{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.murray.senate.gov/republican-shutdown-day-21-senator-murray-slams-republicans-for-ignoring-skyrocketing-health-care-costs-on-first-day-of-washington-state-window-shopping/", "REPUBLICAN SHUTDOWN DAY 21: Senator Murray Slams Republicans for Ignoring Skyrocketing Health Care Costs on First Day of Washington State Window Shopping", "2025-10-21", "2025", "2025-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "WA", "Patty Murray", "M001111", "www.murray.senate.gov", "murray", "https://www.murray.senate.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "NEW FROM AP: 6 in 10 Americans are \u201cextremely\u201d or \u201cvery\u201d concerned about their health costs going up in the next year\n\nKFF: Most Republicans and MAGA Supporters Say Congress Should Extend the Enhanced ACA Tax Credits Set to Expire Next Year\n\n***WATCH: Senator Murray\u2019s full floor speech***\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, delivered remarks on the Senate floor on the twenty-first day of President Trump and Republicans\u2019 shutdown and the first day that Washingtonians can window shop for health care coverage on the state\u2019s Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace, Washington Healthplanfinder.\n\nSenator Murray\u2019s remarks, as delivered, are below:\n\n[REPUBLICANS\u2019 REFUSAL TO PREVENT PREMIUMS FROM EXPLODING]\n\n\u201cWe are now on week four of Republicans insisting that they would rather keep the government shut down than talk about how we stop health care premiums from skyrocketing. And in a sign of how serious Republicans are taking all this, House Republicans are still not even here. They are still on a vacation that has now lasted over a month.\n\n\u201cSenate Republican leaders are still refusing to sit down with us and do anything other than hold the same failed vote on their partisan bill over, and over, and over.\n\n\u201cAnd President Trump is gloating and lying about having more power than ever. He is illegally mass firing people that do important work for the American people, he is illegally hacking away at \u2018Democratic\u2019 programs, and he is tweeting out more lies and truly obscene videos.\n\n\u201cLet\u2019s be clear: President Trump does not have to fire people and slash funding. He didn\u2019t do any of this during the last shutdown he caused. Instead, Trump is choosing to cause pain and chaos because he wants to use the American people as leverage.\n\n\u201cMeanwhile, he is doing nothing about the fact that millions of Americans\u2014the majority in red states, by the way\u2014are about to see their premiums double.\n\n\u201cOpen enrollment starts next week. In fact, it already began in Idaho.\n\n\u201cAnd where are Republicans? They are on week four of sticking their heads in the sand. Again, House Republicans are not even here.\n\n\u201cBut in a shock to no one, Republicans ignoring reality has done nothing to change it.\n\n\u201cAnd that became even more obvious today as health plan window shopping started in my home state of Washington, and it\u2019s going on in many other states as well.\n\n\u201cWhich means right now, today, families are logging on, looking for plans for 2026, and seeing the full cost of Republicans\u2019 inaction.\n\n\u201cFor millions of families, they are seeing for the first time that their premiums are going to double next year, because Republicans are refusing to act. And for many families? It will be even worse. Premiums will triple, or even quadruple!\n\n\u201cI have heard from seniors, not yet old enough for Medicare, who learned their premiums will jump by more than a thousand dollars a month.\n\n\u201cI have heard from many small business owners, trying to figure out if they are going to give up on their dream job, or risk going without health care.\n\n\u201cAnd the Republican response? Silence. The Republican solution? Just wait.\n\n\u201cTo my colleagues: what are you talking about? Wait? Until what? Until premiums get locked in? Until people are officially priced out of coverage?\n\n\u201cThe billionaires did not have to wait for their tax cuts. Republicans made sure to pass that last July. Why do working families have to wait for you to talk about health care? It is completely absurd to me that Republicans are trying to say they won\u2019t talk about this during a shutdown, but \u2018Trust us. Because later we may possibly, think about, or talk about something that is going to be way too late.\u2019\n\n\u201cIt is just not credible for Republican leaders to insist they won\u2019t talk about health care until this shutdown ends.\n\n\u201cAfter all, they wouldn\u2019t talk about it before the shutdown. And, as a matter of fact, I think they\u2019ve talked about health care more during the shutdown than they had all year!\n\n\u201cThey have been ignoring this issue. And now, their only offer to Democrats right now is to say we should ignore the issue too!\n\n\u201cNo deal. I will not ignore my constituents. And to my Republican colleagues: I will not let you ignore yours either. So join us at the table, and let\u2019s get serious about ending this shutdown, and stopping premiums from skyrocketing.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve already heard from families and small businesses in Washington state about how painful this is going to be, and I\u2019ve also heard from my neighbors in Idaho, and Montana as well. Why is it so hard for Republican leaders to listen to these stories? Why is it so hard for them to listen to the voices of their constituents?\n\n[TRUMP & REPUBLICANS\u2019 DISGRACEFUL RESPONSE TO NO KINGS PROTESTS]\n\n\u201cWe saw that same issue with the protests last weekend.\n\n\u201cThe No Kings protests were possibly the most massive peaceful day of action in our nation\u2019s history. From city to city, large and small, images poured in of massive crowds. A grassroots movement with hand-made signs, colorful outfits, and Americans of every stripe.\n\n\u201cOut in the crowds, you could see parents that were out to protest with kids on their shoulders, showing the next generation this is how we make our voices heard in this country: loudly, proudly, and peacefully. You could see seniors out marching, determined to stand up for the rights they have cherished for decades, and stop this country from becoming something they no longer recognize. And you could see young adults, getting together with their friends, getting involved, and exercising their birthright as Americans: to have a say in the future of this country.\n\n\u201cIt was an inspiring celebration of how we advocate for change in this country. Americans from every walk of life, every stage of life, and every corner of our country, came together to speak with one voice, and send one message: \u2018No Kings.\u2019 That is about as fundamentally American as it gets.\n\n\u201cAnd yet, how did my colleagues across the aisle respond to these people, many of their own constituents?\n\n\u201cRepublicans spent weeks slandering these peaceful protesters. They spent weeks saying this was a \u2018Hate America\u2019 rally. They actually said that, repeatedly, proudly, to the press.\n\n\u201cDo you think those kids hate America? Or those seniors, do you think they hate America? Do they think their constituents hate America? That\u2019s disgraceful. Republicans who\u2019ve spouted these lies should apologize.\n\n\u201cAnd let\u2019s not forget President Trump\u2019s response, because it deserves to live in shame for all of history.\n\n\u201cThe President of the United States, responded to peaceful protesters across this country with a video of himself wearing a crown, driving a fighter jet, and bombing peaceful protestors with human waste. Are you kidding me? No one over there says anything about this? That is shameful. Speaker Johnson said he thinks that is Trump being an \u2018effective communicator.\u2019 Really?\n\n\u201cWhat on earth is effective about the president of the United States dropping waste on American families, and seniors, and our cities? It was a vulgar, ugly, and fundamentally unstable display. It was in many ways a perfect mirror reflection of the peaceful protests.\n\n\u201cBecause President Trump\u2019s response showing himself donning a crown, soaring above the common people, and dropping waste on American cities and peaceful protestors, that is as fundamentally un-American as it gets.\n\n\u201cSo when are Republicans going to apologize for smearing peaceful protestors?\n\n\u201cWhen are they going to apologize for saying this weekend was a \u2018Hate America\u2019 rally?\n\n\u201cWhen are they going to apologize for all the rhetoric saying Democrats are terrorists?\n\n\u201cAnd while we are at it, when are they going to criticize Trump\u2019s completely unhinged response? What is it going to take to tell President Trump he\u2019s crossed a line? Millions of people can peacefully protest, and Republican leaders slander it for weeks as a \u2018Hate America\u2019 rally, but not a squeak of criticism for the President fantasizing about bombing people with feces.\n\n\u201cM. President, Republicans may be determined to cover their ears when it comes to families speaking out about the health care crisis. They may be determined to cover their eyes when it comes to Trump tweeting out unhinged, un-American AI slop.\n\n\u201cBut Democrats are not going to let them cover up the truth. We are not going to let them ignore the health care crisis. We are going to continue to speak out, and lift up stories from families, in our states and theirs.\n\n\u201cAnd we are going to remain at the table, ready to work on real solutions to end this shutdown, and address this health care crisis.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.murray.senate.gov/republican-shutdown-day-21-senator-murray-slams-republicans-for-ignoring-skyrocketing-health-care-costs-on-first-day-of-washington-state-window-shopping/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8781269900500774, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}