U.S. Senator from Washington
Patty Murray
Democrat · Washington
Serving since 1993, one of longest-serving Democratic senators. Former Senate Appropriations Chair. 'Mom in tennis shoes' who rose through grassroots organizing. Focus on education, veterans, and budget.
Record
Progressive Democrat. Chaired Senate Appropriations Committee and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Champion of Head Start, veterans' healthcare, and paid family leave.
Legislative Record
Recently sponsored bills (8 on record)
- S.5190 — A bill to prohibit forced arbitration in work disputes, and for other purposes. (Introduced, Jul 30, 2026)
- S.5146 — A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to improve the financial aid process for homeless and foster care youth. (Introduced, Jul 28, 2026)
- S.5132 — A bill to amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to allow for dual enrollment in the supplemental nutrition assistance program and the food distribution program on Indian reservations. (Introduced, Jul 23, 2026)
- S.5082 — Values in Arms Export Act of 2026 (Introduced, Jul 22, 2026)
- S.J.Res.199 — A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Health and Human Services relating to "Restoring Flexibility in the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)". (Introduced, Jun 24, 2026)
- S.4919 — Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act (Introduced, Jun 24, 2026)
- S.4879 — Let Doctors Provide Reproductive Health Care Act (Introduced, Jun 24, 2026)
- S.4817 — CHILD Labor Act (Introduced, Jun 17, 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.5189 — A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994, to codify and clarify gender neutral standards for members of certain Armed Forces, 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.4942 — SAFE Banking Act of 2026 (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.5076 — Supreme Court Biennial Appointments and Term Limits Act of 2026 (Introduced, Jul 22, 2026)
- S.5022 — Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (Introduced, Jul 16, 2026)
- S.5006 — Work Without Worry Act of 2026 (Introduced, Jul 15, 2026)
- S.3940 — Access to Fair Financing for Opportunity and Resilient Development Act (Introduced, Jul 14, 2026)
Voting analysis
Patty Murray is ranking member of the full appropriations committee and of its energy and water subcommittee, and sits ex officio on four more of its panels. Her committee record is very nearly one committee, held at every level of it.
Refusals to let something proceed
Three of her departures are exactly that: a cloture motion on concurring in a House amendment, a bill at passage, and a surveillance reauthorisation at passage. Three more are amendments to that same surveillance bill — two from Republicans, one from a Democrat — which the chamber rejected. The last runs opposite to all of them, a bill she voted to pass when most of her caucus would not.
| Roll call | Date | Outcome | Their vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| H.R. 7148 H.R. 7148, as Amended On Passage of the Bill H.R. 7148 · roll call 119 | Jan 30, 2026 | Bill Passed | Yea (party: Nay) |
| 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) |
| H.R. 7888 On Passage of the Bill H.R. 7888 · roll call 118 | Apr 19, 2024 | Bill Passed | Nay (party: Yea) |
| H.R. 7888 Lee Amdt No. 1840 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 1840 to H.R. 7888 (No short title on file) · roll call 118 | Apr 19, 2024 | Amendment Rejected | Yea (party: Nay) |
| H.R. 7888 Wyden Amdt No. 1820 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 1820 to H.R. 7888 (No short title on file) · roll call 118 | Apr 19, 2024 | Amendment Rejected | Yea (party: Nay) |
| H.R. 7888 Paul Amdt No. 1829 On the Amendment S.Amdt. 1829 to H.R. 7888 (No short title on file) · roll call 118 | Apr 19, 2024 | Amendment Rejected | Yea (party: Nay) |
The Washington comparison
Washington sends two Democrats to the Senate. Set against her colleague, Murray is the one who holds the caucus line more often.
Among the 2 Democrats in the Washington delegation, the average rate of voting against the party majority is 4.3%. Patty Murray is below that average at 3.2%.
What she legislates on
Labour and employment lead her classified bills. The filings are recognisably hers: a prohibition on forced arbitration in work disputes, an easing of the financial aid process for homeless and foster care youth, dual enrolment between food assistance and the tribal food distribution programme, an arms export measure, and a disapproval resolution aimed at a child care funding rule.
Sponsored bills carry the Congressional Research Service's own subject classification. Patty Murray's cluster into: Labor and Employment (2), Families (1), Health (1).
Of the 8 most recent of those, 8 currently sit at Introduced.
Tenure and attendance
Her Senate service began in the early nineteen-nineties and has run without interruption, and without a change of party, ever since. She is on the floor for nearly all roll calls.
First elected in 1993, now serving across 17 terms. Patty Murray falls in the veteran cohort.
By the numbers
In the 119th Congress, Patty Murray has 1205 bills sponsored, 6390 cosponsored, 8 recent floor votes recorded.
Committee assignments
- Senate Committee on Appropriations (Ranking Member)
- Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
- Senate Committee on the Budget
- Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs
- Senate Committee on Appropriations: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (Ex Officio)
- Senate Committee on Appropriations: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (Ex Officio)
- Senate Committee on Appropriations: Department of Defense
- Senate Committee on Appropriations: Department of Homeland Security
- Senate Committee on Appropriations: Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies (Ex Officio)
- Senate Committee on Appropriations: Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies
- Senate Committee on Appropriations: Energy and Water Development (Ranking Member)
- Senate Committee on Appropriations: Financial Services and General Government (Ex Officio)
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