Senator Murray Joins Washington State Indivisible for Town Hall Discussion

During the town hall Senator Murray discussed her work on the upcoming COVID-19 relief package, as well as other key priorities for Washington state, such as child care, safely re-opening schools, and vaccine distribution 

Senator Murray: “We want to hug our grandkids again, we want to get our kids in school, we want to go to work—just to be normal, but normal is not good enough. This pandemic has shown us clearly and visibly the problems in our society before this pandemic” 

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, joined a livestreamed town hall discussion today with Washington state Indivisible to give an update on her work in the other Washington to get relief to families and workers who are struggling during this pandemic and help Washington state and the country build back stronger.

“We want to hug our grandkids again, we want to get our kids in school, we want to go to work—just to be normal, but normal is not good enough. This pandemic has shown us clearly and visibly the problems in our society before this pandemic. On health care, on education, on child care, on paid family leave, and we need to make it better than what we had normally before if we want to survive the next pandemic.”

Senator Murray took questions during the town hall from Washington state Indivisible attendees on the recent impeachment trial and the insurrection at the Capitol, her priorities in the upcoming relief package, Democratic efforts to restore voting rights, and how to advance a bold agenda to build back stronger and fairer with a Senate Democratic majority. During the town hall, Senator Murray highlighted the importance of getting students safely back in the classroom for in-person instruction as quickly as possible and providing much-needed relief to help make sure child care providers can stay afloat, working families can access quality, affordable child care during this pandemic, and paid leave is extended and expanded so workers don’t have to choose between their paycheck and their health.

“We had a child care crisis in our country before this pandemic ever started, and boy, it ripped it wide open. Providers can no longer afford to stay in business, so we’ve lost a large number of our providers. Providers themselves are largely women, often of low-income, and they have been bearing the brunt of this pandemic. So, if we want people to go back to work and get their kids in school, we have to deal with child care. This COVID package does incredible progress with that and making sure we have tax credits for families for children, so we can lift our kids out of poverty and give them the support they need.”

Senator Murray also emphasized how important it is for the nation and the future of American democracy that people in Washington state and across the country continue advocating for their beliefs and holding lawmakers accountable, especially following the January 6^th insurrection, in order to secure a brighter future for all.

“This time, as incredibly challenging as this is, with a pandemic, and an economic downturn, and the racial disparity that we are seeing—it is now more important than ever that we speak up, all of us…it is challenging right now but, you know, our voices are important, Washington state is important, the policies we work on are important.”

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