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 Announces Alaskan to Lead Indian Affairs Committee
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced that Kristi Nuna'q Williams is joining her team as Staff Director and General Counsel of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, of which Murkowski is Vice Chairman. Kristi Williams will be the first Alaskan to hold this position. Kristi previously served as Senator Murkowski's lead staff member on the Senator's work on the Committee, before working at the Department of the Interior, a national law firm specializing in tribal rights advocacy, and mos… Continue Reading
06.11.21
Alaska Delegation Responds to Biden Administration Actions to Suppress SE Alaska’s Economy
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, today issued the following statements after the Biden administration published its Agenda of Regulatory Actions calling for repeal of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) final rule published in October 2020, "Special Areas; Roadless Area Conservation; National Forest System Lands in Alaska;" to exempt the Tongass National Forest from the 2001 Roadless Rule. "In Southeast Alaska, where the Tongass makes u… Continue Reading
06.10.21
Bill to Boost Tech Competitiveness with China Passes Senate
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted in favor of the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, previously known as the Endless Frontier Act, which passed the Senate in a 68-32 vote. The bipartisan legislation counters China by confronting the nation's economic and geopolitical power and invests in science, technology, and U.S. manufacturing, including reliable supply chains for critical minerals. The bill contains Arctic priorities championed by Senator Murkowski. To ensure that the United State… Continue Reading
06.10.21
Murkowski Cites Serious Flaws in Paycheck Fairness Act
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted against proceeding to the Paycheck Fairness Act, a partisan bill with serious flaws. Murkowski's vote is consistent with her votes on this measure in previous Congresses. "I've always been committed to fair pay and equal treatment under the law for all women, but this bill is not the solution. A good bill name doesn't make it a good bill," said Senator Murkowski. "This legislation allows unlimited compensatory and punitive awards, even if there is no pro… Continue Reading
06.10.21
Senators’ Statement on Infrastructure
U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), and Mark Warner (D-Va.) issued the following statement: "Our group - comprised of 10 Senators, 5 from each party - has worked in good faith and reached a bipartisan agreement on a realistic, compromise framework to modernize our nation's infrastructure and energy technol… Continue Reading
06.09.21
DoD Announces the Establishment of Arctic Regional Center
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today welcomed the Department of Defense's (DoD) announcement that it is establishing the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies, an effort that she pushed legislatively and worked to fund. Named in honor of the late U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, this is the sixth DoD Regional Center and the only one focused on the Arctic. Senators Murkowski and Sullivan sponsored this initiative in the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. Through her role … Continue Reading
06.08.21
Murkowski, Sullivan Introduce Bill to Support Alaska Native Vietnam Veterans
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, with U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan as a cosponsor, introduced legislation to amend the Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veterans Land Allotment program, to make an additional 3.7 million acres of federal land in the National Wildlife Refuge System available for selection. The legislation was developed based on a recommendation from then-Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt and will help to further rectify a longstanding injustice that has impacted Alaska Native veterans th… Continue Reading
06.08.21
ICYMI: Vice Chairman Murkowski Secures Senate Passage of Four Bills to Improve Alaska Native Communities
The Senate recently approved eight bills that were passed by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, sending them to the House of Representatives. Four of the eight bills are led by Vice Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), including one bill that extends the reporting deadline for the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children, as well as three bills that will improve delivery of healthcare services in Alaska Native communities through federal land transfers. The Senate pa… Continue Reading
06.07.21
Murkowski Welcomes Fish & Wildlife Service Polar Bear Proposed ITRs
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently published proposed marine mammal Incidental Take Regulations (ITR), commonly known as the Polar Bear ITRs, in the Federal Register for public comment. These proposed regulations come after Senator Murkowski repeatedly pressed Department of the Interior officials and nominees on the urgency and importance of these regulations being updated and issued as the last ITRs expire in August of this year. On May 18 during a nomination hearing in the Senate Ene… Continue Reading
06.04.21
Murkowski and Colleagues Stand Up for Wild-Caught Salmon
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) reintroduced the Genetically Engineered Salmon Labeling Act, which will allow consumers to make informed decisions when purchasing salmon. The bill works to ensure that any genetically engineered (GE) salmon products sold in the U.S. are clearly labeled "genetically engineered" in the market name. This requirement would apply to the entire lineage of salmon modified via recombinant DNA technology. The bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), M… Continue Reading
06.03.21
Launch Alaska Awarded $1 Million DOE Grant to Strengthen Energy Innovation Ecosystems
Today, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced that Launch Alaska Transportation and Energy Accelerator (LATEA) was selected to receive $1 million in new funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Program for Innovation Clusters (EPIC) to support startups and promising energy technologies in Alaska. The grant will help drive long term innovation and stimulate new business in Alaska. The partners LATEA brought together for this award include: DOE's Arctic Energy Office, the Cent… Continue Reading
06.02.21
Alaska Delegation, Governor Rebuke Biden Administration For Cancelling Lawful ANWR Leases
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, Congressman Don Young, and Governor Mike Dunleavy (all R-Alaska) today criticized the U.S. Department of the Interior for announcing it will suspend all oil and gas leases for portions of the non-wilderness Coastal Plain (1002 Area) of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), pending the outcome of another environmental review. The leases were issued in January pursuant to the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which authorized responsible energy develo… Continue Reading
05.31.21
Senator Murkowski Speaks in Honor of Memorial Day
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released the following message in observance of Memorial Day: For video of Senator Murkowski click here. "Today, on Memorial Day, we pay tribute, honor, and respect to those Americans who have given their last full measure to our country. Over the past 75 years we have lost brave Alaskans in wars and battles throughout the world. 112 Alaskans gave their lives in World War II, 10 in Korea, 57 in Vietnam, 26 in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those numbers represent o… Continue Reading
05.27.21
Biden Administration Defends Alaska’s Willow Project in Court
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a brief yesterday with the U.S. District Court for Alaska defending the Willow project, a significant energy development within the National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska (NPR-A) on Alaska's North Slope that has been halted by litigation. The Biden administration in January announced it would review the final Record of Decision (ROD) for the Willow Master Development Plan (MDP), approved in October of 2020 by the Trump administration, for consistency with the a… Continue Reading
05.26.21
Senators Hassan, Murkowski Call on CDC and Coast Guard to Change Mask Requirements for Commercial Fishing Industry
Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) are calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Coast Guard to change mask requirements for crews on commercial fishing vessels. In a letter to the CDC and Coast Guard, the Senators discuss the latest CDC mask guidance and write, "Many fishing vessel operators were therefore understandably dismayed to learn that the most recent CDC guidance does not loosen restrictions for fishing vessels that are staffed by fu… Continue Reading
05.26.21
Senators Warren, Murkowski Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Address the Lack of Funding for Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention in Indian Country
United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) reintroduced the American Indian and Alaska Native Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (AI/AN CAPTA). First introduced in 2019 with Representative Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the bipartisan bill would amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) to help provide tribal nations with resources to combat child abuse and neglect. Senate cosponsors include Senators Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Jeff Merkl… Continue Reading
05.25.21
Murkowski’s Maternal Health Bills Advance from Committee
Today the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee advanced legislation led by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski to improve maternal health, address infant mortality, and support nursing mothers in the workplace. They now head to the full Senate for consideration. CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO. The Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services (Rural MOMS) Act, led by Senator Murkowski and Senator Tina Smith, will help ensure that new and expecting moms living in rural c… Continue Reading
05.24.21
Alaska Tourism Restoration Act Signed Into Law
Today U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, (all R-AK) participated in a White House ceremony this afternoon as the President signed into law their legislation, H.R. 1318, the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act (ATRA). Their bill, which is strongly supported by Alaskans, provides cruise ships transporting passengers between the State of Washington and the State of Alaska a temporary fix under the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA). Due to the Canadian prohibitio… Continue Reading
05.21.21
Iceland President Honors Senator Murkowski for Arctic Diplomacy
On the sidelines of the Arctic Council Ministerial meeting, the President of Iceland, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, presented U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) with the Icelandic Order of the Falcon-the highest honor Iceland can bestow on individuals. Senator Murkowski received this prestigious honor in recognition of her efforts strengthening the relations between Iceland, Alaska and all of the United States, and for her beneficial contributions to all facets of Icelandic and Arctic societ… Continue Reading
05.21.21
Alaskans Come Out in Strong Support of the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act
The Alaska Tourism Restoration Act, a bill to provide a path forward to resume cruise ship industry operations to Alaska, is on its way to the President's desk to be signed into law. This legislation, led by U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, provides cruise ships transporting passengers between the State of Washington and the State of Alaska a temporary fix under the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA). Due to the Canadian prohibition on passenger vessels… Continue Reading
