in Washington state. And at every juncture—Murray led Congressional Democrats in spotlighting Trump’s efforts to block already appropriated dollars—for choking off lifesaving NIH medical research, illegally withholding funding from Head Start, blocking billions of dollars for K-12 schools, and illegally impounding and freezing funding across so many other federal agencies.
As Republicans fought to pass President Trump’s Big Ugly bill, Murray, the former Chair of the Senate Budget Committee, helped lead the fight in the Senate opposing the legislation. Murray fought the bill in committee, on the Senate floor, and at countless events both in DC and Washington state, rallying constituents to highlight exactly how devastating the massive health care and nutrition cuts would be—all to cut taxes for billionaires and blow up the national debt.
As Trump imposed painful and senseless tariffs, Murray shined a spotlight in every part of Washington state about how Trump’s reckless trade wars hurt small businesses, drove down business at ports, jeopardized relationships with our Canadian neighbors, and raised costs for families across the country. Murray has voted repeatedly to end Trump’s tariffs, and has consistently urged Republicans to do the same.
Murray was an early and vocal opponent of Trump’s immigration agenda, speaking out against the Laken Riley Act and vocally calling out the abuses by ICE and CBP, condemning Trump’s lawless and inhumane immigration policy, sharing the stories of her constituents, and demanding answers from ICE on deteriorating conditions at NWIPC in Washington state.
Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:
“Tonight, President Trump is going to give his state of the union—but we all know he is not going to talk about our union. He is going to talk about his favorite subject—himself.
“Maybe he’ll complain about not having a Nobel Prize. And he will almost certainly continue spreading debunked lies about the 2020 election which he lost. I’m not going to dignify his lies and sit through that in person. But you can bet, I’ll be listening. And, importantly, I’ll be ready to respond to the lies and set the record straight.
“Look, the state of our union is not measured in how many buildings Trump can name after himself or how many banners of his own face he can put up, or whatever else he rambles on about tonight. If you want to know the true state of our union, you aren’t going to get it from a billionaire who is clearly losing touch with reality.
“Instead—you talk with everyday people—longshoremen losing work from Trump’s trade wars, a local coffee shop getting crushed by Trump’s tariffs, moms and dads struggling with groceries, and energy bills. In a government of the people—the state of the union, is the state of our families and communities.
[FAMILIES]
“And right now, the state of our families is that they are struggling to get by.
“See, Trump doesn’t care about how much child care costs. His kids have never relied on the Head Start centers he tried to shut down. He doesn’t care how dismantling the Department of Education hurts kids at public schools or kids with disabilities.
“And while you see groceries are more expensive, Trump has no clue. Trump thinks affordability is a ‘scam’ and the word ‘groceries’ is quote: ‘old fashioned.’
“So that’s the perspective he’s brought to the White House and that’s why he passed the most anti-family, anti-worker legislation maybe in American history, his Big Ugly bill.
“President Trump fought tooth and nail to pass the largest ever cuts to health care and nutrition assistance. His Big Ugly Bill is kicking millions of people off food stamps for no good reason.
“Listen, I’m someone whose family needed food stamps to get by. When my dad got sick with MS, my mom had to get work training to find a better job. During that time, we relied on food stamps, but Trump is cutting families today off from that support.
“People need to know about the harm this legislation will cause and who is responsible for it. Because Republicans wrote this bill so the cuts would happen over time, not at once and not all right after they passed it. Just look at the more than $1 trillion in cuts to health care and Medicaid Republicans passed. The worst of those cuts won’t come into effect until next year and 2028.
“But hospitals in our state are already bracing for this grim reality. I’ve talked to doctors and hospital CEOs in Eastern and Central Washington, they are laying off staff and reducing hours just to try and stay open. The kicker? Trump’s health care cuts will hit rural communities hardest.
“If you’re still holding out for Trump’s ‘concepts of a health care plan’ to come to the rescues —don’t. It’s 2026—and there was never a health care plan other than sabotaging the ACA and cutting Medicaid.
“If Trump ever had a ‘plan,’ it was actually pretty simple, and pretty grim: Let people die from miscarriage, from measles, from cancer, you name it.
“What we’ve seen this last year is appalling. They confirmed an out-right anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist as Health Secretary, and we are already seeing measles cases skyrocket, and vaccine research plummet.
“Trump also outright froze and canceled NIH grants, stalling lifesaving clinical trials. A researcher at the University of Washington who works on curing cancer, told me because of Trump she had to literally pay out of pocket to keep her staff on, and her clinical trial running. NIH staff told me they can process less lab results and help fewer patients thanks to Trump’s arbitrary cuts.
“And, on reproductive health care—even post-Dobbs, Republicans are still finding new, cruel ways to attack abortion, put up barriers, and leave women without access to life saving care. Trump even issued a new rule blocking women veterans from getting abortion care at VA in the case of rape or if their health is at risk—to me that’s just sick.
“And because Republicans chose to shut down the government for over a month rather than lift a finger to save tax credits that help families afford basic coverage—right now health care premiums for millions of families are doubling, tripling, and more.
“We are only starting to get the full picture of the damage. Here in Washington state, we know 19,000 fewer people signed up for health insurance through the marketplace and 28,000 people actively dropped their health coverage. Across the country, 1.3 million fewer people enrolled in coverage. And those numbers aren’t even final yet—they will keep going up! In the end, we expect that more than 10 million Americans will lose health care because of Trump’s health care cuts.
“And if you think this doesn’t affect you because you’ve got employee sponsored health insurance you’re happy with?
“Think again—employee-sponsored plans went up by an average of 26% for this year thanks to Republican obstruction and when fewer people are insured, those people just end up going to the emergency room and when they can’t pay—you will front the bill one way or another: because either your premiums will go up or your local hospital will be forced to close.
“From health care, to education, to just affording everyday necessities Trump’s policies are crushing our families.
[ECONOMY]
“Meanwhile, the state of our economy is broken for everyone except the billionaires like Trump and Elon Musk. Because, last year, in their big scammy bill, Republicans shoveled tax breaks at billionaires, blowing up the national debt. They may not have done anything about health care tax credits, but they made darn sure the uber-rich got a tax write off for their private jets.
“Meanwhile, at the same time Republicans were giving billionaires the largest tax cut in history, Trump was single handedly hitting American families with the largest tax increase in history by illegally slapping sweeping tariffs on allies and trading partners and starting pointless trade wars across the globe.
“These tariffs did more than squeeze families’ wallets, they pushed small businesses in our state to the brink and choked our economy. And this past weekend: within hours of the Supreme Court saying his tariffs are illegal: Trump slapped a new tariff on every country in the world, and then the very next day he said he would raise that tariff! I have voted repeatedly to block Trump’s tariffs—understand, that with enough Republicans, Congress could put an end to this.
“And there are still so many other ways he is sabotaging our economy.
“Trump is waging a war on the independence of the Federal Reserve. He is driving away high-skilled workers and researchers from around the world. He is upending innovation in medicine, clean energy, and more. And Trump mass-fired hundreds of thousands of federal workers—dedicated public servants.
“You know, I spoke with a forest service ranger—a veteran—who literally fought wildfires and saved the lives of wayward hikers his salary was even covered by state fees! Trump still fired him for no reason. That shows you how thoughtless and costly these mass-firings were.
“We have to stand up to this president on the economy—and put our nation back on solid footing. And that same point goes for our national security too.
[NATIONAL SECURITY]
“Because under President Trump, the state of our national security is crumbling. His Secretary of Defense oversaw one of the most blatant national security leaks in history. His Secretary of State obliterated decades of humanitarian work—a decision that is causing death on a scale that is hard to even comprehend.
“Meanwhile, Trump doesn’t seem to know the difference between our allies and our adversaries.
“Canada is one of our closest allies—and our closest neighbor here in Washington state. But Trump has insulted them, started a trade war with them, and repeatedly inflamed tensions. There were more than one million fewer of our Canadian friends visiting our state this past year. I was in Blaine last year, speaking with local leaders on both sides of the border. Trump’s trade war, his insults and aggression—they help no one and hurt all of us.
“As if that weren’t bad enough—he is throwing NATO into crisis over his absurd fixation with Greenland. This stuff is not a joke.
“President Trump has made clear he is serious about wanting Greenland and he is not concerned about the consequences. He is burning bridges, burning our credibility on the world stage, and threatening to charge us headfirst into wars with no long-term strategy, and no concern for the servicemembers he puts in harm’s way.
“Earlier this year he ordered an act of war in Venezuela—despite lacking any authority from Congress and any plan for what happens next.
“Right now he is posturing to start a war with Iran—again without coming to Congress for approval and without actually considering how many American servicemembers a war like that would put in harm’s way. And Trump starting a new war, all on his own—is far from the only threat facing our nation at this moment.
[DEMOCRACY]
“The painful reality is that right now the state of our democracy is under attack from the inside. Our Constitution, our rights, our elections—are all under attack from this President.
“One of the first things President Trump did—was pardon January 6th insurrectionists, people who tried to violently overthrow our democracy. Now he has his spy chief seizing state election machines as he lies about the election he lost. Trump is threatening to ‘nationalize’ elections, and he’s got far-right Republicans moving heaven and earth to make it happen.
“Meanwhile, Trump has been completely ignoring Congress on tariffs, military action, spending, and more. And completely ignoring the Bill of Rights, particularly as he lets ICE and Border Patrol rampage out of control.
“Trump is trying to trample birthright citizenship guaranteed by the fourteenth amendment. He is trampling the right to free speech—as out-of-control ICE officers tear gas and even shoot protestors and observers. He is trampling the free press—trying to get critics canceled and using the independent FCC to fight his battles. He is trampling the freedom from undue search and seizure—empowering officers to smash down your door or shatter your car window—and drag you away. And he trampled the right to trial and the right against cruel and unusual punishment when he had people sent to a foreign torture prison with no due process whatsoever.
“Trump has also been using the Presidency to rake in money hand over fist from bitcoin schemes to a private jet from Qatar he intends to refurbish on the taxpayer dime and then keep to the many business deals his family is doing while he is in office. Trump is even suing the government he is in charge of asking for a huge cash payout from DOJ and the IRS—$10 billion last I heard—paid for by taxpayers.
“And of course, he is turning the Department of Justice into his own personal Department of Score-Settling. Trump has been very public in ordering people investigated. Instead of following law and order, we have a DOJ that is following Trump’s orders, investigations into people Trump blames for his 2020 election loss investigations of Fed Governors Trump disagrees with, and right now, he is trying to have Members of Congress prosecuted for doing nothing more than re-stating existing DOD policy.
“Fortunately—our system of checks and balances is holding, and most of these outrageous cases have already fallen apart under serious legal scrutiny. But we know that won’t stop Trump trying again.
[CONCLUSION]
“There is no easy way around it—right now, under President Trump, the state of our union is diminished.
“But here’s the most important thing to remember in this moment: The future of our union—is up to all of us. I truly believe that—and it’s what keeps me going every day.
“Because I know our voices and our votes—still rule the day in this country. I know, that when people speak out—we can still make a change and force this administration to back down. And I know that we can still deliver results for people here, and across the country.
“And I saw the proof firsthand last week, as I visited Seattle and Everett, and discussed investments I secured in our latest funding bills. I tore up Trump’s budget—and passed my own bipartisan spending bills focused on the concerns I heard from people in Washington state.
“Of course, that’s still far from ‘mission accomplished’—certainly with Trump’s track record of sabotage, but everyone who feels disheartened needs to know—it is not ‘mission impossible’ either. We can defend our democracy. We can hold this President accountable. We can support our communities—and secure real wins for working families.
“So, while Trump is getting ready to ramble and lie his way through his state of the union, I am not going to stay home, and yell at my TV, and get angry. Though I am angry, I am going to roll up my sleeves, channel that frustration, and get to work.
“I’m fighting for an America where universal health care is a reality. Where everyone can afford the prescriptions they need. I’m fighting for child care every family can afford and count on.
“Tax breaks for the middle-class—teachers and firefighters—not billionaires. And when the top 1% and giant corporations just pay their fair share—we can get our nation’s fiscal house in order. I want to build more affordable housing—not a new ballroom at the White House.
“I’m fighting for national paid leave. A national right to abortion care. I want more resources to tackle addiction and homelessness. I want safe streets in every city. I want laws on the books that put workers first and help them negotiate fair wages and working conditions. Unions built this country and they’ll help us build its future.
“And finally, we need an immigration system that is fair and humane—where people who contribute and play by the rules, get a fair shot at a future in this country because immigrants help make America great.
“This is just some of what I’m fighting for—a more hopeful future for America is possible when we all speak out and stand up for what we believe in.
“This is America and no matter what Trump wants you to believe, the power belongs to the people. And I am so proud to be joined by voices from across Washington state who are using their voices to speak up about the problems we are facing—including those caused by this president.”
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