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: “Words Aren’t Solving the Problem” of Military Sexual Assault
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Senator Lisa Murkowski today joined a bipartisan coalition of her colleagues to kick off a final two week push to create an independent, objective and non-biased military justice system - through the Military Justice Improvement Act - as the Senate is expected to debate the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) before Thanksgiving. The legislation that Murkowski co-sponsored in May would eliminate many obstacles that numerous victims of military sexual assault have des… Continue Reading
11.06.13
Murkowski Backs “If You Like Your Health Plan, You Can Keep It” Act
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced her co-sponsorship of S.1617, the If You Like Your Health Plan You Can Keep It Act of 2013, amid rising reports of thousands of Alaskans' inability to continue on with their current health care plan as President Obama had promised during the campaign to pass the legislation. "'Keep your health care plan if you like it' was one of the key claims that President Obama used to force this flawed law through Congress, and now over 5,000 Alaskans… Continue Reading
11.05.13
Murkowski: Health Care Cost Increases Aren’t Statistics, They Are Alaskans
WASHINGTON, D.C.-On the heels of her Committee Hearing exchange with the CMS Administrator earlier, Senator Lisa Murkowski today took the stories of everyday Alaskans with her to the floor of the United States Senate, in order to have more time to fully share their concerns and frustrations at the rollout of the health care exchanges in Alaska - both in terms of technical glitches and sticker shock at the dramatic rise in premiums. At the opening of her speech, Senator Murkowski recounted the q… Continue Reading
11.05.13
Murkowski: “Who’s On The Hook” For Health Care Law Failures?
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Senator Lisa Murkowski today grilled the Administrator for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services over myriad failures and problems being experienced with Alaska's health care exchange in a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee for Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Murkowski's frustrations focused on: Enroll Alaska, the state's health care exchange center, indefinitely suspending operations until fixes can be made to its subsidy calculator. Only three Alaskans su… Continue Reading
11.01.13
Murkowski Responds to Resignation of Alaska Salmon Adversary
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Senator Lisa Murkowski today responded to the news that Kerry Coughlin, Regional Director for the controversial Marine Stewardship Council, resigned amid an ongoing battle over its claims that Alaska wild salmon is not sustainable: "These have been a rough couple of years of dealing with MSC from an Alaskan perspective. I can only hope that new leadership may bring a more reasoned approach and added scientific rigor to their work. This is an organization that began its work in… Continue Reading
11.01.13
Murkowski Shares Fairbanks Four Concerns with Attorney General Eric Holder
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Senator Lisa Murkowski today contacted United States Attorney General Eric Holder to bring the Alaska review of the Fairbanks Four case to his attention, as the Alaska Department of Law began its investigation. In a letter (attached) to Holder, Murkowski updated the Attorney General of the grave concerns of many Alaskans that the four Alaska Natives found guilty of the October 10th, 1997 homicide may not be responsible for the death. Her letter concludes: "On October 8, 2013… Continue Reading
10.31.13
Galena Efforts, Investigation Will Be A Learning Experience for FEMA
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Senator Lisa Murkowski met with senior officials from the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General to discuss the findings of their recent site visit to Anchorage, Galena and Fairbanks to observe the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) response to this spring's ice jam and flood in Galena. At Senator Murkowski's request, Charles K. Edwards, Acting Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security visited Galena on Monday, September 9, 2013 i… Continue Reading
10.30.13
“Marines Do This for the Marines to Their Left & the Marines to Their Right”
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski is today releasing her 17th Veteran Spotlight installment today, featuring Soldotna resident Colonel John Pollock, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1985 to 2010. Since serving, Pollock has been on the cutting edge of military intelligence gathering in Afghanistan and has devoted himself to helping young veterans make the most of their military benefits at Kenai Peninsula College. During his Veteran Spotlight interview, Pollock recalls being in Qu… Continue Reading
10.30.13
Murkowski: “We Can and Must Do Better for Our Native Youth”
WASHINGTON, DC - On the heels of her Alaska Federation of Natives speech urging a better future for Alaska Natives, Senator Lisa Murkowski today joined her colleague Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota in introducing a plan to find solutions to the many challenges facing Native American children throughout Indian Country. The joint effort from the two legislators is named the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children, to commemorate the legacies of the former Chair… Continue Reading
10.29.13
Murkowski Backs Effort to Reel in Government Surveillance
Senator Lisa Murkowski today announced her co-sponsorship of the USA FREEDOM Act - a bill designed to curb efforts by the federal government to gain access to millions of Americans' phone records, while also requiring greater oversight, transparency and accountability of domestic surveillance authorities. The bipartisan legislation - backed by both the National Rifle Association and the American Civil Liberties Union - would curb potential privacy abuses and protect every American's basic civil… Continue Reading
10.25.13
Murkowski Effort Aids Alaskan Aviators’ Safety Fight Against Red Tape
WASHINGTON, DC - Before the Senate concluded its work prior to the current state work period, Senator Lisa Murkowski was proud to see the U.S. Senate unanimously pass the bipartisan Small Aircraft Revitalization Act that she co-sponsored in May to give the the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) a deadline to provide baseline, defined safety standards so that Alaska's aviators can upgrade their aircrafts and avoid many unnecessary risks. Presently, the FAA's archaic Part 23 certification proce… Continue Reading
10.24.13
Murkowski, Young Welcome Changes to Enforcement of Marine Mammal Protection Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Rep. Don Young (both R-Alaska) today announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has agreed to issue new guidance on what constitutes "significantly altered" sea otter pelts under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which will provide greater clarity and certainty to Alaska Natives artisans. Murkowski: "I am pleased that as a result of our continued persistence on this issue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided to reverse cou… Continue Reading
10.21.13
Murkowski: Stuart Creek 2 Fire Investigation Yields Answers, Changes
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski today received the results of the United States Army Alaska's (USARAK) investigation into the 85,000 acre Stuart Creek 2 fire in the Yukon Training Area earlier this summer, with the official findings confirming suspicions that artillery training caused the fire despite high fire danger warnings at the time - and not lighting, recreation or other human involvement suggested at the time. The report - made available to the Senator and the public after Murko… Continue Reading
10.17.13
Murkowski Holding “D.C. Debrief” Press Conference Friday
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski will hold a press conference with the Anchorage press corps on Friday morning, where she will outline her thoughts on the recent federal government shutdown - including her key work developing the U.S. Senate's bipartisan compromise - and the work still ahead in Washington, D.C. Advancing the theme from Congress this week that women Senators played the core role in carving out a solution to the federal government shutdown and risk of default, Murkows… Continue Reading
10.16.13
Murkowski Votes to Fund Government, Avoid Default
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski today voted in support of a bill that will fund the federal government, require heightened accountability from the health care reform law and avoid a default on the national debt. Over the past two weeks, Senator Murkowski collaborated with her colleagues Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) in advancing a solution that eventually drew the support of 11 additional Senators - an equal number of Republicans and Democrats. Many elements of … Continue Reading
10.14.13
Murkowski: Health Care Exchanges “Not Working As Advertised”
WASHINGTON, DC - In response to wide-spread reports of problems with the Affordable Care Act's healthcare.gov website, Senator Murkowski has asked the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide information regarding the Alaska exchange. In a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Murkowski writes: "This system that cost more than $400 million, took three years to build, and was billed as a one-stop shop for individuals seeking health insurance is not working as advertised. "In its … Continue Reading
10.10.13
Alaska Delegation: Shutdown Proves Need to Forward Fund Indian Health Service
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich today announced the introduction of a Senate bill that would deliver advanced appropriations to the Indian Health Service - creating funding certainties for a year ahead so that health care providers can best deliver medical services to our Nation's first Americans - similar to the Department of Veterans Affairs system where Congress sets funding levels in advance, to more properly fulfill the trust responsibility to America's first people… Continue Reading
10.10.13
Sen. Murkowski: Administration’s Shutdown Strategy a Failure
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today issued the following comment on the Department of the Interior's announcement that it would allow some national parks to open if states pay for the operating costs: "While I am pleased that visitors will once again be able to enjoy some of our national parks, it's clear that the administration's strategy to make the shutdown as painful as possible was an overreach that did not generate the expected reaction from the public. The admini… Continue Reading
10.09.13
Murkowski, Young Urge Commerce Secretary to Use Flexibility to Help Open Alaska Crab Fisheries
The Bristol Bay red king crab fishery in Alaska is scheduled to open next Tuesday, October 15th, but before crab fishing boats are allowed to fish, they must be issued quota permits by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) - which the Departmentof Commerce has shuttered for issuing permits until the government is funded. In response to this problem, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Congressman Don Young (R-AK) and House Natural Resources Chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA) today wrote Secretary o… Continue Reading
10.08.13
Murkowski: “Break This Impasse,” Fund the Government
WASHINGTON, DC -Senator Lisa Murkowski today took to the floor of the Senate and expressed Alaskans' frustrations with the everyday impacts of the current government shutdown, endorsing her colleague Senator Susan Collins' (R-ME) proposal to fund the federal government for six months while repealing the medical device tax on pacemakers, joint replacements, defibrillators and other items from the Affordable Care Act - a move that already has bipartisan support in Congress. Also, the proposal wo… Continue Reading
