(Washington D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) sat down with reporters from Washington state to discuss how she will fight for Washington state residents in the 110th Congress. Senator Murray, who is the fourth-ranking member of the Democratic leadership, discussed several areas in which she will work to help Washington state communities. Among the priorities she discussed were:
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Establishing a Wild Sky Wilderness area to preserve 106,000 acres of wilderness in the Snoqualmie National Forest. -
Passing stem cells legislation to expand promising research for patients suffering from devastating illnesses. -
Funding her port security legislation to safeguard Washington’s port communities, and protect Washington’s trade-based economy. -
Addressing the transportation and infrastructure needs of Washington state communities. -
Ensuring improved access to affordable housing. -
Fully funding the care and benefits of Washington’s veterans – including providing oversight of VA decisions. -
Improving labor and health regulations for Washington’s workers. -
Holding the federal government accountable for their obligation to clean up the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
Here is how Senator Murray described some of the issues affecting Washington state:
On Wild Sky: ” I am very excited that Wild Sky will finally be passed, I am really hoping that the people of Washington state who have worked so hard to make this happen will have a chance to visit this place that will, for generations to come, be a special place in Washington state.”
On Port Security: “I am working to make sure that we do the right thing, because it is not enough just to have a policy, you have to have the funding in place if we want it to work and work adequately.”
On Transportation: “We are in an era of very tight budgets…. I have been out in the communities talking about getting the best projects available that meet the economic development and safety goals that are important to those communities.”
On Housing: “Housing is the silent epidemic across our country as many families are struggling to find a place to live… I know you can’t be secure until you have a solid place to live.”
On Veterans: “We will be using a very aggressive new plan of attack… We have the possibility of finally making improvements in funding in a area we have not paid enough attention to …I will be focusing on oversight of the VA. It is irresponsible to have our men and women coming home and only to find that there is inadequate services for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, that they can’t get benefits, or that they can’t get jobs,…It all comes down to the VA managing its budget and being honest with us about the cost so that we can adequately move forward.”
On Workforce Investment: “In the state of Washington we have a lot of jobs open and not enough people who are adequately trained … I am working with community leaders in the state to make sure that we are training workers for the jobs that are out there.”
On Stem Cells: “I personally care deeply about the issue and will be taking a leadership role as we go forward.”
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