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.
ICYMI: Murkowski, King, Bilirakis, Soto, Reintroduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Help Curb Suicides
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Angus King (I-ME) joined Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Darren Soto (D-FL) in reintroducing a bipartisan suicide prevention bill- the Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act-which would create a voluntary grant program to assist emergency departments in developing protocols for identifying, assessing and treating individuals at risk for suicide. This proactive approach is vital because emergency departments are… Continue Reading
02.26.21
Alaska Delegation Rebukes Fish & Wildlife Service for Misleading Public on “Failed” ANWR Polar Bear Surveys
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, (all R-Alaska) today issued a statement rebuking the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) for engaging in a bad faith permitting process with Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation (KIC), an Alaska Native Village Corporation seeking to conduct a seismic survey on land it owns within the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). "We are appalled to learn that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service blatantly… Continue Reading
02.26.21
Murkowski Questions Interior Secretary Nominee Haaland on Alaska Priorities
This week, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) took part in a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing-the first of two- to consider the nomination of U.S. Representative Debra Haaland to serve as Secretary of the Interior. Click here for video of Senator Murkowski. During the hearing, Senator Murkowski acknowledged the significance of Representative Haaland being the first Native American Cabinet secretary nominee. Senator Murkowski went on to discuss public lands in Alaska and… Continue Reading
02.25.21
Senators Reintroduce National Ocean Exploration Act
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) joined Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Brian Schatz (D-HI), in reintroducing the National Ocean Exploration Act. The bill would authorize the National Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization Council, update national priorities for ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization, and direct the Council to coordinate and facilitate activities across federal and non-federal entities to advance those pri… Continue Reading
02.25.21
Murkowski, Hassan, Tonko, Turner Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Broaden Access to Addiction Treatment
U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Representatives Paul D. Tonko (D-NY) and Michael Turner (R-OH) announced the reintroduction of their Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act, legislation that would vastly increase access to life-saving addiction medicine by eliminating a duplicative bureaucratic hurdle-colloquially known as the "x-waiver"-currently blocking millions of highly trained health professionals from prescribing buprenorphine to their patients. "Subs… Continue Reading
02.24.21
VICE CHAIRMAN MURKOWSKI: COMMITTEE RECEIVES TESTIMONY ON NATIVE PRIORITIES FOR THE 117TH CONGRESS
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, today, with Committee Chairman, Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) convened the Committee's first hearing for the 117th Congress. The hearing was "A call to action: Native communities' priorities in focus for the 117th Congress" and included four native witnesses. "The Committee takes seriously the priorities of native communities, which have guided legislation over the years. With strong and unified tribal vo… Continue Reading
02.19.21
Alaska Delegation Rebukes Administration for Delaying PLO Revocation
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, issued the following statement after the Department of the Interior postponed the revocation of public land orders (PLO) signed by former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt. By removing the PLOs, the land will return to multiple-use status and there could be the potential for additional, responsible resource development on nearly 10 million acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) territory in western Alaska. … Continue Reading
02.17.21
Alaska Delegation Deeply Troubled by 9th Circuit Decision to Halt Willow Project
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, expressed frustration and disappointment at a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decision to extend a District Court's injunction, pending appeal, halting all work on the Willow project on Alaska's North Slope. The Willow project is a multi-billion dollar development proposed by ConocoPhillips in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A). It is located to the west of the Greater Mooses Tooth-1… Continue Reading
02.14.21
Murkowski Votes to Convict President Donald J. Trump
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement after voting to convict President Donald J. Trump on charges of "incitement of insurrection" over the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol: "On January 13, when the U.S. House of Representatives impeached former President Donald J. Trump for a second time, I committed to upholding my oath as a U.S. Senator-to listen to each side impartially, review all the facts, and then decide how I would vote. I have done that and after listenin… Continue Reading
02.13.21
Alaska Congressional Delegation Urges Canada Prime Minister to Find Common Ground on Travel Restrictions
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, penned a letter to Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, urging him to work with the Alaska Congressional Delegation on COVID-19 travel restrictions in an effort to limit the negative impacts to Alaskan and Canadian constituents. This letter follows a February 4 announcement from the Canadian Minister of Transport on two new Interim Orders which ban pleasure craft in Canadian Arctic waters and cruise vessels… Continue Reading
02.13.21
Murkowski Announces U.S. Military Service Academy Nominees
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) proudly announced the names of the 35 young Alaskans whom she is nominating to the U.S. Military Service Academies for the class of 2021. "Every year we see a great number of qualified young Alaskans who would like to attend one of our nation's prestigious military academies and serve our country admirably. It is an honor that I have the opportunity to nominate a number of exemplary candidates who are among the best and brightest in the Last Frontier. They hav… Continue Reading
02.11.21
SCHATZ, MURKOWSKI ELECTED CHAIRMAN, VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS
Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) were both elected unanimously as Chairman and Vice Chairman, respectively, of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs for the 117th Congress. Schatz emphasized his intent to continue the committee's bipartisan tradition in addressing issues important to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians: "This Committee is unlike any other. On a bipartisan basis, it has always committed itself to the so… Continue Reading
02.09.21
Murkowski Statement on Constitutionality of Impeachment Trial
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today released the following statement after voting to confirm that it is within the U.S. Senate's authority under the U.S. Constitution to hold the impeachment trial of former President Donald J Trump. "The debate over the constitutionality of convicting former federal officers has been going on since 1797, when Senator William Blount was found to have engaged in a plot to help Great Britain take control of the Spanish territories of Louisiana and Florida. Ho… Continue Reading
02.09.21
Bipartisan, Bicameral Members of Congress Call for Increased Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment
U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Representatives Paul Tonko (D-NY-20), Antonio Delgado (D-NY-18), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH-16), and Michael Turner (R-OH-10) wrote last night to President Joe Biden to invite him to work with Congress to increase access to medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorder. In the letter, the group discusses their previously introduced Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act that would eliminate the burdensome waiver, referred to… Continue Reading
02.09.21
Murkowski, Manchin, Sinema Reintroduce Legislation to Help Children, Youth, Families Faced with Homelessness
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to exacerbate impacts of homelessness, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) reintroduced S. 220, the Emergency Family Stabilization Act. Their bill creates a new grant program to provide flexible funding for community-based organizations working to meet the unique and challenging needs of children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness. Specifically, the bill aims to provide emergency funding to underserved p… Continue Reading
02.05.21
Murkowski Joins Bipartisan Group Calling On Biden Administration to Distribute Funding to Help Rural Communities During COVID-19 Pandemic
U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Jon Tester (D-MT), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and Angus King (I-ME) called on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to prioritize and quickly distribute the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund to rural and underserved communities hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund, funded in the recent year-end spending package, is inte… Continue Reading
02.05.21
Alaska Congressional Delegation: Canada Decision to Ban Cruise Ships in Canadian Waters is Unacceptable
The Canadian Minister of Transport, the Honorable Omar Alghabra, announced two new Interim Orders which ban pleasure craft in Canadian Arctic waters and cruise vessels in all Canadian waters until February 28, 2022. The effect of these combined bans will prevent Alaska sailings out of Seattle via Canada. Following the announcement, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, released the following statement: "As the state with the most extensive shared b… Continue Reading
02.04.21
Murkowski Joins Bipartisan Group Calling On Biden Administration to Distribute Funding to Help Rural Communities During COVID-19 Pandemic
U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Jon Tester (D-MT), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and Angus King (I-ME) called on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to prioritize and quickly distribute the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund to rural and underserved communities hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund, funded in the recent year-end spending package, is inte… Continue Reading
02.03.21
Murkowski: America Must Maintain Position of Power in O&G, LNG Production
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) took part in a U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing to examine global climate trends and progress in addressing climate change. During the hearing, Senator Murkowski questioned the United States' and the world's leading authorities on the future of America's oil and gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) markets. The hearing consisted of one panel of five witnesses: Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency; Dr. … Continue Reading
02.03.21
Klobuchar, Murkowski Introduce Legislation to Protect Consumers’ Private Health Data
U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) reintroduced legislation to protect consumers' private health data. Home DNA testing kits and health data tracking apps have given companies access to unprecedented amounts of consumer health data, but current law does not adequately address the emerging privacy concerns presented by these new technologies. The Protecting Personal Health Data Act addresses these health privacy concerns by requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Ser… Continue Reading
