Patty Murray

Maintaining our country's leadership in science and biomedical innovation is a top priority for all of us here.

This discrepancy has created an uneven playing field for innovative companies and laboratories, including many in Washington State, and uncertainty for patients and physicians.

I'm concerned that our regulatory system currently can't provide that assurance.

I'm excited about the President's Precision Medicine Initiative and the Vice President's Cancer Moonshot which can help ensure that the next generation of treatments and cures are developed right here in the United States.

But that promise cannot be realized unless doctors and patients have the assurance that when a test result demonstrates risk of a disease, provides an early diagnosis, or suggests a treatment, that result is correct and reliable.

Very concerned that this oversight currently proposed could impede patient access to existing high-quality or state-of-the-art tests and threaten needed innovation.

There is a special clientele that go to the Vet Centers, often people that do not want to have, for instance, a trail of medical records about the care that they are receiving.

We do not want to destroy the special nature or culture of the Vet Centers.

I strongly believe that this is really an important service that would help greatly our Guard and Reserve members when they return home from deployments.

I just do not believe we should let our servicemembers be taken advantage of.

I am disappointed to learn that servicemembers continue today to be subjected to predatory practices and unfair treatment on their student loans, on their mortgages, and on their credit cards.

I do want to take a moment to talk about my Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) Enhancement and Improvement Act of 2016.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just want to comment on the summative rating, and you answered the question.

ESSA includes new policies to encourage our States and districts and schools to use money for preschool programs.

I'm very concerned that my home State of Washington is facing a homelessness crisis.

I just want to make sure they get the resources they need, and if we're not identifying them, they won't.

I'm very concerned that the draft rule weakens that requirement by allowing States to compare the performance of subgroups of students to other students who may also be underperforming.

I hope, as your Department works on the final regulation, you'll address that very real issue for our States and our schools.

I want you to be successful, but we have heard the same words over and over again.

Except that we have been hearing that for a very long time, so----

What has changed in the Department's thinking that would lead you to walk away from VistA?

I was really disappointed by the VA and DOD's decision to abandon the Joint Integrated Electronic Health Care Records System back in 2013.

In short, our country really is facing a retirement crisis.

I believe strongly that after a lifetime of hard work, all seniors should have the chance to live out their golden years on firm financial footing and with peace of mind.

I really appreciate the focus on retirement security for our seniors across the country and your persistence in raising these issues in the HELP Committee.