11.23.20

ICYMI: Murkowski, Cortez Masto Op-Ed on Fight Against MMIW Crisis

In case you missed it, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) wrote an Op-Ed for Indian Country Today to share their collaborative efforts to help respond to the inordinate violence that Native American women and girls face. In October, President Trump signed into law Savanna's Act and Not Invisible Act, two bills led by U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) to address the crisis of missing, murdered, and trafficked Indigenous women… Continue Reading

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11.19.20

Alaska Congressional Delegation Files Amicus Brief in Support of Alaska Native Corporations

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and U.S. Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, filed an amicus curiae brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to grant the petition for a writ of certiorari in support of Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) eligibility for tribal assistance appropriated by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The amicus brief states that the indigenous peoples of Alaska will suffer severe negative consequences as a result of the D.C. Circuit Court… Continue Reading

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11.19.20

Murkowski Responds to Pentagon Announcement of Troop Withdrawals in Afghanistan and Iraq

Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller recently announced plans to reduce U.S. troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan by January 15, 2021. In response, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released the following statement: "I do not support indefinite American troop presence in Afghanistan and Iraq and generally support efforts toward their removal, but it must be done in a thoughtful and strategic manner. I find the recent announcement of an abrupt troop withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan t… Continue Reading

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11.18.20

Murkowski Highlights Need for University Land Grant, ANCSA Fulfillment Act at Legislative Hearing

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today highlighted two bills important to Alaska at an Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining (PLFM) legislative hearing. Murkowski spoke about the need to provide long-term fiscal stability for the University of Alaska (University) and to resolve a set of outstanding issues from the almost 50-year-old Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA). Murkowski's first bill, S. 4696, the University of Alaska Fiscal F… Continue Reading

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11.18.20

Blumenthal & Murkowski Lead Bipartisan Push To Preserve Legal Rights & Protections Of Servicemembers & Veterans

U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) led a bipartisan group of eleven senators urging the conference committee working on reconciling the differences between the House and Senate-passed versions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to retain provisions passed by the House that would preserve servicemembers and veterans' access to justice. "Access to the court system to enforce rights granted under the law is one of the fundamental principles of our democ… Continue Reading

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11.18.20

ENR Advances FERC Nominees

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources today held a business meeting and reported the following nominees to the full Senate: Mr. Mark Christie to be a Member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; and Ms. Allison Clements to be a Member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Mr. Christie has been nominated to replace former Commissioner Bernie McNamee for a term that ends on June 30, 2025. Ms. Clements has been nominated to replace former Commissioner Cheryl LaFl… Continue Reading

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11.17.20

Murkowski, Hassan Push Legislation to Extend Deadline For Communities to Spend CARES Act Funding through September 2021

- U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) introduced legislation that extends the period during which States, Indian Tribes, territories, and local governments may use Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) payments, allocated under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. If enacted, this bipartisan legislation will allow the relief funds to be used until September 30, 2021, rather than the original deadline of the end of this year, December 30, 2020. The CAR… Continue Reading

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11.17.20

One Step Closer: Interior Issues Call for Nominations for First Lease Sale in Alaska’s Coastal Plain

U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Rep. Don Young, all R-Alaska, today issued the following statements after the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced it will issue a Call for Nominations for tracts to be offered in the first lease sale in the non-wilderness Coastal Plain (1002 Area) of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The Call for Nominations follows the administration's Record of Decision in August and will include 32 tracts covering 1.6 million acres. "This is a k… Continue Reading

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11.12.20

Appropriations Bills for Fiscal Year 2021 Unveiled

This week the Appropriations Committee released all twelve of its Fiscal Year 2021 draft funding bills. U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, where she is the Chairman of the Interior and Environment Subcommittee. "Our full Committee and subcommittees worked hard on these bills as it's critically important that we fund agencies and programs vital to Americans and our communities." Senator Murkowski said. "As Americans grapple with the health and economic imp… Continue Reading

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11.11.20

Murkowski Honors American Veterans

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) shared the following message with Alaskans on Veterans Day: (Click here to watch Murkowski's video message.) "To all of you on Veterans Day, this year is different as many of our Veterans Day ceremonies are cancelled or as we follow new guidance due to COVID-19. But it doesn't take a big ceremony or long speeches to honor those who have dedicated their life in service to America. Whether you're attending an in-person event, joining a virtual celebration,… Continue Reading

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11.10.20

Delegation’s Landless Legislation Rectifies 50-Year Injustice

U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Rep. Don Young, all R-Alaska, today issued statements on new legislation they introduced 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 of 1971 (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 cor… Continue Reading

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11.10.20

Murkowski Unveils Interior-Environment Bill

Today U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released her Fiscal Year 2021 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act bill. The Committee is responsible for funding agencies that are tasked with ensuring clean water and clean air, managing public lands, meeting federal trust responsibilities for Native peoples, and funding cultural agencies and museums. As chairman of the Interior Subcommittee, Murkowski crafted a bill with funding to strengthen local economies and create safer … Continue Reading

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11.06.20

Murkowski Welcomes Court Ruling Declaring GE Salmon Unlawful

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement after a US District Court Judge for the Northern District of California ruled yesterday the Food and Drug Administration violated core environmental laws in approving the genetically engineered (GE) salmon: "The impacts that genetically engineered salmon could have on Alaskans, our commercial fishing industry, and seafood consumers all over the world are concerning, and, as this ruling found, understudied. Yesterday's court rulin… Continue Reading

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11.05.20

ICYMI: Vaccine Discussion with Senator Murkowski and Alaska Chief Medical Officer Dr. Zink in Light of COVID-19 and Flu Season

In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) held a virtual discussion with Alaska's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Anne Zink, last week to discuss vaccines and the important role of seasonal influenza vaccinations as Alaskans continue to face the health impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. They covered everything from efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the need for preventing a bad flu season, Alaskan concerns regarding vaccines, and efforts to prepare for a COVID-19 vaccine. … Continue Reading

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10.30.20

Senate and House introduce Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act

This week, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) along with Representatives Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) and Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) introduced an updated version of ACT for ALS, Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act, in the United States Senate and House of Representatives. The two new pieces of legislation, S.4867 in the Senate and H.R.8662 in the House, create new pathways for faster and broader access to therapies for those most in need, including thos… Continue Reading

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10.30.20

Murkowski Applauds USGS Funding to Improve Earthquake Monitoring and Response in Alaska

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently announced an award of $2.85 million to the Alaska Earthquake Center at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks to support operations of the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS), including stations received from the National Science Foundation USArray. When an earthquake strikes, the ANSS - a collaboration between regional, state, and academic institutes and the USGS - works to collect and analyze real-time data, and distribute information to the local gov… Continue Reading

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10.29.20

Murkowski Welcomes Coast Guard Heavy Icebreaker Deploying to the Arctic

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) applauded the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announcement that the USCG's POLAR STAR, our nation's sole operational icebreaker is deploying to the Arctic. The U.S. Coast Guard announced that beginning in early December 2020, POLAR STAR, a heavy icebreaker, will conduct an 82-day deployment in the Arctic, primarily in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, to execute Coast Guard statutory missions, reduce regional maritime risks, and advance national security objectives. This wi… Continue Reading

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10.29.20

Delegation: Tongass Exemption Will Help Build Sustainable Economy in Southeast Alaska

U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, and Rep. Don Young, all R-Alaska, today issued the following statements after the U.S. Forest Service (Forest Service) published a Record of Decision (ROD) and final rule exempting the Tongass National Forest from the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (Roadless Rule). "The Tongass is home to many Alaskans who want what most Americans take for granted-the opportunity to live, work, and raise their families in the communities in which they grew up," … Continue Reading

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10.28.20

Murkowski, Smith Introduce Bill to Extend Important Flexibility and Funding to After School Programs

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program provides competitive grants to school districts, community based organizations, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations that provide supplemental academic and enrichment activities for students during non-school hours or periods when schools are not in session. The value of 21st CCLC-funded afterschool programs is well-established, ensuring children have an opportunity to access engaging learning activities while giving working pare… Continue Reading

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10.28.20

Alaska Delegation Proposes US-Canada Border Crossing Solutions

In an effort to address US-Canada border crossing issues created by the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, Congressman Don Young, and Governor Mike Dunleavy (all R-AK) sent a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, raising issues severely impacting Alaskans. In their letter, the Alaska Delegation highlighted specific, persisting challenges impacting the health and safety of Alaskans and proposed reasonable solutions. "As we continue to work together to addr… Continue Reading