Press Releases
Media Requests: Members of the media can contact the press office by emailing Joseph_Plesha@murkowski.senate.gov or by calling 206-302-8317 and asking for the press office.
Murkowski, Whitehouse, Senate Colleagues Reintroduce Bill During CHOW to Address Ocean Acidification
Washington, DC – During Capitol Hill Oceans Week (CHOW), U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), co-chairs of the U.S. Senate Oceans Caucus, reintroduced the Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act, legislation that will ensure coordination and collaboration between federal, state, local and tribal entities on ocean acidification research and monitoring. “Ocean acidification continues to increase as the climate changes, causing harm to ocean resources … Continue Reading
06.06.23
Alaska Delegation Frustrated by Interior’s Delay of the Ambler Access Project
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) and U.S. Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska), today released the following joint statement after the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced an up to six-month delay for the finalization of the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) for the proposed Ambler Access Project (AAP). The AAP, which is guaranteed access across federal land under a 1980 law, is now in its eighth year of f… Continue Reading
06.06.23
Murkowski Leads Bill to Invest in Blue Economy, Spark Innovations in Coastal Communities
Anchorage, AK – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Representatives María Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27) and Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1) introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Ocean Regional Opportunity and Innovation Act (Ocean ROI Act), legislation that would require the Secretary of Commerce to establish a federal strategy for investing in the nation’s ocean-based economy with “Ocean Innovation Clusters” (ocean clusters). Senator Murkowski… Continue Reading
06.02.23
Murkowski Reinforces Need to Support Child Care Availability, Affordability, and Workforce
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) took part in a Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing to discuss the need to support working families and child care workers as we focus on the child care shortage. During the hearing, Senator Murkowski referenced numerous Alaska-specific challenges within the child care arena. For Senator Murkowski’s full remarks, click here. Leading up to her question for the witnesses, Senator Murkowski sta… Continue Reading
06.01.23
Murkowski Supports the Fiscal Responsibility Act
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) released the following statement after voting for the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which reflects the bipartisan agreement Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden reached to limit federal spending and avert a default on the nation's debt: "I voted for the Fiscal Responsibility Act because it is the only way to avoid a default on the national debt just four days from now. While both the bill itself and the process that led to it were far from perfect, … Continue Reading
06.01.23
Murkowski, King Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Support Rural Fishing Communities
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Angus King (I-Maine) have introduced bipartisan legislation to expand financial support for America’s fishing communities. The Fishing Industry Credit Enhancement Act would allow businesses that provide direct assistance to fishing operations – like gear producers or cold storage – to access the same loans from the Farm Credit System (FCS) already offered to service providers for farmers, ranchers, and loggers… Continue Reading
05.30.23
Murkowski Announces the Department of Defense Overdose Data Act
Washington, D.C. -Today, Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), alongside Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and Representatives Seth Moulton (MA-06) and Nancy Mace (SC-01), led their colleagues in announcing the introduction of the?Department of Defense Overdose Data (DOD) Act,?bipartisan and bicameral?legislation?to address the impacts of the opioid epidemic among members of the U.S. military and their family. The legislation would require … Continue Reading
05.29.23
Murkowski Honors Fallen Service Members on Memorial Day
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today offered the following statement in observance of Memorial Day: Click here to watch Senator Murkowski's video message. "On Memorial Day, we honor the men and women who have served our nation and made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. "Over the course of more than two centuries, countless Americans have given what President Lincoln called the "last full measure of devotion"-their lives-to protect our nation and uphold its … Continue Reading
05.27.23
Murkowski: Supreme Court’s WOTUS Ruling is a Victory for Alaska
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement after the Supreme Court ruling which narrowed the scope of EPA's authority to regulate wetlands under the Clean Water Act (CWA). The Court's opinion in the case of Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency will limit the "outer reaches" of EPA's long-contested definition of "waters of the United States" (WOTUS). "I congratulate and commend Mike and Chantell Sackett, individual citizens who, like John Sturgeon, faced clear regula… Continue Reading
05.26.23
Murkowski Welcomes $11.8 Million in IIJA Funding to Cleanup Brownfields
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today welcomed the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) announcement that over $11.8 million in funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is being awarded across seven projects in Alaska through the Brownfields Program. "The bipartisan infrastructure law continues to deliver significant investments to our state, making Alaskan communities healthier, stronger, and more resilient," said Senator Lisa Murkowski.… Continue Reading
05.26.23
Murkowski Applauds Alaska’s Kuskokwim Consortium Library on Winning Nation’s Highest Honor
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today made the following statement after the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) awarded Kuskokwim Consortium Library in Bethel, Alaska, the 2023 National Medal for Museum and Library Service - the nation's highest honor given to museums and libraries. "I nominated the Kuskokwim Consortium Library for this prestigious award becauseI have been so impressed by the important resources and personalized services they provide-including… Continue Reading
05.24.23
Murkowski Joins 26 Senators to Reintroduce Bill Seeking Healing for Stolen Native Children and their Communities
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, joined 26 senators in reintroducing S.1723, the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States Act, which seeks healing for stolen Native children and their communities. The bill would establish a formal commission to investigate, document, and acknowledge past injustices of the federal government's Indian Boarding School Policies. This includes attempts to terminate… Continue Reading
05.19.23
Delegation Welcomes Reaffirmation of Alaska LNG Project
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-AK) and Representative Mary Peltola (D-AK) this week welcomed a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals upholding the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) approval of the Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project. The court's decision both dismissed and rejected claims from Lower 48 environmental groups while reaffirming FERC's authorization of the major project to connect Alaska's North Slope resources to an LNG export terminal in Ni… Continue Reading
05.19.23
Delegation Welcomes Over $200 Million in Fishery Disasters Funding for Alaska
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, (both R-Alaska), and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska) welcomed allocations of nearly $216 million in fishery disaster funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce. In December, the Secretary of Commerce announced that a number of Alaska's crab and salmon fisheries met the requirements for disaster determinations in the past few years, allowing this funding to be distributed to fishermen and their crews, seafood processors, and research… Continue Reading
05.17.23
ICYMI: Murkowski-Led Bill to Provide Transparent and Safe Access to Treatment Passes HELP Committee
In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), joined advocates from Alaska and across the U.S. in welcoming the news that her amendment, the Safe Step Act of 2023, was reported favorably out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee - of which Senator Murkowski serves as a Senior Member. The Safe Step Act, which was included by amendment into the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Act, now heads to the full Senate for consideration. The Safe Step Act places … Continue Reading
05.15.23
Coons, Murkowski, Whitehouse, Rounds reintroduce legislation to support spouses of veterans who died from ALS
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), founding members of the Senate Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) Caucus, reintroduced the Justice for ALS Veterans Act alongside Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.). This bipartisan measure would guarantee that surviving spouses of veterans receive all benefits due to them. This bill was previously introduced in January 2022 in the 117th Congress by Senators Coons and Murkowski. "AL… Continue Reading
05.12.23
Murkowski Supports Comprehensive Permitting and Environmental Review Reform Legislation
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), former chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), joined Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), Ranking Member of the ENR Committee in introducing legislation to substantively reform the nation's broken permitting and environmental review processes, which are currently delaying key energy, infrastructure, and transportation projects across America. The Spur Permitting of Underdeveloped Resources (SPUR) Act, covers key reforms in ENR's… Continue Reading
05.12.23
Murkowski Announces New Staff Hires, Promotions
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today announced new staff members in her Soldotna and Anchorage offices, and a staff promotion within her Washington, D.C. office. "Tanya and Nancy are great new additions to my Alaska team. They each come with unique backgrounds and experiences that make them well-suited to serve Alaskans in their respective communities. Brian has been a dedicated member of my team and has proven himself as an ambitious, hard-working part of the office. I lo… Continue Reading
05.11.23
Murkowski Congratulates Norway on Assumption of Chairship of Arctic Council
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today released the following statement as the Chairship of the Arctic Council, the world's leading forum for intergovernmental cooperation and collaboration among the nations of the Far North, passed from Russia to Norway. "I congratulate Norway on the start of its Chairship, which arrives not a moment too soon, and look forward to a productive two-year period for the Arctic Council. We are at a critical juncture for the future of the Ar… Continue Reading
05.10.23
Murkowski Hosts SCPAR Conference, Emphasizes U.S. Role as an Arctic Nation
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) recently hosted leaders from five Arctic nations in Washington, DC, as part of a conference of the Standing Committee of Arctic Parliamentarians (SCPAR). Murkowski, who serves as Vice Chair of SCPAR, helped lead discussions on Arctic policy and the future of the Arctic Council-whose Chairship will transition from Russia to Norway this week. Senator Murkowski and parliamentary representatives from Canada, Denmark/Greenland, Iceland, Norway,… Continue Reading
