Senator Murray joined Fuse and local families to discuss the challenges and solutions to the issues parents in Southwest Washington are facing today
ICYMI: Senator Murray’s Child Care Plan Would Increase Access to Child Care for Washington State Families, Lower Costs According to New Report – MORE HERE
ICYMI: Amid Omicron Frustration and Anxiety, Senator Murray Pushes Administration for a Clear Path Forward to Expand Testing, Keep Schools Open, and Protect Communities – MORE HERE
Senator Murray: “I believe very strongly that we need an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthiest Americans and the giant corporations. That’s why one of my very top priorities in Congress right now is passing legislation that is going to lower everyday costs for working people in a big way.”
***WATCH VIDEO OF THE TOWN HALL HERE***
(Vancouver, WA) – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined Fuse to host a virtual town hall with Clark County families to hear from them directly and talk about her plans to lower cost and create opportunity in Clark County and all of Southwest Washington. During the event, Senator Murray provided an update on her work in Congress on behalf of Washington state’s kids and families including her work on the cost and availability of child care, keeping our kids in school safely, and other important priorities like the expanded Child Tax Credit and lowering health care costs.
“I believe very strongly that we need an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthiest Americans and the giant corporations. That’s why one of my very top priorities in Congress right now is passing legislation that is going to lower everyday costs for working people in a big way,” said Senator Murray. “I am laser focused on lowering costs for working people and families in our state by making big progress on issues like child care and health care—and fighting for you in the other Washington.”
During the town hall, Senator Murray highlighted provisions she helped to secure in the American Rescue Plan to get shots into arms, reopen schools safely, support small businesses, and deliver federal dollars for state and local governments which have helped to keep health care workers and first responders on the job. Murray noted how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed in the fall, will help create good-paying jobs across the state, and is already putting federal dollars toward better roads and bridges, more public transit options, and high-speed internet for every community in the state. While this legislation has been critical, Senator Murray highlighted her current efforts in the Senate to cut costs for workers and families, address inflation, and ensure the nation is fully-prepared for the next public health threat.
“We all saw how the omicron surge threw us for another loop, and I am doing everything I can to make sure we are ready moving forward so that we can keep our kids safely in school, and give families back the certainty and stability we all want,” Senator Murray continued. “That means tests, treatments, and masks when we need them, as well as clear and easy to understand guidance from the CDC. I also want to make sure that we are really looking ahead here, that’s why I’ve worked with Senate Republicans on a bipartisan bill called the PREVENT Pandemics Act which would strengthen our public health preparedness and make sure we never find ourselves in this situation again.”
Senator Murray noted that even though the Build Back Better Act has not passed yet, she is fighting for major legislation to ensure everyone can succeed in this economy—including her proposals to lower child care costs and expand coverage, offer parents the option of free pre-K for three-and-four-year olds, and extend the expanded Child Tax Credit. In addition to these measures, Senator Murray emphasized her efforts for legislation to address a wide range of issues—such as lower costs for families on housing and medication, established paid family leave, the climate crisis, and address other topics she has heard from parents.
“It should not be so expensive to raise a family, and do the things you want to do, in our country. So I’ve been working on policies that would lower costs for you and your family and try to relieve some of the stress people are feeling,” said Senator Murray. “My priority is getting something to President Biden’s desk that will give people some breathing room, and make sure everyone can succeed in this economy, and by the way—these policies are all paid for by asking those at the very top to finally pay their fair share,” said Senator Murray.
Senator Murray took questions during the town hall on a range of issues, from breaking down her child care proposal, to highlighting her efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs, to how she’s fighting to extend the expanded Child Tax Credit. See full video of her answers and the entire town hall HERE.
Senator Murray was joined during the event by Jamielyn Wheeler, Deputy Director of Fuse Washington and Holly Lindsey, a child care provider and SEIU member.
“No matter where you live or where you work, we believe all families deserve access to quality, affordable child care,” said Jamielyn Wheeler, Deputy Director of Fuse Washington. “Yet right now, many families are struggling to afford child care at the same time that many childcare providers are earning poverty wages. Sen. Murray’s leadership on both child care and the Child Tax Credit has been essential to making progress and improving lives. Sen. Murray is the rare national leader who has never forgotten where she came from and the issues that matter most to the people she represents. With all the challenges in the other Washington, I’m so glad to have Sen. Murray fighting for us.”
“I hear from so many people looking for child care and there is just not enough child care out there, so many child care providers have had to close because of the pandemic, and so many child care workers could make a lot more money working somewhere else because wages are so low,” said Holly Lindsey, a child care provider from Longview and SEIU member. “So we absolutely need to make child care more affordable, but we also need to make sure providers are paid enough to do the job that we’re doing—we’ve been on the frontlines and we’ve kept parents working by providing child care during impossible circumstances. It’s time to invest in child care.”
A grandmother and former pre-school teacher, Senator Murray knows the challenges that working parents face and has spent her career advocating for parents, first running for office after a male legislator in Olympia told her she couldn’t make a difference in trying to save her kids’ preschool program because she was, “just a mom in tennis shoes.”
Senator Murray has been a leading voice for parents in Congress and has been keenly focused on lowering everyday costs for families—authoring a major federal proposal to lower child care costs and expand coverage and offer parents the option of free pre-K for three-and-four-year olds, fighting to extend the expanded Child Tax Credit, working to lower the cost of prescription drugs, and more. In January, Senator Murray held a virtual Seattle Parents Town Hall with MomsRising.
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