Articles & Op-eds
It’s time to finally pass the Equal Rights Amendment
by Lisa Murkowski and Ben Cardin
Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, represents Alaska in the Senate. Ben Cardin, a Democrat, represents Maryland in the Senate. Men and women should be treated equally under the law. It seems pretty basic, right? As we approach the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage, it comes as a shock to so many that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee women the same rights and protections as men. We come from different ends of the political spectrum, but we agree that this needs to change. Women compos… Continue Reading
01.25.19
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: LETTER: Fighting Alzheimer’s
by Cindy Harris
To the editor: The Alzheimer's Association estimates there are more than 5 million Americans and 7,500 Alaskans living with Alzheimer's disease. There are more than 16 million caregivers in America and 33,000 caregivers in our beautiful state of Alaska. As an advocate, it is my honor to represent them. Congress just passed the Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act with a strong bipartisan vote. I want to thank Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Don Youn… Continue Reading
01.25.19
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Murkowski, Sullivan say they are committed to reopening government
Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted yes Thursday on both bills that aimed to reopen the government agencies that have been closed for more than one month. Alaska GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan voted in favor of the Republican-backed legislation and against the Democrats' bill. Both measures failed to reach the 60-vote threshold required to end debate and advance to a final vote. Murkowski, elected to her third six-year term in 2016, was one of six Republicans to vote in favor of the Democrats' … Continue Reading
01.25.19
Anchorage Daily News: Murkowski to revive bill intended to help Native women
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she plans to reintroduce a bill intended to help solve crimes against Native Americans. The bill received unanimous Senate approval after being introduced by North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp but was blocked by the outgoing chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Virginia Rep. Bob Goodlatte said he agreed with the intent of Heitkamp's bill, which sought to expand tribal access to federal crime databases, set standards for law enforcement's response to cases of … Continue Reading
01.25.19
KTUU: Alaska's Senators, Congressman weigh in on end of government shutdown
by Kortnie Horazdovsky
Alaska's Congressional delegation members are weighing in on today's announced deal to reopen the federal government for three weeks. Alaska's Senators, who agreed on one of the Senate's failed Thursday proposals and split on the other, are glad to see the shutdown end, but say the hard work is not over. Rep. Don Young is also glad to see the "destructive" shutdown end, and looks forward to long-term solutions. "While this was not the proposal I voted for yesterday, for the sake of our federal… Continue Reading
01.24.19
Fiscal Times: Earmarks Could Make a Comeback, Under a New Name
by Michael Rainey
Now that they're back in charge of the House, some Democrats are pushing for the return of earmarks, which allow lawmakers to direct money to specific projects, The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports. The revival is driven in part by concerns that Congress has given up too much authority to the president by allowing executive agencies to determine spending priorities. Earmarks also make it easier for lawmakers to make deals and support bipartisan legislation, some experts say. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver… Continue Reading
01.23.19
Indian Country Today: Tribes come together in a challenge Indian Child Welfare decision
by Jourdan Bennett-Begaye
Law was designed to give Native children "equal rights and human rights" A defending argument for the Indian Child Welfare Act was released last week with widespread support from 325 tribes, 57 organizations, 31 child welfare organizations and seven members of Congress. The legal brief asks the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a higher court, to look at the Brackeen v. Zinke decision of a lower court, the Northern District of Texas. U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor said last October that t… Continue Reading
01.22.19
KTVA: Murkowski, Sullivan make pleas to pay Coast Guard during partial government shutdown
by Dave Leval
"This isn't a natural disaster, this is a man-made disaster," said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, as she spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate Saturday in support of the Coast Guard, especially in Alaska. "When they say that we're a Coast Guard town, Kodiak is truly, truly a Coast Guard town," Murkowski said during her 25-minute speech. She says nearly 1,100 Coast Guard personnel are assigned to Kodiak. They account for about one-third of the area's economy. "Right now, Persian Gulf, Mar… Continue Reading
01.21.19
KTVA: Alaskans mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day with giving
On Monday, some Alaskans got a day off from work in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr., but others considered it a day "on," dedicated to public service in the slain civil rights leader's name. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski reflected on King's legacy from Washington, D.C. "Dr. King led a courageous fight against prejudice and discrimination, changing hearts and minds across the country," she said. "His unwavering mission to bring equality and a more civilized society to the U… Continue Reading
01.21.19
The Hill: New momentum for Equal Rights Amendment
by Lydia Wheeler
Equal rights for women could soon be enshrined in the Constitution. Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) almost 47 years ago to establish gender equality under the law, and state support is closing in on clearing a crucial obstacle. The Virginia Senate passed a resolution last week to ratify the ERA, which would make gender equality the law of the land. If the House follows suit, the commonwealth would become the 38th state needed for ratification. The proposal was rejected 4-2 by… Continue Reading
01.18.19
KTVA: 'Have a voice:' Murkowski addresses Natives' Arctic priorities
by Jennifer Summers
Alaska's senior senator spoke to Alaska Native leaders in Washington D.C. at the Alaska Federation of Natives' Alaska Day event Thursday. The event was part of a two-day briefing with Native leaders, military officials, Cabinet officials and Alaska's congressional delegation. During the briefing, Sen. Lisa Murkowski discussed the important role of Congress in working to address issues surrounding Alaska and the Arctic. She talked about working with Alaska's Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Don Young… Continue Reading
01.15.19
Washington Post: Bipartisan Senate group forming in search of shutdown deal amid impasse between Trump, party leaders
by Erica Werner, Sean Sullivan and Damian Paletta
A new bipartisan group of rank-and-file senators has formed to discuss how to end the weeks-long government shutdown, with talks between congressional leaders and the White House at a standstill. But unless President Trump and Democratic leaders find common ground, it's unclear what the rank-and-file talks could yield, and even some participants were downbeat after the group held its first meeting late Monday afternoon in the basement of the Capitol. About a dozen lawmakers were in attendance,… Continue Reading
01.14.19
Oil & Gas 360: ANWR, Unfinished Energy Biz Top Senate To Do List
Against the backdrop of a bitter government shutdown, the new bipartisan leaders of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee are forging ahead with setting the panel's agenda for the 116th Congress, huddling this week to talk business before landing at a house party hosted by former ENR Chairwoman Mary Landrieu (D-La.). Following their first meeting this year as chairwoman and ranking member, Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said the committee's first order of busin… Continue Reading
01.12.19
KFGO: Heitkamp continues to push Congress to pass Savanna's Act
Former North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp is still trying to get Congress to pass Savanna's Act even though she's left office. The bill would would improve crime databases and start reporting missing and murdered indigenous people. The National Crime Information Center says there were more than 5,700 reports of killed or missing Native American women and girls in the United States in 2016. Only 116 cases were logged into a Department of Justice database. "In many times, the expectations of fami… Continue Reading
01.11.19
POPville: “This bill is a win-win for the District and the federal government by allowing the rehabilitation of a major NPS-owned park in downtown D.C.”
by Prince of Petworth
From a press release: "Norton Announces Senate Lands Package Includes Her Bill to Allow D.C. to Work with NPS to Make Improvements to Franklin Park Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today announced that a federal lands package introduced by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) contains Norton's bill that clarifies that the District of Columbia and the National Park Service (NPS) have the authority to enter into cooperative management agreements … Continue Reading
01.11.19
Alaska Public Media: A functioning government or border security? Murkowski wants both
by Liz Ruskin
Like most Republicans in Congress, Sen. Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young are sticking with President Trump, who says he'll let the partial government shutdown continue until he gets money to build a wall, or a steel barrier, on the southern border. But Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Friday she's pulled in two directions. "I've got a lot of people who are saying 'Lisa, you've got to stand with the president. You've got to stand strong on this. Because we need to have border security,'" she said… Continue Reading
01.11.19
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Murkowski co-sponsors Senate bill to end shutdown
by Erin McGroarty
Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski continued her push against the government shutdown Friday in co-sponsoring the End Government Shutdowns Act with a group of fellow Republican senators. The legislation would end the shutdown and work to permanently avoid future government shutdowns by creating an automatic continuing resolution for any regular appropriations bills or existing resolutions, thus allowing the federal government to remain open even when budget negotiations falter before key spe… Continue Reading
01.06.19
Arctic Sounder: Movers and shakers in 2018
by Shady Grove Oliver
This year, it was both the people and the land itself that broke records and barriers across the Northwest Arctic and North Slope. Quakes shattered previous standards in the Arctic and shook up residents visiting Anchorage. Women and men alike stepped forward to call for more accountability in the justice system and to reach out a helping hand to those in need. As 2018 comes to a close, we take a look back at some of the most moving stories in the Sounder over the past 12 months. Youth step u… Continue Reading
01.06.19
Anchorage Daily News: Officials push to keep dozens of earthquake sensors slated for removal across Alaska
by Alex DeMarban
Alaska officials are working to keep in place a statewide seismic network that's scheduled to be decommissioned next year but is vital for understanding earthquake and tsunami risks in the nation's most seismically active state. The National Science Foundation next year plans to remove more than 150 seismic sensors it installed in Alaska in recent years, closing out a $50 million project that vastly improved the state's limited seismic network, said Mike West, state seismologist. But West and … Continue Reading
12.24.18
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Honoring Ted Stevens
by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski
Today is a special day in Alaska's history. Fifty years ago, on Christmas Eve in 1968, Gov. Wally Hickel appointed a young veteran and attorney named Ted Stevens to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate. That proved to be an exceptional choice and a great man would go on to become one of the longest-serving Republican senators of all time, the "Alaskan of the Century," and a beloved icon across our state. To be sure, even before Ted came to the Senate, he had played a key role in shaping Alaska's f… Continue Reading
