Murray Celebrates Opening of New Agricultural Research Service Plant Sciences Building at WSU After Years of Fighting to Secure Funding

Murray: "At a time when our federal research enterprise is under serious threat by overt political interference and a hollowing out of our scientific workforce, today's milestone offers a bright spot. This new building is a reminder of the incredible potential and opportunity we have when we invest in agricultural research-and when we do it consistently."

ICYMI: Senator Murray, Secretary Vilsack Speak at Groundbreaking of New Agricultural Research Service Plant Sciences Building at WSU Murray Secured $125 Million to Build

Pullman, WA - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a Washington State University (WSU) alum, attended the ribbon-cutting of the brand-new Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Plant Sciences Building on WSU's campus. Senator Murray led the years-long fight to secure $125 million in federal funding for the building.

The newly-completed building will house ARS and WSU researchers focused on improving the health, sustainability, and profitability of dryland and irrigated agriculture in the Pacific Northwest. The building includes cutting-edge facilities for four ARS research units where scientists will focus on the health and sustainability of Pacific Northwest agroecosystems-and critical challenges facing national and global agriculture. The collaborative research between ARS and WSU will benefit growers, commodity groups, agricultural businesses, and American consumers who rely on this partnership to find solutions to agricultural and environmental problems.

"As someone who has fought for this project at every step, in every funding bill I helped write, for over twenty years now, I know it's been a long road to today-with plenty of hurdles: from economic crises, to forced federal budget cuts, and, of course, a full-blown pandemic. At every twist and turn, I've been proud to lock arms with the community here at WSU and go to bat for this building and this research on the Appropriations Committee. Because in farming, in research, and in Congress, the surest path to success is the same, you need persistence, and you need patience," Senator Murray said. "At a time when our federal research enterprise is under serious threat by overt political interference and a hollowing out of our scientific workforce, today's milestone offers a bright spot. This new building is a reminder of the incredible potential and opportunity we have when we invest in agricultural research-and when we do it consistently. The answers discovered here in Pullman will help producers weather a rapidly changing climate and navigate an increasingly tough farm economy. And the students inspired here, will spend their careers advancing this research and ensuring that legacy persists."

As a senior appropriator and former Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Murray led the effort in Congress to secure $125 million in federal funding for the ARS building over multiple fiscal years. After pushing for the project for many years, Murray secured $105 million in the Fiscal Year 2019 funding bill for ARS to construct the new facility. But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, supply chain issues and inflation delayed the project and increased the estimated cost of the building. In FY23, Murray secured an additional $20 million for the project, allowing WSU and ARS to finally move forward with construction. In 2023, Senator Murray attended the groundbreaking for the building and spoke on WSU's excellence in agricultural research.

Senator Murray has been a longtime advocate for Washington state's farmers and has always advocated for major investments in cutting-edge agricultural research-like the research conducted at Washington State University, ARS, and all across Washington state. The agriculture appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2026 that Senator Murray wrote as Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee provided $1.85 billion for ARS, and $1.67 billion for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture-rejecting President Trump's budget request to slash core capacity funding for land-grant universities, like WSU, across the country and other key research and extension activities, which make important, practical information available to agricultural producers, small business owners, consumers, families, and young people.

Compared to FY24, ARS is down more than 2,300 people or 30% of their staff after an aggressive Deferred Resignation Program by Trump's USDA and subsequent hiring freezes. Murray has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration's efforts to decimate America's federal research enterprise, warning her colleagues that President Trump's haphazard and callous decimation of key federal agencies is both inefficient and will cost taxpayers more in lost research and productivity. In every government funding bill she negotiates, Murray has fought, and will keep fighting, to protect every corner of America's world-class research enterprise, from the labs searching for new cures to the scientists keeping our farms and food supply strong.

Since its origins in 1931, collaborations between WSU and ARS have exemplified one of the strongest federal-state partnerships in the nation. These collaborations benefit growers, commodity groups, agricultural businesses, and U.S. consumers who rely on this partnership to find solutions to agricultural and environmental problems. In the new Plant Sciences Building, scientists will investigate wheat health, genetics and quality; grain genetics and physiology; sustainable Pacific Northwest agroecosystems; and plant germplasm introductions and evaluations. Members of the WSU Departments of Plant Pathology, Crop and Soil Sciences, and Horticulture will share space and work closely in the new facility alongside federal researchers on projects that improve crops and sustainable practices and reduce the impacts of weeds, pests, and diseases on agriculture in the Pacific Northwest. More information on the project is HERE.

Senator Murray's remarks, as prepared, are below:

"As a proud Coug, it is always wonderful to be back in Pullman. I have memories all over this campus. There's the time I met my husband. There's the time I won my first political fight-changing the dress code so women could wear pants to the dining hall, not just dresses and skirts.

"And-more relevant to today-there was the time, just three years ago, that I joined everyone to break ground on this new Ag-Research center! When I joined you for the groundbreaking of this building-I noted how appropriate it was that we were digging up soil and putting down roots to grow something truly special.

"And how excited I was to come back again when this place was up and open, and bustling with students, researchers, and ideas. Well, here we are-and it's everything I could've hoped for!

"As someone who has fought for this project at every step, in every funding bill I helped write, for over twenty years now, I know it's been a long road to today-with plenty of hurdles: from economic crises, to forced federal budget cuts, and, of course, a full-blown pandemic.

"At every twist and turn, I've been proud to lock arms with the community here at WSU and go to bat for this building and this research on the Appropriations Committee. Because in farming, in research, and in Congress, the surest path to success is the same, you need persistence, and you need patience.

"And today? The persistence pays off! Today? The wait is over! But, not the work-that is just beginning!

"Because now that this building is open, students, faculty, and researchers are going to be walking through these doors, rolling up their sleeves, getting their hands dirty, and diving into some of the biggest challenges facing our farmers.

"At a time when our federal research enterprise is under serious threat by overt political interference and a hollowing out of our scientific workforce, today's milestone offers a bright spot. This new building is a reminder of the incredible potential and opportunity we have when we invest in agricultural research-and when we do it consistently.

"The answers discovered here in Pullman will help producers weather a rapidly changing climate and navigate an increasingly tough farm economy. And the students inspired here, will spend their careers advancing this research and ensuring that legacy persists.

"Everyone here knows farming and agriculture are crucial to Washington state. We have over 30,000 farms and ranches. With over 160,000 people working on them growing apples, potatoes, wheat, cherries, blueberries-and a whole lot more. And what grows in Washington state, goes across the country-and across the world!

"But just as families count on Washington state farms for high-quality produce, our farms count on research happening right here to help them find new ways to protect crops, reduce costly inputs, and grow more food for more people.

"Here at WSU, students and researchers are fighting threats that destroy crops like potato blight, wheat and barley scab, and little cherry disease. Here at WSU, we are looking at how Artificial Intelligence can help our farmers. And don't forget our leadership in the other AI, I'm speaking of course about: Apple Innovation! Move over iPhone-I think everyone knows Sunflare is the most exciting apple release on the horizon!

"And beyond growing seeds into new apples, this is a place where minds grow, where curiosity is nurtured, where new ideas take root, and where hard work bears fruit-in more ways than one!

"It's worth remembering, that while we usually say 'you reap what you sow' as a word of warning. It's really deeper than that-it's a reminder. A promise, that says when you plant something, when you pour your time and effort into something, your heart and soul, it will grow.

"So, make sure you focus on growing things that are truly worthwhile. I think about that every spring when I plant flowers in my garden. And it motivates me every time I see a problem and choose to roll up my sleeves.

"If you want to grow something, if you want to build something, if you want to discover something, if you want to change something-you've got to put in the work. And no one works harder than a Coug!

"Which is why, as excited as I am to be here today, to see this project in bloom, the visit I'm most excited about-is always the next one. Because I know I'll be back-and that the next time I visit, there will be a whole new crop of discoveries coming in.

"So, as you all continue to build on the incredible work happening here, know that I am going to continue my work fighting to support you in the other Washington."