Articles & Op-eds
KTVA: 'Hidden Figures' nominated for Congressional Gold Medal
by Mary Simton
A group of U.S. senators are recognizing the African American women who contributed to the space race in the 1960s. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, Chris Croons of Delaware, Kamala Harris of California and 44 of their colleagues introduced a bipartisan bill to award Congressional Gold medals to Katherine Johnson and Dr. Christine Darden and posthumously award Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson whose lives and careers were featured in the book and movie "Hidden Figures". The Congressiona… Continue Reading
08.03.18
KTVF: Senate Bill brings funds to interior
by Amanda Hanson
Senator Lisa Murkowski held a press conference for Alaska Media this morning to discuss the 'Interior appropriations funding bill' that passed the senate, yesterday. In the press event, Murkowski said yesterday's 92-6 vote was significant since appropriations bills in the past have struggled to get strong bipartisan support. It has also been almost a decade since an Interior bill was considered on the senate floor. Murkowski says the bill is for the land, water, and the people of Alaska... B… Continue Reading
08.03.18
KTVA: Murkowski reviews Senate-approved Alaska spending
by Chris Klint
Alaska's senior U.S. senator touted a wide-ranging series of items affecting the Last Frontier Thursday, after the Senate's passage of several spending bills containing funds for Alaska and the Arctic. Sen. Lisa Murkowski hailed the wide bipartisan margin by which the bill passed, 92 to 6, as a major achievement. Wednesday's measure includes funding for the departments of Interior, Agriculture, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency … Continue Reading
08.01.18
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids: Durbin-Murkowski Bill Protects Kids from Flavored Tobacco
by Matthew L. Myers
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids applauds Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) for introducing the Stopping Appealing Flavors in E-Cigarettes for Kids Act (SAFE Kids Act), legislation that curbs the use of flavors in tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes and cigars. The bill (S.3319) was introduced in the Senate today. Sens. Durbin and Murkowski recognize that flavors play a key role in youth initiation and continued use of e-cigarettes and cigars. A government study… Continue Reading
07.31.18
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Murkowski speaks out against trade tariffs
by Erin Granger
Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski recently complained about the Trump administration's additional trade tariffs during a talk with U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Robert E. Lighthizer. "It has clearly rattled my state," Murkowski told Lighthizer. "Our seafood industry is the number one private industry in terms of the jobs and the economic opportunity it brings." China recently announced a 25 percent tariff on American seafood imports. "Last year with our salmon exports about 40 perc… Continue Reading
07.27.18
Politico: No aid planned for other sectors hurt by trade war
by Adam Behsudi and Megan Cassella
President Donald Trump's top trade official took heat from Republican and Democratic lawmakers after he said the administration is not currently considering providing federal aid to small businesses, manufacturers or any sector of the economy, aside from farmers, that might be hurt by the trade war. At a hearing on Thursday, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) asked whether U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer was currently considering providing other businesses assistance similar to the $12 bi… Continue Reading
07.27.18
Elle Magazine: Senators Catherine Cortez Masto and Lisa Murkowski Introduce Bill to Combat Human Trafficking of Native Americans and Alaska Natives
by Madison Heller
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), who has long worked on behalf of sex trafficking survivors, has just introduced a new bill with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) that would establish an advisory committee to combat human trafficking of Native Americans and Alaskan Natives. The End Trafficking of Native Americans Act's proposed committee would include local law enforcement, tribal leaders, advocacy organizations, and at least one Native American survivor of human trafficking who could ma… Continue Reading
07.24.18
E&E News: Senate aims for first 'clean' Interior-EPA bill in decade
by George Cahlink
Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby wants to keep the annual funding bill for the Interior Department and EPA "clean" as it works its way across the Senate floor this week. "It's an open process, we want to keep it as clean as we can, we have been working toward that end. It's early on, but we hope to continue that," the Alabama Republican told reporters yesterday. There were some signals that the Senate might be on track to pass its version for the first time since fiscal 2009 as ea… Continue Reading
07.23.18
Daily Energy Insider: Energy and Natural Resources Committee considers modernizing DOE, DOI
by Chris Galford
Administration proposals to reorganize and modernize both the Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of the Interior (DOI) were heard by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources last week. Such proposals build on an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in March 2017, which directed them to find ways to reduce waste and inefficiencies in the departments. Those efforts have since become hotly debated, given the level of cuts and changes proposed. "It's our responsib… Continue Reading
07.21.18
Fox News: Rape kit access would expand under bipartisan bill, as victims seek 'care and justice'
by Kaitlyn Schallhorn
When Leah Griffin was raped in 2014, she immediately went to the closest hospital to undergo a rape kit exam - the first step, she thought, in prosecuting the man who assaulted her. But Seattle hospital staff told her their emergency department wasn't equipped to do the forensic test, and instead she would have to travel to another hospital about an hour away. Further travel at that moment was not an option for Griffin, who was 28 years old at the time, disoriented from the attack and … Continue Reading
07.20.18
Providence Journal: Alaska, Rhode Island share concern over oceans
by Alex Kuffner
The differences between Rhode Island and Alaska are many. There's size. There's location. But one thing that unites the two states is their connection to the ocean, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said to an audience of Rhode Island officials, environmental advocates and scientists on Friday. "I don't care how many miles of coastline you have, big or small, the fact is that our oceans are this common connector here," she said at an environmental conference hosted annually by Rhode Island Se… Continue Reading
07.20.18
KTVF: Murkowski with Bi-partisan group of senators write letter to President Trump
by Julie Swisher
Democrats, Republicans and one Independent Senator sent a letter to the President voicing concerns over the current immigration policy. Senator Lisa Murkowski, along with a bipartisan group of over two dozen senators, sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to keep families together. "This sad chapter in our nation's history must come to an end," Murkowski said. "While we represent constituents from all faiths and political backgrounds, we have all heard one consistent … Continue Reading
07.20.18
Cordova Times: Firefighter Cancer Registry Act becomes law
Legislation directing federal studies into the relationship between long term exposure to dangerous toxins and fumes and the frequency of cancer in firefighters has now become law. The Firefighter Cancer Registry Act, for which Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, was an original cosponsor, creates a national registry for firefighters diagnosed with cancer, and directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study the relationship between career-long exposure to these toxins and fumes a… Continue Reading
07.19.18
Daily Energy Insider: Department of Energy announces up to $2 billion in loan guarantees for energy projects in tribal communities
by Aaron Martin
The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) has announced up to $2 billion in loan guarantees to advance energy development projects and efforts that create new economic opportunities in Native American communities. The DoE Loan Programs Office (LPO) announced the first loan guarantee solicitation under the Tribal Energy Loan Guarantee Program (TELGP) on Tuesday. Established under the Energy Policy Act of 2015, the TELGP program will leverage partial loan guarantees to fuel private investments and … Continue Reading
07.17.18
Bustle: What Is The EMPOWER Act? This Workplace Harassment Bill Could Make NDAs A Thing Of The Past
by Lauren Holter
Proposed legislation designed for the #MeToo era has made it to Congress. Members of the House plan to introduce the bipartisan EMPOWER Act on Wednesday, aimed at combatting workplace harassment and making it less dangerous for employees to come forward about inappropriate behavior. "Ultimately, there is a monopoly of power in workplace harassment - those who control a paycheck, or a reputation, or a promotion have the power to perpetrate harassment, to protect harassers, and to silence vic… Continue Reading
07.14.18
KTUU: U.S. Congress passes firefighter cancer registry
by Sean Maguire
The United States Congress has passed legislation creating a national registry for firefighters diagnosed with cancer, aiming to gather data and pinpoint common links for cancers in firefighters at a national level. The bipartisan legislation became law July 7, co-sponsored by legislators across the aisle, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R - Alaska. "My decision to be the lead Republican on this bill in the Senate was inspired by Anchorage firefighter Andy Mullen, a strong advocate for firefigh… Continue Reading
07.13.18
Cordova Times: Agriculture act includes micro-grants to support local foods
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, which passed the U.S. Senate recently, includes the Micro-Grants for Food Security program to support Alaskans' ability to grow their own food. That provision, authored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is co-sponsored by Senators Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono, both D- Hawaii. "Alaska imports over 90 percent of our food," Murkowski said. "This results in high prices, especially in rural areas, and puts Alaskans at risk when transportation systems break … Continue Reading
07.11.18
KRBD: Perdue, Murkowski hear from POW Landscape Assessment Team
by Leila Kheiry
During their stop in Southeast Alaska last week, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski met with the Prince of Wales Island Landscape Assessment Team. That approximately one-hour meeting in Klawock gave a taste of what the POW group worked through to find consensus and provide recommendations about land management. More than two years ago, a group of Prince of Wales Island residents gathered to talk about the future. They were recruited to help the U.S. Forest … Continue Reading
07.10.18
CNN: Lisa Murkowski says she needs more information on Supreme Court nominee
by Lauren Fox
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, one of the most watched Republicans in the Trump administration's fight to confirm Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court justice, told CNN Tuesday that her vetting of the nominee will take weeks, not days, and says all senators need to do their "due diligence" before deciding how to vote. The senior senator from Alaska -- who has differed with her party in the past on the issue of abortion rights, among others -- told CNN that she will meet with Kavanaugh and pore over his… Continue Reading
07.10.18
ADN: Murkowski, Sullivan promise rigorous review of Kavanaugh nomination
by Erica Martinson
Alaska's U.S. senators plan to give a close look to President Donald Trump's nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, they said Monday night. Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh, a justice on the federal appeals court for the D.C. Circuit, to fill the Supreme Court seat vacated by retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski has been the target of early lobbying over her future vote as a Republican who favors abortion rights. The addition of a new, Republicannominated Supreme Court ju… Continue Reading
