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 Welcomes New Federal Land Allotments to Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veterans
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement after the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced it has finalized the first federal land allotments under the Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veteran Land Allotment Program. Murkowski worked with Senator Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young (both R-AK), as well as Alaskan champions such as Nelson Angapak, Sr., to establish the new allotments program through her omnibus public lands bill in 2019. "We worked hard to enact this prog… Continue Reading
11.11.21
Senator Murkowski Speaks in Honor of Veterans Day
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released the following statement in honor of Veterans Day: For video of Senator Murkowski, click here. "On Veterans Day, we express how grateful we are to all who served in America's armed forces, and for the sacrifices that they willingly made on our behalf. We also know that many veterans endure the toll of their service well beyond the days of being in uniform. Their military service might be complete, but their sacrifice remains. "Our country and w… Continue Reading
11.08.21
ICYMI: Historic Infrastructure Package Heading to President’s Desk
Late Friday night, the House passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, legislation U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and her bipartisan group of nine other Senators worked for months to negotiate, draft, and pass through the full Senate. The infrastructure package - which drew the support of 228 members of the House, including Congressman Don Young (also R-AK) - will now head to the President to be signed into law. In case you missed it, Senator Murkowski recently highlighted some of… Continue Reading
11.06.21
Vice Chairman Murkowski: Historic Infrastructure Package Heading to President's Desk
Today, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, applauded the House passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, legislation she and a bipartisan group of nine Senators worked for months to negotiate, draft, and pass through the full Senate. Included in the legislation that will now head to the President's desk is substantial funding for Federal programs and Native communities to address water and sanitation, transportation, broadband… Continue Reading
11.05.21
Historic Infrastructure Package Heading to President’s Desk
Today U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) applauded the House passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, legislation she and a bipartisan group of ten Senators worked for months to negotiate, draft, and pass through the full Senate. The bipartisan bill will upgrade and modernize our core infrastructure-making critical investments in roads, bridges, rail, ferries, ports, airports, energy, water systems, and broadband. The landmark legislation also strengthens electric grid resiliency … Continue Reading
11.03.21
Schatz, Murkowski Lead Bipartisan National Native American Heritage Month Resolution
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), vice chairman of the Committee, introduced a Senate resolution recognizing November 2021 as National Native American Heritage Month. "Every November we observe Native American Heritage Month to celebrate Native Hawaiian, American Indian, and Alaska Native peoples and their diverse cultures, achievements, and contributions," said Chairman Schatz. "I am honored to… Continue Reading
11.02.21
Leahy, Murkowski, Durbin And Manchin Announce Bipartisan Compromise On The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) Tuesday released a bipartisan compromise on the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. This proposal - which builds on the version introduced earlier in October - reflects months of bipartisan negotiations and seeks to garner broader support in the Senate. Leahy, Murkowski, Durbin, and Manchin are committed to continuing their work on this compromise bill that will serve as a substi… Continue Reading
11.01.21
Vice Chairman Murkowski Welcomes November as National Native American Heritage Month
Today, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA), issued the following statement on November as National Native American Heritage Month. "This month brings awareness to celebrate, and recognize the many contributions made by Native people in the United States-Alaska Natives, American Indians, and Native Hawaiians-along with other Indigenous peoples in our country from across the globe. Alaska is home to nearly 40 percent of all federally recog… Continue Reading
10.29.21
Sullivan, Shaheen, Capito and Murkowski Introduce POWER Act 2.0 to Combat Domestic Violence and Expand Pro Bono Legal Resources
U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) have introduced legislation to permanently extend the authorization for the Pro Bono Work to Empower and Represent (POWER) Act. The POWER Act, which helps combat domestic violence and sexual assault by encouraging lawyers across the country to offer pro bono legal services to victims and survivors of these crimes, was originally signed into law in 2018, but is set to expir… Continue Reading
10.29.21
Vice Chairman Examines Barriers to Voting for Native People
This week, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA), welcomed the opportunity to hear from Native witnesses about the issues that continue to pose barriers to voting access during an oversight hearing she requested entitled: Voting Matters in Native Communities. "The right to vote has evolved tremendously over time, including with respect to the voting rights of our First peoples. American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians-all… Continue Reading
10.26.21
Murkowski, Sullivan Introduce Bill to Establish Offshore Revenue Sharing for Alaska
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both R-AK, today introduced legislation to provide for equitable revenue sharing from energy production and development in Alaska's Outer Continental Shelf. The bill, Alaska Offshore Parity Act, will facilitate the establishment of a revenue sharing program for Alaska to provide parity with onshore and offshore development in the outer Continental Shelf. This program will provide support for onshore infrastructure for coastal communities, mitigatio… Continue Reading
10.25.21
Murkowski, Sullivan Thank Judge Burgess For Service to Alaska
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) issued the following statements after Judge Timothy Burgess announced his upcoming retirement from active service as a United States Judge for the District of Alaska, effective December 31, 2021. Judge Burgess has been chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska since 2015 and joined the court in 2006 after being nominated by then President George W. Bush. "Alaska has been fortunate to have Judge Timothy Burges… Continue Reading
10.25.21
Air Force Selects Eielson Air Force Base as Preferred Location for DoD Nuclear Micro-Reactor
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) applauded the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for selecting Eielson Air Force Base as the preferred pilot location to host the first Air Force nuclear micro-reactor. As a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Murkowski has helped secure significant funding for nuclear micro-reactor development and helped spearhead the creation of the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. During her tenure as Chairman of the Senate Energy Committe… Continue Reading
10.21.21
Murkowski, Sullivan Secure Extension on COVID Relief Dollars for Alaska Natives
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) welcomed the Senate's passage last night of S.3011, the State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act, legislation that includes a provision the senators authored granting an extension until December 31, 2022 for tribes-including Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs)-to spend Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) resources from the March 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securi… Continue Reading
10.20.21
Murkowski on Voting Rights Reform
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement after voting against a procedural vote on the Freedom to Vote Act, highlighting her targeted efforts on voting reform: "Americans need confidence in the integrity of our elections, and we can't instill that trust with a wholly partisan effort. We also aren't going to achieve that by micromanaging or federalizing state elections systems-which is the direction the Freedom to Vote Act takes. "I'm committed to ensuring access to vot… Continue Reading
10.20.21
Senate Passes Resolution Designating October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
The Senate last night unanimously passed a resolution introduced by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) designating October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. "Millions of Americans, men and women alike, are victims of domestic violence every year," said Senator Feinstein. "Addressing this problem requires a holistic approach to help survivors recover and hold … Continue Reading
10.20.21
Murkowski Secures Alaska Funding Priorities in Appropriations Bills
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement after the Appropriations Committee posted the remaining nine Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations bills, including the Interior-Environment appropriations bill of which Senator Murkowski serves as the Ranking Member: "The Appropriations bills posted earlier this week are a mixture of the good, the bad, and the ugly. On the good side, I am pleased that we were successful in including so many priorities from Alaskans for local projects … Continue Reading
10.20.21
Senate Passes One Year Extension for Tribal Governments to Utilize COVID Relief
Last night, the United States Senate passed the State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act (S. 3011), which includes a one-year extension of the CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) deadline to allow Tribal governments additional time to use CARES CRF allocations. U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA), is a cosponsor to S. 3011 and was able to secure inclusion of the tr… Continue Reading
10.18.21
Murkowski, Reed, Braun Introduce Bills to Address Student Loans
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Mike Braun (R-IN) have introduced two bills to address the rising cost of post-secondary education: the State-Based Education Loan Awareness Act and the Student Loan Repayment Freedom Act. The State-Based Education Loan Awareness Act would eliminate deterrents and penalties that prevent universities from informing students about student loans offered by non-profit, state agency lenders whose mission is to make college affordable and acc… Continue Reading
10.14.21
Senators Markey, Murkowski and Representative Kuster Reintroduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Expand Access to Opioid Treatment in Correctional Facilities
U.S. Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced the reintroduction of the Community Re-Entry through Addiction Treatment to Enhance (CREATE) Opportunities Act, bipartisan legislation to create a new federal grant program to support opioid-use disorder (OUD) treatment at state and local correctional facilities. Representative Ann Kuster (NH-2) will introduce identical legislation in the House of Representatives. The CREATE Opportunities Act establishes the Medication… Continue Reading
