Patty Murray

This program is a valuable tool for equipping and training our soldiers and family members to maximize their potential.

We have a lot of families out there who have sacrificed a heck of a lot in a very tough economic climate.

I think it's extremely important.

I think it's a policy that we need to look at and really focus on.

Nurses significantly contribute to the healthcare of our service members and their families.

I think this would be a great effort to continue with all the complexities that we have at the border.

To pull the plug on that and lose that would be, I think, the wrong direction.

I recognize so well that one container coming in with some kind of nuclear device or other explosive could have tremendous damage on people, on property, and on the entire Nation's economy if our ports were shut down.

As a Senator from one of the most trade-dependent States in the Nation, the security of our Nation's ports has long been a very top concern of mine.

The security of our Nation's ports has long been a very top concern of mine.

One container coming in with some kind of nuclear device or other explosive could have tremendous damage on people, on property, and on the entire Nation's economy.

I worked with Senator Collins and wrote the Safe Port Act under the Bush administration.

I am deeply concerned that the budget request is not going to get us there.

I think to pull the plug on that and lose that would be, I think, the wrong direction.

I personally want to thank you for your support of that effort and all the resources that were available.

The declining health of Puget Sound threatens the economy and economic vitality of the Pacific Northwest.

It is truly one of America's most spectacular bodies of water.

We cannot go back to what was a $500 million national scandal in the soft-money system.

We have a huge increasing need for, so we can't ignore that.

I am really pleased to see the policy changes in the VA budget providing greater access for non-disabled veterans with modest incomes.

Increasing the construction budget for the VA would provide construction jobs, and that is, I know, an important goal for the budget, as well.

I do want to thank you for the proposed increase, which is an acknowledgement that the Federal Government does have an obligation to clean up those sites across the nation.

I told you that people all across my State were hurting, and small businesses were coming to me and saying they could not meet their payroll and could not get loans.

I look forward to that discussion. We have a lot of small businesses in my State that are really struggling with capital today.

Reducing the construction budget in particular by 15 percent is a real concern to many of us.