Patty Murray

I am encouraged to see that the Administration has increased funding for homeless programs.

Like all budgets, the VA budget is a reflection of our values, and that each of those values has a direct impact on the lives of thousands, if not millions, of our veterans.

I would also note that I am as committed today as I was during my early years on the Committee to the belief that the Government can be fiscally responsible while still fulfilling its commitments to the most deserving among us, including…

I want to say that we are all thankful for Senator Akaka's efforts, particularly those who have been given peace of mind.

We have work to do for these veterans, and work that begins today.

I applaud you on that, because we always hear about how competition is what drives the cost down.

I am very concerned that the administration is choosing to cut funding for job training programs.

I cannot think of any reason why the administration would err on the side of diminishing that benefit.

This is very important for that region of our State--actually, for our entire economic region there.

We are asking for a level playing field with a bill that passed the House. This is a discussion we have had many times. It says that illegal subsidies from any company should be taken into account on a deal in front of the Pentagon. I will…

I have confirmed with my staff that these projects have been properly disclosed and have been certified to be free of any pecuniary interest.

We thank Senator Murray and the members of the subcommittee for their past support of a strong Federal transportation program.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Secretary, in his statement, the former Secretary Principi made some suggestions: to improve the Agent Orange Act of 1991, including some new studies in dioxin level blood testing; to direct the IOM…

Make no mistake; I believe that veterans who have sacrificed so much deserve the benefit of the doubt.

We cannot do it at the expense of squeezing our veterans.

Denial of something at the time never gets us to a good place later.

I think we have learned some important lessons from that.

We have to be consistent with this funding and meet our legal and moral obligations.

We simply cannot afford to allow potential cures to be slowed down or halted by the political process.

I was so glad when President Obama issued an Executive order in March of last year to lift the restrictions on funding for human embryonic stem cell research.

Stem cell research is not just about science--it's about hope.

I want to thank Senator Harkin for his leadership on this, but I especially want to thank Senator Specter too whose voice we will miss on this panel.

Stopping Federal investment of this research mid-stream would result in wasting the funds that have been put in accounts or already drawn down.

I talked about the drivers of our economy and job creation. But if small businesses are the driver of our economic recovery, then our community banks are the engine. Right now we all know that engine is in neutral. That is because for far…

As we all know, research illustrates that children who begin learning at an early age are more likely to be successful in their secondary education career--and to graduate from high school. This is why I believe it is important for all of…