Patty Murray

The PRC poses a serious and growing challenge, economically, and in terms of our national security.

We owe it to our colleagues, and our communities, and most of all, our constituents, to put forward the shared priorities of this chamber in a slate of bipartisan spending bills.

We are talking about competing against its government, not the Chinese people, or the millions of Chinese-Americans who help make our country great.

The Senate must have its voice heard in this process.

Our veterans, you and I both know, deserve the best health care we can offer, and it is our job to make sure that the VA and Oracle Cerner really get this right.

Let us not parse words here. The PRC poses a serious and growing challenge, economically, and in terms of our national security.

When we talk about competing against China and countering Chinese influence, we are talking about competing against its government, not the Chinese people, or the millions of Chinese-Americans who help make our country great.

The Senate must have its voice heard in this process.

We owe it to our colleagues, and our communities, and most of all, our constituents, to put forward the shared priorities of this chamber in a slate of bipartisan spending bills.

Because there is a 15 percent increase from the previous year, of young students who are homeless, and I am just really concerned about that learning loss.

We have a responsibility here to work on a timely bipartisan way to pass these funding bills and make the investments that our Nation needs to avoid falling behind.

Our most important military asset isn't our weapons or our equipment, it is the brave and talented women and men.

We cannot afford to let our efforts get sidetracked and our investments fall behind.

Because there is a 15 percent increase from the previous year, of young students who are homeless, and I am just really concerned about that learning loss.

If we want a strong workforce, we have to make sure everyone can pursue a high-quality education and career training opportunities.

We have a responsibility here to work on a timely bipartisan way to pass these funding bills and make the investments that our Nation needs to avoid falling behind.

The bottom line is, if we want our country to grow and thrive, like it has for past generations, we have to invest in the next generation.

Our most important military asset isn't our weapons or our equipment, it is the brave and talented women and men who are willing to put their lives on the line to keep our country safe.

Our military needs the certainty of a regular and smooth appropriations process that they can depend on.

I appreciate that. And I want to ask you about homelessness.

Thanks to the American Rescue Plan and the earlier bipartisan COVID Relief Plans, we actually provided States and school districts significant funding to support students' academic and overall well-being.

Because there is a 15 percent increase from the previous year, of young students who are homeless, and I am just really concerned about that learning loss.

If we want our country to grow and thrive, like it has for past generations, we have to invest in the next generation.

We have a responsibility here to work on a timely bipartisan way to pass these funding bills and make the investments that our Nation needs to avoid falling behind.

My Prevent Pandemics Act, which was signed into law last year, includes directives to ASPR to assist state and local health departments in accessing the Strategic National Stockpile.