With Budget Deadline Looming, Murray Calls On GOP to Drop Political Attacks on Women’s Health, Focus on Budget

(Washington, D.C.) —Today Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, issued the following statement calling on Republicans to drop their political attacks on women’s health and, with the fiscal deadline just nine days away, finally join Democrats in working towards a bipartisan budget deal.

“As Republican leaders have said themselves, there is no education in the second kick of a mule—which is why it’s so disappointing that we are once again staring down a government shutdown over Republican political pandering. Let me be very clear: using shutdown threats to attack women’s health won’t work in 2015, just like shutdown threats didn’t help the Tea Party repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2013.

“So, as Republican leaders begin a week of show votes on an unconstitutional, dangerous bill to restrict women’s health and rights, and on defunding Planned Parenthood and taking away critical health care services millions of people rely on each year, I’m calling on them once again to finally learn their lesson, drop the politics, and join Democrats to work on another bipartisan budget.

“It’s time Republicans learned that workers, families and our economy should come before politics and partisanship—and not the other way around.”