Patty Murray

If we are going to end this pandemic and build back stronger and fairer from the most unequal economic crisis in recent history, we have to address the problems COVID put a glaring spotlight on and the inequities that it has made worse.

I look forward to working with him to protect workers, especially considering the dangers of this pandemic continues to pose.

We have to raise the Federal minimum wage and eliminate the sub minimum wage for tipped workers, youth workers, and workers with disabilities.

We also have to make sure workplaces are safe and not just against pandemics, but free from unsafe working conditions, environmental hazards, and sexual harassment and assault.

And we need to protect and strengthen the right to form or join a union and collectively bargain for better working conditions, wages and benefits.

We have to make sure every worker has paid leave and quality, affordable childcare.

Well, to every one of them that is listening, I am not done with this.

I think this is really important, and I think we all should recognize that this is an area we need to look at.

Thank you very much. And I want to thank all of our witnesses today for their really--for a really productive hearing.

Well, okay. This is really important, and whatever we need to do, I do not--you know, I know you have worked on it, I know you have focused on it, but I know of women who have left our scientific research institutes because of this.

If there is one lesson we must take from this pandemic, it is that our nation's success depends on the medical research infrastructure across this country supported by the NIH.

Well, expecting them does not require them to.

Artificial intelligence has been shown to help improve the detection of breast cancer in mammograms, and lung cancer in CT scans.

I expect NIH to continue building on its efforts so far to remove racism, discrimination, and harassment from research.

Now is not the time to abandon it. Now is the time to make it even stronger.

We do it to bring new treatments, cures, and hope to people across the Country and across the world.

I also hope we can work together to bring down the cost of healthcare, especially for prescription drugs.

There are workers around the country right now, as you well know, trying to support their families, make ends meet, but they are being denied the unacceptable--or the unacceptably low Federal minimum wage, overtime pay, or both.

If we expect to fill the jobs that we are creating, we need to get more older workers into the workplace, and we need to get more immigrants into the workplace.

I believe we can work toward consensus with the Department's budget, but as I have said at other FY2022 budget hearings this year, this can only be achieved when there is parity between defense and non-defense funding.

We have an opportunity here, an obligation, a privilege to make sure we are funding our schools, and giving our educators the tools that they need to be successful.

The loss of learning in many cases to people who couldn't go to school, either they didn't engage in a virtual class, or that wasn't the right way for them to learn.

Last December we were able to finally reach a bipartisan agreement to significantly simplify the Federal Student Aid Application process with the passage of FAFSA Simplification Act.

The President's budget calls for major new investments in our Nation's public, elementary, and secondary schools, totaling $66 billion.

I believe that combination of additional Federal education investments, accurate and timely reporting, and thoughtful review of how all education funds are being allocated and used in schools needing additional support would improve the…