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.
Kaine, Murkowski, Sinema, & Collins Reintroduce Legislation to Protect Reproductive Freedom
U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), and Susan Collins (R-ME) recently reintroduced the Reproductive Freedom For All Act, which would codify the essential holdings of Roe v. Wade and related cases protecting women's rights to access abortion and contraception. This would undo the damage of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade after almost 50 years, and would enshrine in federal law the fundamenta… Continue Reading
02.16.23
Elizabeth Peratrovich Day Recognized Nationally for First Time
The U.S. Senate today unanimously passed a resolution, introduced by Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (both R-Alaska), to nationally recognize February 16, 2023 as "Elizabeth Peratrovich Day," honoring the historic Alaska civil rights leader who played an instrumental role in the Alaska Territorial Legislature passing the Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945-decades before the signing of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. "Elizabeth Peratrovich fought tirelessly for racial equality in Ala… Continue Reading
02.13.23
Murkowski Welcomes Nomination of Dr. Mike Sfraga to be Ambassador-at-Large for the Arctic Region
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), co-chair of the Senate Arctic Caucus, today welcomed President Biden's intent to nominate an Alaskan, Dr. Mike Sfraga, to be Ambassador-at-Large for the Arctic Region. Murkowski championed the creation of the position, which the State Department agreed to establish last August, and strongly supports Dr. Sfraga's swift confirmation to be the first to hold the post. "I'm very pleased to see Dr. Mike Sfraga nominated to serve as Ambassador-at-L… Continue Reading
02.13.23
Murkowski Launches FY24 Appropriations Request Page
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today announced her Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Appropriations Request Page going live. "As we go through the annual appropriations process, I will continue to use my leadership to advocate for priority projects across our state," said Senator Lisa Murkowski. "As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I've had the opportunity to work directly with Alaskans to return their taxpayer dollars back to our state. I look forward to agai… Continue Reading
02.11.23
Murkowski Commends U.S. Forces After Take-Down of Unidentified Object in Canada
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), a senior member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and the leading expert in Congress on Arctic policy and polar affairs, today released the following statement after a U.S. F-22 shot down an unidentified object over Canada. "For the third time in the past week, U.S. forces have brought down a high-altitude object that was violating sovereign airspace-this time, just across the border in the Yukon, in direct cooperation with our Canadian allies and at… Continue Reading
02.11.23
Murkowski Underscores Strong Support for Willow Project, Calls on Administration to Select Alternative E
With less than 30 days before the administration makes a final decision that will dictate the survival of the ConocoPhillips' Willow Project on Alaska's North Slope, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) underscored her strong support for the environmentally-just project that will protect national energy security, support Alaska Native communities and the entire state of Alaska, and improve the livelihoods and life expectancy of Alaska Natives. Click here for video of Senator Murkowski's floo… Continue Reading
02.10.23
Murkowski Responds to Unidentified Object Shot Down in Alaska Territory
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) a member of the U.S. Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and the leading expert in Congress on Arctic policy and polar affairs, today released the following statement regarding an unidentified object which was shot down by a U.S. fighter jet after flying in Alaska airspace. Click here for video of Senator Murkowski. "I commend the men and women serving in the Alaska NORAD region, the 11th Air Force, and the Alaska Air National Guard. They did their … Continue Reading
02.09.23
Murkowski to DoD Officials: Americans Deserve to Know Why Chinese Spy Balloon Wasn’t Shot Down Over Alaska
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today raised questions to Department of Defense (DoD) officials regarding the Chinese surveillance balloon during a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee Oversight Hearing. In her opening statement, Senator Murkowski noted that "Alaska is the first line of defense for America," and asked DoD's Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Jedidiah Royal, "Why was the state that is the first line of defense not able to keep the rest… Continue Reading
02.09.23
Schatz, Murkowski Elected Chair, Vice Chair Of Committee For 118th Congress
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) were formally elected as chair and vice chair, respectively, of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. "None of our achievements last Congress would have been possible without this Committee's bipartisan commitment to Native people in Indian Country, in Alaska, and in Hawai?i," said Chairman Schatz. "Our longstanding tradition of bipartisanship is our strength, so I am truly proud to serve, fo… Continue Reading
02.08.23
Grant Roundup: Senator Murkowski Announces Federal Grants Heading to Alaska
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced the following grants to organizations, tribal entities, and communities in Alaska: Statewide Alaska-Statewide: $8 million to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five Program. Alaska-Statewide: $2.8 million to the State of Alaska from the U.S. Department of… Continue Reading
02.08.23
Murkowski, Sullivan Lead Effort to Lift Outdated PLOs, Remove Barriers to Public Land Access in Alaska
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, (R-Alaska), a senior member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, reintroduced S.175, which would codify the revocation of five Public Land Orders (PLOs), undoing the Biden Administration's efforts to unfairly halt access to federal public lands in Alaska. This legislation would return nearly 28 million acres of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) territory in Alaska to multiple use status by lifting several PLOs still in place after decades of being… Continue Reading
02.08.23
Murkowski Responds to President Biden’s State of the Union Address
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) tonight released the following statement in response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address: Click here or to watch the Senator's remarks. Excerpts: "He spoke about bipartisan accomplishments, and there certainly have been significant bipartisan accomplishments-I have been part of them. Certainly, the infrastructure bill that we passed into law last year was very significant for the state of Alaska, delivering great benefits to Alaska. It… Continue Reading
02.03.23
Murkowski Announces U.S. Military Service Academy Nominees
Washington, DC - Today U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced the names of the 32 young Alaskans she is nominating to the U.S. military service academies for the class of 2027. "I'm honored to announce this year's military service academy nominees. These remarkable young citizens from Alaska have excelled in academics, athleticism, and leadership," said Senator Murkowski. "They have demonstrated capabilities deserving of a nomination to these service academies. I'm proud to recognize the… Continue Reading
02.03.23
WATCH: UA President Pat Pitney Joins Senator Murkowski on “The Icebreaker” to Discuss Recent Wins for the University
In U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski's inaugural video podcast, "The Icebreaker," University of Alaska System President Pat Pitney joins the Senator to discuss the University of Alaska Fiscal Foundation Act. "The Icebreaker," a new series hosted by Senator Lisa Murkowski, will invite a diverse set of guests discussing issues and events important to Alaskans. Stay tuned for future episodes. Click here or the image above to watch the full conversation. Murkowski's University of Alaska Fiscal Found… Continue Reading
02.03.23
$580 Million Secured By Schatz, Murkowski To Fulfill Indian Water Rights Settlements
WASHINGTON - The Department of the Interior today announced a nearly $580 million allocation to continue fulfilling settlements of Indian water rights claims using funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Reclamation Water Settlements Fund. "The federal government's trust responsibility to Native communities includes providing Tribes with access to clean, reliable water," said Chairman Schatz. "This announcement follows through on our work to pass and fund Indian water rights settlem… Continue Reading
02.01.23
Alaska Delegation Welcomes Next-To-Last Step for Federal Re-Approval of Willow Project
Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and U.S. Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska) today welcomed the Department of the Interior's (DOI) release of a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) for ConocoPhillips' Willow Project on Alaska's North Slope. "The Willow Project has earned very broad support from communities on the North Slope, Alaska Native leaders, labor unions, and stakeholders across the political spectrum. That's be… Continue Reading
01.31.23
Cardin, Murkowski, Pressley and Colleagues Unveil Resolution Affirming Ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (Mass.-7), along with Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Congresswomen Sylvia Garcia (Texas-29), Abigail Spanberger (Va.-07), Cori Bush (Mo.-1), Madeleine Dean (Pa.-4) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (Calif.-37) announced today the introduction of a bicameral, joint resolution to affirm the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and take a critical step tow… Continue Reading
01.31.23
Senator Collins, Bipartisan Colleagues Introduce Bills to Bolster Alzheimer’s Research
Washington, D.C.-A bipartisan group of Senators introduced a pair of bills that would cement and build on the important progress that has been made to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's costs our nation an astonishing $321 billion per year, including $206 billion in costs to Medicare and Medicaid. If we continue along this trajectory, Alzheimer's is projected to claim the minds of 12.7 million seniors and nearly surpass $1 trillion in annual costs by 2050. In 2021,… Continue Reading
01.31.23
Murkowski Statement on EPA’s Final Determination for Pebble Mine
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today released the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final determination that effectively vetoes the proposed Pebble mine in the Bristol Bay region. "EPA's final determination should mark the end of Pebble, which was already rejected by the agency in 2020 and does not have the access, permits, financing, public support, or disposal sites needed to proceed. As Senator Stevens once said, it is the … Continue Reading
01.30.23
ICYMI—A ‘Big Fat Deal in Alaska’
Last week, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) joined U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Federal Transit Administration Administrator Nuria Fernandez in announcing more than $285 million in federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) for the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) for operations, vessel acquisitions, shoreside infrastructure, and reduced environmental impact. The funding for Alaska accounts for nearly 75 percent of the awards announced ac… Continue Reading
