U.S. Senator from Connecticut
Chris Murphy
Democrat · Connecticut
Elected in 2012 from Newtown's congressional district. Led bipartisan gun safety negotiations after Uvalde shooting. Focus on gun violence prevention and foreign policy restraint.
Record
Progressive Democrat. Principal architect of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (2022) — most significant federal gun legislation in decades. Anti-interventionist foreign policy voice.
Legislative Record
Recently sponsored bills (8 on record)
- S.5121 — A bill to amend chapter 57 of title 28, United States Code, to provide for a code of conduct for justices and judges of the courts of the United States, establish an Ethics Investigations Counsel, and require disclosure of recusals. (Introduced, Jul 23, 2026)
- S.4999 — Luxury JET Act (Introduced, Jul 15, 2026)
- S.4981 — Living Wage For All Act (Introduced, Jul 14, 2026)
- S.4847 — Summer for All Act (Introduced, Jun 22, 2026)
- S.4818 — National Strategy for Social Connection Act (Introduced, Jun 17, 2026)
- S.4816 — Addressing SILO Act of 2026 (Introduced, Jun 17, 2026)
- S.4535 — Strength in Diversity Act of 2026 (Introduced, May 14, 2026)
- S.4522 — Let Kids Play Act (Introduced, May 13, 2026)
Notable votes
- Voted Nay on S.Res. 817 — S. Res. 817 (Resolution Agreed to, Jul 30, 2026)
- Voted Nay on S.Res. 817 — Motion to Invoke Cloture: S. Res. 817 (Cloture Motion Agreed to, Jul 29, 2026)
- Voted Yea on H.R. 6644 — Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 6644 with an Amendment (SA 5823) (Cloture Motion Agreed to, Jun 18, 2026)
- Voted Nay on S. 2 — S. 2, As Amended (Bill Passed, Jun 5, 2026)
- Voted Yea on S. 2 — Cortez Masto Amdt. No. 5463 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
- Voted Yea on S. 2 — Padilla Amdt. No. 5808 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
- Voted Yea on S. 2 — Gallego Amdt. No. 5813 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
- Voted Yea on S. 2 — Peters Amdt. No. 5763 (Amendment Rejected, Jun 5, 2026)
Recently cosponsored bills (12 on record)
- S.4611 — Job Corps Shipbuilding-Defense Industrial Base Pipeline Act of 2026 (Introduced, Jul 30, 2026)
- S.5190 — A bill to prohibit forced arbitration in work disputes, and for other purposes. (Introduced, Jul 30, 2026)
- S.5201 — A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to protect more victims of domestic violence by preventing their abusers from possessing or receiving firearms, and for other purposes. (Introduced, Jul 30, 2026)
- S.5185 — A bill to provide for auditing of the Pentagon. (Introduced, Jul 30, 2026)
- S.J.Res.181 — A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been authorized by Congress. (Introduced, Jul 28, 2026)
- S.5108 — A bill to protect and expand nationwide access to assisted reproductive technology, including in vitro fertilization. (Introduced, Jul 23, 2026)
- S.J.Res.200 — A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been authorized by Congress. (Introduced, Jul 14, 2026)
- S.4982 — Good Jobs for Good Airports Act (Introduced, Jul 14, 2026)
Voting analysis
Chris Murphy is ranking member on the homeland security appropriations subcommittee and on a foreign relations subcommittee covering Europe. His defections are almost entirely procedural — votes to deny his own caucus the clearance it needed to move legislation.
Withholding cloture
He voted against invoking cloture on an amendment, against a bill at passage and against the cloture motion preceding it, and against clearing a motion to concur in a House amendment. Cloture votes are where a minority decides whether to let the chamber proceed at all; being recorded against them while most of your caucus votes to advance is a deliberate act of obstruction directed inward.
| Roll call | Date | Outcome | Their vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| H.R. 6644 Motion to Invoke Cloture Re: Amdt. No. 4308 On the Cloture Motion S.Amdt. 4308 to H.R. 6644 (No short title on file) · roll call 119 | Mar 10, 2026 | Cloture Motion Agreed to | Nay (party: Yea) |
| H.R. 6938 On Passage of the Bill H.R. 6938 · roll call 119 | Jan 15, 2026 | Bill Passed | Nay (party: Yea) |
| H.R. 6938 Motion to Invoke Cloture: H.R. 6938 On the Cloture Motion H.R. 6938 · roll call 119 | Jan 15, 2026 | Cloture Motion Agreed to | Nay (party: Yea) |
| S. 1071 Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to S. 1071 On the Cloture Motion S. 1071 · roll call 119 | Dec 15, 2025 | Cloture Motion Agreed to | Nay (party: Yea) |
| S. 2296 S. 2296, as amended On Passage of the Bill S. 2296 · roll call 119 | Oct 9, 2025 | Bill Passed | Nay (party: Yea) |
| S. 2296 Sanders Amdt. No. 3853 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 3853 to S.Amdt. 3748 to S. 2296 (No short title on file) · roll call 119 | Oct 9, 2025 | Amendment Rejected | Yea (party: Nay) |
| S. 2296 Scott (FL) Amdt. No. 3535 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 3535 to S.Amdt. 3748 to S. 2296 (No short title on file) · roll call 119 | Oct 9, 2025 | Amendment Rejected | Yea (party: Nay) |
| S. 2296 Paul Amdt. No. 3761 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 3761 to S.Amdt. 3748 to S. 2296 (No short title on file) · roll call 119 | Oct 9, 2025 | Amendment Rejected | Yea (party: Nay) |
| H.R. 3944 Mullin Amdt. No. 3412 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 3412 to S.Amdt. 3411 to H.R. 3944 (No short title on file) · roll call 119 | Aug 1, 2025 | Amendment Agreed to | Nay (party: Yea) |
| H.R. 3944 H. R. 3944, as amended On Passage of the Bill H.R. 3944 · roll call 119 | Aug 1, 2025 | Bill Passed | Nay (party: Yea) |
Both Connecticut seats
Connecticut sends two Democrats to the Senate, and the pair vote with the caucus closely by the chamber's standards. Murphy is the more frequent departer of the two.
Among the 2 Democrats in the Connecticut delegation, the average rate of voting against the party majority is 5.3%. Chris Murphy is above that average at 8.8%.
What he legislates on
His filings include a code of conduct for federal justices and judges, establishing an ethics investigations counsel and requiring disclosure of recusals — a direct intervention in judicial accountability. Alongside it sit the Luxury JET Act, the Living Wage For All Act, the Summer for All Act and a national strategy for social connection.
Sponsored bills carry the Congressional Research Service's own subject classification. Chris Murphy's cluster into: Education (2), Armed Forces and National Security (1), Finance and Financial Sector (1), Government Operations and Politics (1), Labor and Employment (1), Social Welfare (1).
Of the 8 most recent of those, 8 currently sit at Introduced.
Tenure and attendance
Murphy's congressional service spans both chambers and reaches back to the mid two-thousands, placing him among the veterans, under one party label. His absences are few.
First elected in 2007, now serving across 10 terms. Chris Murphy falls in the veteran cohort.
By the numbers
In the 119th Congress, Chris Murphy has 619 bills sponsored, 3471 cosponsored, 8 recent floor votes recorded.
Committee assignments
- Senate Committee on Appropriations
- Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
- Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
- Senate Committee on Appropriations: Department of Defense
- Senate Committee on Appropriations: Department of Homeland Security (Ranking Member)
- Senate Committee on Appropriations: Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies
- Senate Committee on Appropriations: State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
- Senate Committee on Appropriations: Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
- Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: Europe and Regional Security Cooperation (Ranking Member)
- Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism
- Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women's Issues
- Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions: Employment and Workplace Safety
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