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.
King Cove, Murkowski Mark Eight Years and 157 Medevacs Since Rejection of Life-Saving Road
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today issued the following statement on the eight-year anniversary of the Department of the Interior's rejection of a short, one-lane, gravel, life-saving road needed to connect King Cove, Alaska to the all-weather airport in nearby Cold Bay. The single-lane road is crucial to providing reliable emergency medical access for all who live in King Cove. Two days before Christmas in 2013, former Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced she would not allow the… Continue Reading
12.21.21
Alaska Delegation Welcomes Additional H-2B Visas
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, welcomed an announcement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) that a joint temporary final rule will soon be implemented to ensure an additional 20,000 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas will be made available nationwide for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. "This announcement recognizes the significance of H-2B visas for Alaska and is vitally important for our state'… Continue Reading
12.17.21
Murkowski Commits to VAWA Reauthorization
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) yesterday spoke on the Senate floor about the need for a bipartisan reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. This speech dovetails an announcement made by Senator Murkowski and her colleagues, Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Dick Durbin (D-IL), that they have developed a bipartisan framework to modernize and reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. The framework agreement includes provisions that strengthen rape prevention… Continue Reading
12.17.21
SULLIVAN AND MURKOWSKI INTRODUCE ALASKA SALMON RESEARCH TASK FORCE ACT
U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (both R-Alaska) introduced the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act, legislation that would form a panel of Alaska's salmon stakeholders and research experts to study Pacific salmon trends and create a coordinated research strategy for Pacific salmon in Alaska to support salmon management. The Research Task Force would be directed to conduct a comprehensive review of Pacific salmon science relevant to understanding and managing salmon returns in Ala… Continue Reading
12.16.21
ACT for ALS Act Unanimously Passes Senate, Heads to President Biden for His Signature
Today, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies (ACT) for ALS Act, legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.). The bipartisan, bicameral bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week. The ACT for ALS Act would fund essential research into fast-progressing rare neurodegenerative and terminal diseases, like amyotrophic latera… Continue Reading
12.16.21
Murkowski Congratulates ConocoPhillips On GMT2 Production
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today applauded ConocoPhillips for achieving first oil production at its Greater Mooses Tooth #2 (GMT2) drill site, located in the northeast part of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). The project received final approval from federal officials in late 2018. "Congratulations to ConocoPhillips and their dedicated team for bringing more Alaska oil to market to help refill the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and create hundreds of well-paying jobs in our s… Continue Reading
12.16.21
Feinstein, Ernst, Durbin, Murkowski Agree on Bipartisan Framework to Modernize, Reauthorize Violence Against Women Act
Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today released the following joint statement after reaching an agreement on a bipartisan framework to modernize and reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act: "After nearly three years of negotiations, we have reached an agreement on a bipartisan framework to strengthen, modernize and reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. This important legislation will help prevent v… Continue Reading
12.16.21
Murkowski: Defense Authorization Bill Will Bolster Alaska, National Security
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted in favor of S. 1605, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22), helping it to pass the Senate by a bipartisan vote of 88-11. This year's NDAA authorizes $768 billion for national defense, including $740 billion for the Department of Defense's (DOD) annual budget to ensure the Pentagon can compete and thrive amid strategic competition. The bill prioritizes military members and their families, training and readiness, strengt… Continue Reading
12.13.21
Klobuchar, Murkowski, Collins, Sinema Legislation to Honor Justices Ginsburg and O’Connor with Statues in the Capitol Passes Senate
Legislation sponsored by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, along with U.S. Senators Murkowski (R-AK), Collins (R-ME), and Sinema (D-AZ), to place statues of former Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O'Connor in the U.S. Capitol or on the U.S. Capitol grounds to honor their service and dedication to our country passed the Senate unanimously. "Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O'Connor were trailblazers long before reaching the Su… Continue Reading
12.11.21
Murkowski: Latest Numbers Show Dangers of Reconciliation Spending Spree
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released reports showing the harm being caused by the Biden administration's energy and social spending policies. BLS reported that inflation is at a 39-year high, while CBO projected that the 'Build Back Better' agenda would add $3 trillion to the deficit over a single decade if made permanent. "These reports make it abundantly clear that Pr… Continue Reading
12.10.21
Act for ALS Act Passes House, Cosponsored by Majority of the Senate
This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies (ACT) for ALS Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.). The passage of the bill in the House comes just as the companion bill reaches 55 cosponsors in the Senate, with Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) having been the 50th … Continue Reading
12.10.21
Murkowski Votes to Overturn Vaccine Mandate for Private Businesses
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) this week voted to overturn President Biden's vaccine and testing mandate for private employers. After cosponsoring S.J.Res. 29, a resolution of disapproval against the vaccine mandate, she helped the Senate pass it on a bipartisan vote of 52-48. "The Senate voted to overturn the President's mandate and I hope the House will follow suit. I question the constitutionality of this mandate and believe it sets a dangerous precedent. It is within a private employer'… Continue Reading
12.10.21
Vice Chairman Murkowski Takes Action To Address Violence Occurring in Alaska Native Communities
This week, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA) held an oversight hearing focused on "Restoring Justice: Addressing Violence in Native Communities through VAWA Title IX Special Jurisdiction." Concurrent with the hearing, Vice Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Chairman Brian Schatz (D-HI) released a discussion draft of the tribal title for the upcoming Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization for public comment. During her opening remarks at this week's hearing, Murkowski spok… Continue Reading
12.10.21
Grant Roundup: Senator Murkowski Announces Federal Grants to Alaska
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the senior Senator for Alaska, announced the following grants to organizations, Tribal entities, and communities in Alaska: Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium: $184,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to create or expand programs to identify sources of lead in drinking water in tribally operated schools and childcare facilities. Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium: $199,991 from the National Science Foundation to collaborate with triba… Continue Reading
12.08.21
Murkowski, Schatz Work to Improve the Safety of Native American Women
Today, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Vice Chairman of the SCIA, released draft legislation of a tribal title aimed at improving the safety of Native women in Indian Country and Alaska Native Villages. This bipartisan discussion draft reflects tribal stakeholder input over years of Committee oversight and legislative activity on public safety in Indian Country and Alaska Native communities, includi… Continue Reading
11.29.21
Murkowski Slams Interior Oil and Gas Report
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today released the following statement criticizing the Department of the Interior's "Report on the Federal Oil and Gas Leasing Program," which it issued the day after Thanksgiving after months of unexplained delay. The report, whose preparation was frequently used to justify the Biden administration's illegal ban on oil and gas leasing, calls for higher royalties and other policy actions that would restrict access and make energy production less viable in f… Continue Reading
11.24.21
Three Murkowski Bills Pass Out of Energy and Natural Resources Committee
During a recent Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee business meeting, three bills sponsored by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) were reported favorably out of committee, advancing to the full Senate for consideration. S. 2524 amends the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to make clear that dividends from Settlement Trusts cannot be considered when determining eligibility for federal need-based programs for a Native or descendant of a Native who is 65 years or older, blind, or disab… Continue Reading
11.23.21
Murkowski: Biden Administration’s Decision to Tap Strategic Petroleum Reserve is Misguided and Insufficient
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today issued the following statement after the Biden administration announced it will exchange and sell oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), which is meant to be used to respond to severe energy supply disruptions. Murkowski knocked the administration for pursuing this false solution - debunked as recently as last week at a hearing held by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee - after months of supply-side restrictions that have added to … Continue Reading
11.22.21
Murkowski, Sullivan Introduce Landless Legislation to Rectify 50-Year Injustice
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both R-Alaska, introduced updated legislation to allow the Alaska Native communities of Haines, Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, and Tenakee to form urban corporations and receive land entitlements under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). The five Southeast communities were not included in ANCSA, which divided 44 million acres of land among more than 200 regional, village, and urban corporations to resolve land claims throughout Alaska… Continue Reading
11.22.21
Grant Roundup: Senator Murkowski Announces Grants Going to Alaska
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), a senior member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced the following grants heading to organizations, Tribal entities, and communities in Alaska: Cordova: $20 million for the Cordova South Harbor Rebuild from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability & Equity (RAISE) grant program. This project will restore South Harbor floats and docks, including sheet piling and dredging, and construction of a new drive-down floatplane a… Continue Reading
