Wal-Mart Statement on Special Interest Press Conference in Washington State

WASHINGTON (February 7, 2006) -- Wal-Mart Stores spokeswoman Jennifer Holder today issued the following statement:

“The working families of Washington know this is just another ploy by those who would rather score political points than solve a serious problem.  The fact is that the methodology behind the numbers in the original study still hasn’t been made publicly available.  Extrapolating any further conclusions from state government data that hasn’t been publicly released, defended or debated is simply irresponsible.

“Employer mandate bills will do absolutely nothing to improve access to affordable health care.  And just as bad, it will cost jobs.  The Employment Policies Institute recently released a study showing that, if passed nationwide, employer mandates will cost 315,000 jobs.

“Every company in America is struggling to deal with the soaring cost of health care.  But we at Wal-Mart are determined to find solutions.  Every associate in America -- both full-time and part-time -- can become eligible for health coverage for $23 per month.  We’re proud that our solution oriented approach has helped 160,000 previously uninsured Americans get private insurance.”

About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart Stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and SAM’S CLUB locations in the United States. The company also operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, South Korea and the United Kingdom. The company’s securities are listed on the New York and Pacific stock exchanges under the symbol WMT. More information about Wal-Mart can be found by visiting www.walmartfacts.com. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmartfacts.com. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com.