As a senator Murray has been a part of party leadership since 2001, having served as chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Conference Secretary, Assistant Democratic Leader, among several committee chair positions. Murray garnered national attention in 2013 when she and Republican Representative Paul Ryan announced that they had negotiated a two-year, bipartisan budget, known as the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013. Murray is currently the sixth-most senior member of the Senate, the third-most senior Democrat, and the dean of Washington's congressional delegation.