Senator Murray’s Statement on Welcoming the President of China to Seattle Today

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement on the President of China’s visit to Seattle and the Senate votes today.

“I am proud to join with Governor Inslee and elected officials across Washington state in welcoming President Xi Jinping to Seattle today. China is one of our state’s most important trading partners, which is why I joined in inviting President Xi to visit during his trip to the United States. I look forward to talking to him about how we can continue to grow our strong economic relationship in ways that create jobs and economic growth here in Washington state.

“Due to the timing of President Xi’s visit to Seattle, I will be missing votes back in the other Washington. While I don’t take this lightly, today’s votes are partisan show-votes—and I have talked to my colleagues to make sure that my vote wouldn’t change the outcome. We have less than two weeks to go before a potential government shutdown, and it’s disappointing that Senate Republican leaders are taking up time in the Senate with yet another round of partisan posturing, futile votes attacking women’s health care, and partisan budget games. 

“If I were in Washington, D.C. today, I would vote against the unconstitutional, dangerous Republican bill that would turn back the clock on women’s health and rights, and I would vote against their latest partisan posturing on the budget.

“It’s long past time for Republicans to drop the partisanship, drop the games, and join us at the table so we can work together on another bipartisan budget. Coming out of the last Republican shutdown in 2013, I was proud to work with the Republican House Budget Chairman on a two-year budget deal that restored investments in education, health care, research, and defense jobs. There is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to build on that budget deal in a way that works for families and small businesses in Washington state and across the country—and it shouldn’t take another government shutdown before Republicans are willing to do that.”