PATTY MURRAY

With Roe v. Wade overturned, Senate Democrats want Biden to use presidential power to ease abortion access and protect those who seek the procedures. But he has limited options.

In a U.S. Senate committee hearing Thursday, the leaders of the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other public health agencies told senators that the country should prepare for what might happen next.

The benefits provided by four giant hydroelectric dams on the lower Snake River in Washington state can be replaced if the dams are breached to save endangered salmon runs, according to a new report released Thursday. Finding other ways to provide electricity, irrigation and enabling commerce would cost between $10.3 billion and $27.2 billion, said the report commissioned by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. “We continue to approach the question of breaching with open minds and without a predetermined decision,” Inslee and Murray said in a press release.

The no-nonsense senator from Washington has been the single most effective Democratic combatant against Republican attempts to restrict abortion and otherwise roll back reproductive health care rights on Capitol Hill.

Fighting for decades over abortion policy, Congress is about to run into the political limits of its ability to act in either direction on the issue.

Probe of insurers is opened amid concerns about the future of abortion rights.

Top Pentagon leaders say the U.S. has learned a great deal about Russian military shortfalls and capabilities in the first two months of the war in Ukraine.

Legislation would require that individuals get more information about lump-sum pension buyout offers from their employer.

A surge in robberies at licensed cannabis shops is helping fuel a renewed push for federal banking reforms that would make the cash-dependent stores a less appealing target.

Mar. 18—Nobody likes Daylight Saving Time. So there was much cheering when the U.S. Senate passed a bill earlier this week to eliminate the decades-old practice. The 50-0 vote, a rare moment of unity for the chamber, was celebrated from bleary-eyed coast to bleary-eyed coast. The so-called Sunshine Protection Act, as written, would end the twice-yearly switch between standard time and Daylight ...

The bipartisan bill, named the Sunshine Protection Act, would ensure Americans would no longer have to change their clocks twice a year.

A Senate committee has approved a bipartisan blueprint to overhaul the nation’s public health system, applying the lessons of COVID-19 to future outbreaks through a new chain of command, a stronger medical supply chain, and clearer crisis communications.

President Biden signed the Violence Against Women Act on Tuesday.

The Senate has unanimously approved a measure that would make daylight saving time permanent next year.

The Senate unanimously approved a measure Tuesday that would make daylight saving time permanent across the United States next year. The bipartisan bill, named the Sunshine Protection Act, would ensure Americans would no longer have to change their clocks twice a year. "No more switching clocks, more daylight hours to spend outside after school and after work, and more smiles — that is what we get with permanent Daylight Saving Time,” Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, the original cosponsor of the legislation, said in a statement.

Senate Democrats and Republicans each want to flash election-year signals that they’re helping families struggling with rising costs and the two-year-old pandemic.

Democrats have fractured repeatedly over President Joe Biden’s agenda, stalling legislation and creating an atmosphere of mistrust that threatens the party’s political prospects in November.

A nonpartisan congressional watchdog says the federal Department of Health and Human Services is failing to meet its responsibilities for leading the nation’s response to public health emergencies including the COVID-19 pandemic, extreme weather disasters and even potential bioterror attacks.

Senate Democrats have played defense for the last three Supreme Court vacancies.

Democrats are trying to pick up the pieces after West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin effectively crushed President Joe Biden’s big domestic policy bill.

The Senate has rejected a bid to stop a U.S. arms sale to Saudi Arabia.

President Joe Biden has signed into law the stopgap spending bill that will keep the federal government running through Feb. 18.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi surprised advocates, and even many of her Democratic colleagues, when she revived a long-sought paid family and medical leave plan and said it would be part of a massive social and environmental spending bill in the House.

Democrats plan for universal preschool and subsidized child care in one of the largest pieces of their "Build Back Better" social spending and climate bill.

Women — and some men — in Congress have been fighting for government child care assistance for almost 80 years.

Medicaid issues are turning up as winners in President Joe Biden’s social budget framework even as divisions force Democrats to hit pause on far-reaching improvements to Medicare.

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, who was elected in 1992 as a self described “mom in tennis shoes,” has been fighting for paid family and medical leave for decades.

Efforts to make school buses greener are gaining momentum thanks to billions of dollars in spending in the federal infrastructure plan.

Congressional Democrats are weighing a raft of taxes that would target CEO pay and big U.S. companies that buy back shares.

A report by the Government Accountability Office, a congressional watchdog, found many Americans do not understand fees for their 401(k) retirement plans.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to advance the bipartisan infrastructure bill in the Senate this week, and wants Democrats to agree on a budget bill.

Parents could get up to a $300 per child tax break starting next week

The chairs of the House and Senate education committees urged Biden to extend the student-loan payment pause through early next year for added relief.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) told AZCentral that she missed a procedural vote on legislation to establish a bipartisan commission to study the Jan. 6 Capitol riot because she had a "family matter."Why it matters: Sinema was one of two Senate Democrats who skipped the 54-35 vote, which ultimately failed to gain enough support to overcome Senate Republicans' filibuster.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.Context: Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.) was the other Democ

Eleven senators missed the high-stakes Senate procedural vote Friday on legislation to form a bipartisan Jan. 6 commission to investigate the Capitol attack. The vote was initially anticipated for Thursday, but when it got bumped to the Friday before the long Memorial Day weekend, several senators opted to maintain their travel plans and left Washington before casting their vote. Patty Murray of Washington and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona – missed the Friday vote that started around 11:30 a.m. And nine Republicans were also absent from the chamber:  Sens.

Two leading congressional Democrats are calling for ideas on a “public option” health insurance plan, a campaign promise of President Joe Biden’s that faces long odds politically.

Sen. Murray and Rep. Pallone aim to write a bill to create a health-care public option, which President Biden has not put in his recovery plans.

Studies show that just one unexpected expense could set many Americans back. Now, some are calling for employers to help encourage emergency savings.

Americans are experiencing flickers of optimism at the one-year anniversary of the deadly outbreak as more people are vaccinated. But new strains of the virus and a still shaky economy could unleash another devastating cycle of infections, lockdowns and deaths. Biden and Democrats warn that now is not the time to let up on aid, and that it's better to risk doing too much than too little. McConnell expressed similar optimism last spring when he hit “pause” on new spending after approval of the initial round of aid. GOP Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana said by the time they're done they hope to turn public opinion around.

AdIt’s a tested strategy but comes at an uncertain, volatile time for the nation. Americans are experiencing flickers of optimism at the one-year anniversary of the deadly outbreak as more people are vaccinated. But new strains of the virus and a still shaky economy could unleash another devastating cycle of infections, lockdowns and deaths. Biden and the Democrats backing him warn that now is not the time to let up on aid — better to risk doing too much, than too little. GOP Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana said by the time they're done they hope to turn public opinion around.

Democrats are reintroducing a sweeping labor rights bill on Thursday, touting it as a means to create safer workplaces and boost employee benefits during the coronavirus pandemic. Even so, the bill highlights Democrats' push to strengthen labor unions after years of eroding membership. "The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the urgent need for Congress to protect and strengthen workers' rights," he said in a statement Thursday. The reintroduction of the bill underscores the party's renewed focus on using unified control of Congress and the White House to boost labor rights. During her introduction of Walsh, committee Chair Sen. Patty Murray of Washington touted the PRO Act as one of the policies she aims to pursue.

From left, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen joined the Democratic senators for a private virtual meeting, both declaring the Republicans' $618 billion offer was too small. “President Biden spoke about the need for Congress to respond boldly and quickly,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said after the lunch meeting. The president made it clear that he won’t delay aid in hopes of winning GOP support. Biden proposes $170 billion for schools, compared to $20 billion in the Republican plan.

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)WASHINGTON – Senate Democrats are preparing to push ahead quickly on President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package even if it means using procedural tools to pass the legislation on their own, leaving Republicans behind. Coming so soon in Biden's administration, the action provides a first test of Republican opposition to the White House priorities as well as to the new president's promise of a “unity” agenda. Biden's COVID-19 aid package includes money for vaccine distribution, school reopenings and $1,400 direct payments to households and gradually boosts the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour over five years. White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters earlier Tuesday that Biden is still looking to negotiate on an aid package, while emphasizing that several components of the existing aid will lapse in March. Collins said Tuesday that the White House made good on its commitment to deliver a more detailed accounting of the proposed expenditure.

The massive, catchall bill combines $900 billion in COVID-19 aid with a $1.4 trillion spending bill. A 1994 bill blocked prisoners from the program, but momentum has been growing to reverse the decision. For Republicans, the bill secures a longtime goal to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the form that students fill out to determine their eligibility for federal financial aid. It would provide $23 billion to colleges and universities, the first federal virus aid since a virus package Congress approved in March. For K-12 schools, the bill provides $54.3 billion, with an additional $4.1 billion that governors can use on education.

Operation Warp Speed has financed the development, manufacture and distribution of millions of doses, with the goal of providing a free vaccine to any American who wants one. Pfizer was not as closely involved with Operation Warp Speed as other manufacturers, preferring to retain control over its own development and manufacturing. But the government did enter into a contract to buy 100 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the first of which were shipped this week. At issue is the purchase of another 100 million doses for delivery as early as the middle of next year. “We of course would welcome having another 100 million doses,” said Slaoui, adding that it's his expectation that negotiations with Pfizer will be successful.

Alexander left the GOP's leadership track during the Obama years to focus on his committee work. As chairman of the HELP panel, Alexander shepherded a 2015 rewrite of elementary and high school education that swept through the Senate with near-universal support. “Lamar listened to me when I told him we should write a bill together, rather than amending the Republican bill he had begun working on,” Murray said. Alexander offered a defense of the chamber's traditions, especially the filibuster that forces consensus — or, increasingly, gridlock — upon the Senate. Alexander will be replaced by Nashville businessman Bill Hagerty, a Republican backed by President Donald Trump.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., won another term as Republican leader, his office said, cementing his role as the longest-serving GOP leader in U.S. history. But it’s still to be determined whether McConnell will retain his role as majority leader or cede it to Schumer as the final races for the U.S. Senate play out. Republicans brushed back Democratic challengers in several states, but failed to lock down the seats needed to retain their majority. The math has become more challenging for McConnell because the vice president of the party holding the White House casts the tie-breaking vote in the Senate. A Democratic majority in the Senate, the party that also controls the House would give the party a firm grasp on power in Washington.

Michael Caputo, the top spokesman at the Department of Health and Human Services, can be heard on an agency podcast asserting that Democrats don't want a coronavirus vaccine in order to punish President Donald Trump. Caputo was named the top HHS spokesman in April, during a tense period in relations between the White House and HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “There are people in the United States government on the Democrats' side ... (who) do not want a vaccine,” he said. “They don’t want a vaccine until November 4th,” he added, citing the day after the presidential election. They don’t want a vaccine now because of politics, sir.”___Associated Press news researcher Jennifer Farrar contributed to this report.

(Kevin Dietsch/Pool via AP)The U.S. is going in the wrong direction with the coronavirus surging badly enough that Dr. Anthony Fauci told senators Tuesday some regions are putting the entire country at risk just as schools and colleges are wrestling with how to safely reopen. Connect the dots, he told senators: When and how school buildings can reopen will vary depending on how widely the coronavirus is spreading locally. I feel very strongly we need to do whatever we can to get the children back to school, he said. Its not clear if that kind of broad-stroke testing would reduce spread of the coronavirus, CDC concluded. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education.

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)WASHINGTON For a moment, Congress had a chance to act on policing reform, mobilized by a national trauma and overwhelming public support. There are other high-profile examples where public support has been unable to overcome hyper-partisanship in Congress most notably on gun control. The parties have also failed to make progress in overhauling the nations fractured immigration laws, despite broad public support. Murray said in an interview that there was little attempt to do that kind of behind-the-scenes work on policing reform. The feeling that you want to accomplish something, that you want to get something done ... is a very different feeling than we saw with policing reform."

Only Markey and Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state missed the vote. Of 42 Senate votes in May and the first half of June, Markey missed 34 or about 80%, according to information from GovTrack, an independent clearinghouse for congressional data. Of those missed votes, one of the more notable for Markey was last weeks vote on the Great American Outdoors Act. The bill, which passed on a bipartisan 73-25 vote vote, would spend $3 billion on conservation projects, outdoor recreation and maintenance of national parks and other public lands. In all of 2019, Markey missed just 19 of 428 votes or less than 5%.

WASHINGTON The Trump administrations new strategy for coronavirus testing puts much of the burden on states while promising to provide supplies such as swabs and material to transport specimens. The plan, which was delivered Sunday to members of Congress, drew harsh criticism Monday from Democrats. In a joint letter, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. and Washington Sen. Patty Murray said the administration still does not have a serious plan for increasing testing to stop the spread of the virus.The report comes as the U.S. death toll from the pandemic is approaching 100,000. The HHS document, which The Washington Post first reported, recommends that all states have an objective of testing a minimum of 2 percent of their population in May and June.The Democratic lawmakers, who released the HHS report along with their joint letter, said it confirms that President Trumps national testing strategy is to deny the truth that there arent enough tests and supplies, reject responsibility and dump the burden onto the states.The Trump Administration still does not take any responsibility for ramping up our nations testing capacity, instead pushing the burden onto the states forcing states to compete with each other to procure vital supplies to administer tests from the private market, the lawmakers wrote. They also called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to act on the $3 trillion virus release package passed earlier this month by the House, saying it would deliver a clear strategy and $75 billion for the testing and contact tracing necessary to stop the spread of this vicious virus.

A massive funding package to combat the impact of coronavirus did not get enough votes in a key Senate procedural vote Sunday evening. Senate Republicans last week rolled out a roughly $1 trillion proposal after working closely with the administration in a bid to slow the potentially catastrophic impact of the coronavirus on the economy. Hospitals, workers, companies and states have all warned they need more resources. Democrats had already been frustrated that Senate Republicans drafted a bill with the administration, excluding them from the proposed bill's original formation. Democrats on Sunday called out a number of issues they had with the bill, including a $500 billion fund to support "severely distressed business."

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol March 17, 2020 in Washington, DC. Senate Democrats are proposing that the federal government cancel student loan payments throughout the coronavirus outbreak and forgive at least $10,000 of the debt for each borrower. "Families and student loan borrowers desperately need our help right now and we're only just at the beginning of the devastating economic impact of this crisis," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., in a statement. In addition to the suspension of student loan payments and $10,000 in student debt forgiveness, the proposal calls for halting the garnishment of wages, tax refunds and Social Security benefits for past-due borrowers. More from Personal Finance:Here's where to put emergency funds nowThese financial moves can help you prepare for a recessionWhat the Fed cutting interest rates to zero means for youPlans to forgive student debt have been gaining traction on the left.

From left, Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., participate in the Senate Democrats news conference on coronavirus relief proposals on Wednesday, March 11, 2020. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)Senate Democrats on Wednesday unveiled more than a dozen "critical measures" intended to provide relief to local communities in the wake of the deadly coronavirus outbreak. Democratic lawmakers have been pushing for a relief proposal that is "targeted to the people who need help," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told NBC News earlier Wednesday. Trump has also indicated that his administration would propose relief to the airline and cruise ship industries, which have been impacted by the outbreak. Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the number of deaths attributable to the coronavirus in the U.S.

And it all adds up to a massive federal government working to solve a problem it doesn't quite understand. "Do you really believe that one million tests will be available by the end of this week?" Hahn had said in prepared remarks at the onset of the hearing that the administration would be able to achieve that objective. In response to Murray, Hahn later clarified he expects "up to a million tests." That should give us the capacity in hands of laboratories once they validate to perform up to a million tests," he said.

Stephen Hahn, nominee to be commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, testifies during his confirmation hearing in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019. President Donald Trump's nominee to run the Food and Drug Administration was grilled at his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday about he would tackle the teen vaping epidemic. Dr. Stephen Hahn was pressed at the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing. "We need an FDA commissioner who will push back hard to put children's health first," Murray said. "I understand the final compliance is under consideration by the administration," Hahn said.