Sen. Patty Murray blasts Trump’s infrastructural priorities as families struggle to make ends meet

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) lambasted Donald Trump for being "out of touch with reality," arguing that taxpayer funds should be used to improve the lives of the American people rather than to renovate the reflecting pool or a White House ballroom.

Murray, Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, said that the American people care about being able to afford groceries and access health care in case of emergencies. “…do not care about the bottom of the reflecting pool being painted or a White House ballroom,” she wrote in a post.

Her stinging comments come in the wake of Trump’s response to an ABC reporter’s question about the need for him to focus on projects such as the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool at a time of an ongoing war with Iran. 

Trump’s rambling response saw him call the question “stupid” while justifying his decision to clean up the pool. “...was a disgusting place. I don't know, you probably don't see dirt, but I do. They had to take 11 or 12 truckloads of garbage out of that lake, out of that water. That's not what our country is about. Our country is about beauty, cleanliness, safety, great people, not a filthy capital,” he said.

The president also launched a scathing attack against the reporter Rachel Scott. “This is one of the worst reporters. She's with ABC Fake News, and she's a horror show. A question like that is a disgrace to our country,” he said.

Murray joins a growing chorus of Democrats questioning the federal government’s priorities at a time when Americans are reeling from a cost-of-living crisis. Groceries, rent, gas, and health care premiums have risen significantly in the last year.

Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) contrasted a $400 million increase in defense spending, which is deemed “fiscally responsible”, against kicking millions off health care and food assistance. “The Trump administration has some crazy priorities,” he added.

Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) said it was not a crisis, but a “cost-of-living emergency.” He pointed out that millions of Americans are paying double for their health care, whereas gas prices are the highest since 2022.

The average gas prices remain stable at $4.53 across the country as Washington and Tehran continue to negotiate a peace deal that will open up the Strait of Hormuz, which has been shut since the US, along with Israel, launched a military campaign against Iran in February this year.