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.
Cortez Masto, Murkowski Hail Interior & DOJ Announcement on Their Bipartisan Law to Curb Epidemic of Missing, Murdered and Trafficked Native Women
U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released the following statements after the Departments of Interior (DOI) and Justice (DOJ) announced that they would be enacting a joint commission to address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, a key component of the Senators' bipartisan Not Invisible Act, which was signed into law last year. "This is a welcome step from the Administration and it will make an enormous difference in our efforts to addres… Continue Reading
04.23.21
Murkowski Leads Effort to Ramp up Domestic Critical Mineral Supply Chain
The current Federal permitting process has been an impediment to mineral production and the mineral security of the United States. Permitting times in the U.S. rank among some of the longest in the world and are a threat to our national security and economy. U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today introduced legislation to improve the quality and timeliness of Federal permitting and review processes with respect to critical mineral production on Federal land. U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), … Continue Reading
04.22.21
Murkowski Votes for Bill Denouncing Discrimination Against Asian Americans
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement after voting in favor of S. 937, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which passed the Senate in a 94-1 vote: "During this pandemic, we've seen reports of a rise in discrimination and violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders stemming from a ridiculous perception relating to the spread of COVID-19. Acts of hatred cannot be condoned and are absolutely unacceptable. I'm pleased that the Senate came together to clearly denounc… Continue Reading
04.22.21
Alaska Delegation Encourages Department of Homeland Security to Help Keep Alaska Seafood Industry Running
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Rep. Don Young issued the following statement after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the department is making available 22,000 temporary, non-agriculture worker visas through the H-2B visa program: "The H-2B visa program is crucial to on-shore fish processors in Alaska and to our national seafood supply. The COVID-19 pandemic has created incredible hardships for American businesses across the nation, and Alaska's seafood industr… Continue Reading
04.22.21
Murkowski Announces Legislation Focused on Improving Alaska’s Trail System
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) delivered remarks at the Alaska Trails statewide conference where she announced the upcoming introduction of new legislation recognizing the incredible trail systems throughout the state. "The COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental effect on Alaskan's health and our state's economy and has hit our small communities dependent on seasonal tourism especially hard. Despite all that, one of the positives to pull from this time is that we have deepened our appreci… Continue Reading
04.21.21
Alaska Communities Selected for Clean Energy Solutions Pilot Project
Today U.S. Senator Murkowski (R-AK) announced the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is partnering with four Alaskan communities to help address high energy costs and vulnerable energy infrastructure by transitioning to clean energy solutions. The communities of Dillingham, Ouzinkie, Wainwright, Sitka, as well as Sitka's Alaska Longline Fisherman's Association were chosen by DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy as part of the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIP… Continue Reading
04.19.21
Tester, Murkowski Introduce Bipartisan Bill to End Unfair Offset of Military Retiree Pay and Disability Benefits for Veterans
U.S. Senators Jon Tester (D-MT) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) recently introduced bipartisan legislation to end the unfair offset of retirement pay and disability benefits for nearly 400,000 military retirees. Under current law, thousands of veterans who receive military pay from the Department of Defense take a dollar-for-dollar pay reduction for any disability compensation they receive from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Senators' bipartisan Retired Pay Restoration Act would elimina… Continue Reading
04.16.21
Delegation tells Interior Department to Leave Politics out of Land Management Decisions
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young call on the Department of the Interior to fulfill its promises to Alaska and Alaska Natives after the Department's announcement that it will impose a two-year stay in the implementation of several new Public Land Orders (PLOs) in Alaska, despite the PLOs already being signed. These PLOs would have lifted withdrawal restrictions on 28 million acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land that have been in place for nearly a hal… Continue Reading
04.16.21
Gillibrand, Murkowski Announce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Summer Meal Program
Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced S.1170, the Summer Meals Act, legislation to expand summer meal programs across the country to ensure children maintain access to nutritious meals when school is out. The COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent switch to remote learning, exacerbated the challenges that food insecure students face when schools are closed. The bill would improve the U.S. Department… Continue Reading
04.15.21
Vice Chairman Murkowski Highlights Alaska’s Progress During Hearing on Coronavirus Response in Native Communities
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, provided the following remarks during an oversight hearing on "Examining the COVID-19 Response in Native Communities: Native Health Systems One Year Later." Pictured: Senator Murkowski (left) with Senator Schatz (right) during hearing on April 14, 2021 "The coronavirus pandemic has created major challenges for our native health care systems across the country and revealed longstanding deficiencies i… Continue Reading
04.15.21
Alaska Delegation Introduces Legislation to Provide Long Term Fiscal Stability for University of Alaska
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Rep. Don Young, all R-Alaska, introduced, in both the Senate and House of Representatives, the University of Alaska Fiscal Foundation Act. The legislation fulfills the University of Alaska's promise as a land grant university with sufficient lands to generate revenues that help support its students and operations. The University of Alaska (UA) currently has one of the smallest land endowments-just 110,000 acres-of any applicable institution of high… Continue Reading
04.15.21
Murkowski Takes Leadership Role in Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) was selected to serve as Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region (SCPAR), the Arctic Council's working body with permanent participants from eight Arctic countries. Senator Murkowski has represented the U.S. on the Standing Committee, as an Arctic Parliamentarian, since 2003. Being elevated to the position of Vice Chairman enables her to serve in a greater leadership role to further promote cooperation and collaboration … Continue Reading
04.12.21
Senators Murkowski, Manchin, Burr, Murray, Sinema Send Letter to Education Secretary Cardona on Homeless Youth and Children Funding
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Richard Burr (R-NC), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), sent a letter to Department of Education (ED) Secretary Miguel Cardona detailing priorities on the implementation of $800 million in K-12 funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. The $800 million was included in the ARP through an amendment offered by Senator Murkowski and cosponsored by Senators Manchin and Sinema specifically to support children and youth who ar… Continue Reading
04.10.21
Murkowski Arctic Priorities included in Comprehensive China Legislation
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today announced that her legislative efforts on Arctic diplomacy were included in the base bill of the Strategic Competition Act of 2021, comprehensive, bipartisan legislation to counter China by confronting the nation's economic and geopolitical power. To ensure that the United States has adequate capacity to prevent and respond to security threats in the Arctic region, the bill addresses the need to invest in a significantly expanded icebreaker fleet. The leg… Continue Reading
04.08.21
Department of Interior Announces Alaska Projects to Receive Funding to Address Deferred Maintenance
The Department of the Interior (DOI) has released funding for the 165 projects across the U.S. - including seven projects in Alaska - allocated by the fiscal year 2020 Interior Appropriations from the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF). The LRF was established through the Great American Outdoors Act, legislation shepherded by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and signed into law in August 2020. "During my time as chairman of both the Senate Energy and Natural Resour… Continue Reading
04.07.21
Group of 10 Republican Senators Release Joint Statement in Response to Comments from President Biden
In response to President Biden's comments this afternoon regarding their Covid-19 relief proposal, the group of 10 Republican Senators released the following statement: "In good faith, our group of 10 Republicans worked together to draft a sixth Covid-19 relief package earlier this year. Our $618 billion proposal was a first offer to the White House designed to open bipartisan negotiations. Our package included the core Covid relief elements of the Biden Administration's plan, such as provi… Continue Reading
04.07.21
Murkowski Applauds Release of $7 Million in Secure Rural School Payments to Alaska
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that through the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program, the Forest Service distributed $7.7 million-funding authorized and secured by U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)-to communities across Alaska. In her time as Chairman of both the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Lisa Murkowski consistently championed continuation of the Secure Rural Schools. "For years I have worked… Continue Reading
04.05.21
Alaska Congressional Delegation Named Among Most Effective Lawmakers in the 116th Congress
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, were all identified by the Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) among the top ten most effective lawmakers in the 116th Congress. CEL, a non-partisan, joint partnership between the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University provides an in-depth look at the effectiveness of individual lawmakers in Congress. In their recently released Legislative Effectiveness Scores (LES) and rankings for the most effective… Continue Reading
04.03.21
Murkowski, Sullivan Welcome Phase II CDC Guidance for Cruise Ship Industry
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) today released the following statement after being briefed by Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on publication of the CDC's Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO). The steps released today are required for the cruise ship industry to safely return to passenger operations as the successful distribution of COVID-19 vaccines brings the pandemic under greater control. The CDC's … Continue Reading
04.02.21
Murkowski Applauds Efforts to Seek Justice for Missing, Murdered Indigenous People
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement on the Interior Department announcement of a new Missing & Murdered Unit tasked with coordinating interagency collaboration to pursue cases of missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. "Too many families have faced unspeakable loss as Native women have gone missing, murdered, or trafficked and let down by the complex law enforcement systems in place. Seeking justice for these women and families should never … Continue Reading
