Senator Murray Opposes Partisan GOP Senate Labor, Health, Education and Human Services Bill, Saying It’s “Written As Though the Virus Surging Through Our Communities Doesn’t Exist”

Murray calls for greater focus on public health infrastructure, workers, seniors, schools, child care, and racial injustice—including disparities in COVID-19 infections and outcomes 

As House-Senate negotiations begin, Murray will continue pushing for a final bill that “actually helps families and communities deal with the challenges they’re facing” including reversing the Trump Administration’s harmful gag on funding for Planned Parenthood providers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) issued the following statement rejecting a partisan Republican Senate Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill that dramatically underfunds public health infrastructure, child care, education, and more as our country faces a surging COVID-19 pandemic. Murray previously spoke out against Chairman Shelby’s refusal to address COVID-19 and racial injustice in the Senate appropriations process this year.

“Investments in our nation’s health, schools, and workers are more needed than ever as we fight COVID-19, but this bill is written as though the virus surging through our communities simply doesn’t exist.

“We need to be using every resource at our disposal to help families, including steps like strengthening our public health infrastructure, ensuring more families don’t lose child care, putting more resources towards schools and students, helping women get the reproductive health care they need, including through Planned Parenthood, and critically, making sure the painful disparities in COVID-19 outcomes for communities of color, and racial injustice more broadly, are addressed across our policymaking. Finally, we cannot accept dramatic cuts that will hurt seniors, workers, and refugees.

“For months Republicans haven’t taken the health and economic consequences of this pandemic seriously, and this one-sided, inadequate legislation is the latest example. I oppose this bill and will continue working for a final bill that actually helps families and communities deal with the deep challenges they’re facing.”