I’m at WSU Talking About What Comes After Trump & RFK Jr. for Public Health

Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, is formally launching the Public Health for America Working Group. Senator Murray is delivering a speech outlining the mission of the working group and then will be joined by WSU faculty and state and local public health officials for a panel discussion on the working group’s goals and the future of public health in Washington state and across the country. Murray’s working group will seek to develop the ideas, safeguards, and legislation needed to restore trust in public health and build a stronger, public health system that is more resilient to political attacks. It follows nearly two years of unprecedented attacks by President Trump and Secretary Kennedy on the agencies, scientists, and institutions that keep Americans safe and healthy. The mission of Murray’s working group is not simply to restore what existed before January 2025, but to design a public health system that is stronger, more resilient, and structurally protected from political interference—no matter who holds the White House or controls Congress. The working group will convene roundtables with researchers, providers, state, local, and Tribal health officials, and former career federal scientists; host public conversations on the future of public health; engage directly with communities and trusted messengers; and respond in real time as key public health decisions unfold. Its findings will inform nonpartisan, evidence-based policy proposals as Murray works to build consensus around legislation to rebuild public health in America stronger and more resilient than ever before. Senator Murray has a long record as a leader on public health, including; pushing for permanent funding for public health infrastructure; serving on the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Commission on Strengthening America's Health Security; and serving as the top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee for several years—including during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has negotiated and passed key public health legislation like the American Rescue Plan; PREVENT Pandemics Act; the SUPPORT Act which helped address the opioids crisis; the 21st Century Cures Act; and bills reauthorizing key Food and Drug Administration (FDA) programs and pandemic preparedness programs.