PHOTOS AND B-ROLL: Murray, Ossoff meet with UW students
(Seattle, WA) — Yesterday, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) stopped near the University of Washington campus to speak with students about the stakes of the November midterm election — on issues from abortion and LGBTQ+ rights to climate action to making college more affordable — and the importance of voting this fall. The event was part of Senator Murray’s newly-announced Patty for WA Campaign Tour of town halls and Get Out The Vote events ahead of the general election.
“Senator Ossoff knows better than almost anyone how much of a difference ONE seat can make in the U.S. Senate,” said Senator Murray. “With a Democratic Senate majority, we’ve gotten a lot done to fight climate change, create jobs, and finally pass some common-sense gun safety measures. All of that is at risk if Republicans retake the majority and put Mitch McConnell back in charge, and my opponent is running to help them do exactly that. We need every single student, and every single young voter who cares about these issues to vote and make sure their voice is heard this November. Our democracy and our rights depend on it.”
“Patty Murray is a tenacious, hardworking, and effective leader who delivers results for Washington state and the whole country,” said Senator Ossoff. “I’ve seen up close how passionately Patty fights for her constituents. That’s why I’m here today to help get out the vote and ensure Patty is re-elected.”
On forgiving student debt and making college more affordable: As Chair of the Senate Education Committee, Senator Murray has led the charge to make the student loan system work for students and families, ensure borrowers get the relief they are entitled to, and lower the cost of college. In 2020, she called for the federal government to forgive at least $10k in student debt. Since then, Murray has pushed the Biden Administration to fix the broken student loans system and ensure borrowers get the relief they are owed and provide immediate relief by forgiving some debt for all borrowers and prioritizing relief for those who need it most. Murray is pushing to pass her legislation that would make community college tuition free and is working to lower the cost of college overall.
On fighting for LGBTQ+ rights: Senator Murray is a leading cosponsor of – and fighting to pass – the Equality Act, which would expand federal civil rights laws to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination in employment, housing, credit, jury service, and federally funded programs. Murray is also the lead sponsor of legislation to ban conversion therapy, and she wrote and introduced the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act, legislation that would address bullying and harassment — including cyberbullying — at colleges and universities around the country. The legislation is named after a freshman at Rutgers University, who tragically lost his life to suicide in 2010 after his roommate and another student invaded his privacy and harassed him due to his sexual orientation.
On climate action: Senator Murray helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act this summer — the most significant federal bill to tackle climate change and invest in a clean energy economy in U.S. history. The Inflation Reduction Act will help establish major cost-savings for Washington consumers with home energy rebates and consumer tax credits to invest in energy efficiency, and establish tax credits to encourage manufacturers to put more clean vehicles on the market, among many other provisions that will spur an economy-wide transition to clean energy by industry and public entities. The legislation also includes investments to electrify ports like the Port of Seattle to help cut those emissions and make the air around them safer to breathe, and it funds research and development into cleaner aviation fuel and technology — much of which happens in Washington state. The Inflation Reduction Act will ultimately lower energy costs, promote real American energy independence, create clean energy jobs, and put us on the path to cut carbon emissions by 40% by 2030.
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