03.03.20

Murkowski: DOE Request Hits on Minerals, Misses on Innovation

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today chaired an oversight hearing to examine the proposed fiscal year 2021 budget for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Secretary Dan Brouillette testified in support of the President's budget request, which focuses on a number of key cross-cutting challenges - including grid modernization, energy storage, and plastics innovation - while proposing steep cuts to important innovation-focused programs. Murkowski highlighted DOE's new Critical Minerals Init… Continue Reading

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03.03.20

Murkowski: American Energy Innovation Act Will Benefit Alaskans

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, last week released the American Energy Innovation Act (AEIA), her broad, bipartisan bill to modernize America's energy laws. Murkowski intends to file the full text of AEIA as a substitute amendment to S. 2657, which is being debated on the Senate floor this week. The bipartisan energy innovation package has significant benefits for Alaskans. "Alaska is a natural proving ground for new technologies and an incubator for innovation," Murkowski said. "My new bil… Continue Reading

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03.02.20

Senate To Take Up Murkowski’s Bipartisan Energy Innovation Bill

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), spoke today after the Senate voted to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 2657, the vehicle for the American Energy Innovation Act (AEIA). Click photo for video of Murkowski's floor statement Below are excerpts from Murkowski's floor remarks: "It has now been more than 12 years since Congress enacted comprehensive legislation to update our nation's energy laws. During that … Continue Reading

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02.28.20

Bipartisan Group of Senators Send Letter Urging DHS To Provide Immediate Relief For Seafood Industry

U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) was joined by six of his Senate colleagues in calling on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to release the additional H-2B visas needed to support local seafood businesses in Virginia and states like Alaska, Maryland, and North Carolina. The letter, signed by Sens. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Dan Sullivan (D-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), urges the DHS to quickly authorize additional visas for temp… Continue Reading

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02.28.20

Alaska Congressional Delegation Announces Earthquake Relief Grant

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, (all R-Alaska), today announced a $33.5 million grant coming to Alaska to assist communities impacted by the magnitude 7.1 earthquake on November 30, 2018. The U.S. Department of Transportation grant was awarded to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to assist the Municipality of Anchorage, Mat-Su Borough, and the Kenai Peninsula Borough with the repair or reconstruction of highways and roads that su… Continue Reading

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02.28.20

Sullivan & Murkowski Direct Feds on Flowers: “Buy American!”

U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), and Angus King (I-Maine) yesterday introduced the American Grown Act, legislation requiring all federal agencies to only procure cut flowers and cut greens grown in the United States. Congressman Don Young (R-Alaska) first introduced the legislation in the House in May of 2019. "Alaska has a burgeoning peony and flower industry that offers world-class blooms during our long, sunny summer growing seaso… Continue Reading

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02.27.20

Alaska Congressional Delegation Welcome Disaster Relief for Alaska Fisheries

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, (all R-Alaska), today welcomed an announcement by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that the agency approved $24.4 million to restore losses for Alaska fisheries impacted by the 2018 Pacific cod fishery disaster and $10.3 million for the 2018 sockeye salmon failure in Chignik. The NOAA-approved funds will now be administered by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, the agency tasked with dis… Continue Reading

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02.27.20

Murkowski, Manchin Introduce American Energy Innovation Act

After a full year of hearings, business meetings, and bipartisan negotiations, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., today released the text of their energy innovation package. The American Energy Innovation Act (AEIA) will modernize domestic energy laws to ensure the United States remains a global energy leader while also strengthening national security, increasing our international competitiveness, and investing in clean energy technologies. "This bill is our best… Continue Reading

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02.25.20

Murkowski Comments on Born-Alive and Pain Capable Legislation

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today made the following statement after voting in favor of S. 311, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which ensures legal protections for babies born alive following the failure of an attempted abortion: "This legislation addresses complex and sensitive issues of a medical and ethical nature that deserve serious consideration. My vote today was centered on my support of protections for infants born alive. We often talk about access to care-so e… Continue Reading

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02.25.20

Murkowski: Forest Service Should Prioritize Wildland Fire Management, Reasonable Access to Alaska Forests

Chairman Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today convened a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to examine the President's $5.3 billion budget request for the U.S. Forest Service (Forest Service) for Fiscal Year 2021. During the hearing, Murkowski addressed the importance of fire management, the need for sustainable timber harvesting and recreation access in Alaska, and the disturbing rise in firefighter suicides. "Although this year's budget request is far from perfect, I agre… Continue Reading

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02.14.20

Murkowski, Cortez Masto Co-Host MMIW Briefing on Capitol Hill

Building on her long-standing efforts to address rural Alaska's public safety emergency, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) helped lead a Capitol Hill briefing with U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) on ways to increase the safety of Native women and address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people. The briefing also covered other topics, including issues for PL 280 states, the implementation of 2013 special jurisdiction, and various pieces of legislation that Senator Murkows… Continue Reading

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02.14.20

U.S. Senators Tina Smith & Lisa Murkowski Press Secretary DeVos for Answers About Undercounting American Indian and Alaska Native Students

U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) pressed Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to stop undercounting the number of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) students in America's schools. Inaccurately identifying students leads to an incomplete picture of whether or not a school is adequately meeting students' educational needs. Sens. Smith and Murkowski-both members of the Senate Indian Affairs and Education Committees-said that the Department of Education's guidance a… Continue Reading

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02.14.20

Murkowski, Smith Introduce Bill to Protect Children from Human Trafficking

According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), every two minutes a child is being victimized for sexual exploitation. U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Tina Smith (D-MN) introduced the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention Training Act of 2020, which would prevent the human trafficking and exploitation of children by providing grants critical for training students, parents, teachers, and school personnel to understand, recognize, prevent, and respond to signs of human tr… Continue Reading

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02.13.20

Murkowski Votes for War Powers Resolution

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement after joining her colleagues to pass a bipartisan bill, the Iran War Powers Resolution: "My vote today was to terminate the use of hostilities against Iran." said Senator Murkowski. "The passage of this resolution in no way restricts the president's ability to defend our troops nor does it place them in greater danger. It clearly establishes the lines and responsibilities of the executive and legislative branches of government. A… Continue Reading

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02.13.20

Delegation Responds to Misguided Letter Seeking to Undermine Investment in Alaska

U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Rep. Don Young, all R-Alaska, sent a letter this week to the chief executives of 11 major banks in response to a misguided letter that a number of their Democratic colleagues sent in late January. The delegation's letter calls out mischaracterizations being made as part of an effort to deter investment in responsible energy production in a small part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Below is an excerpt from the letter: "Unfortunately, but not… Continue Reading

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02.12.20

Murkowski Supports Legislation to Restore Voting Rights Act

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski announced she is co-sponsoring S. 561, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, as the lead Republican on the bill. Sponsored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the legislation improves certain provisions of the original, bipartisan Voting Rights Act of 1965, which were determined to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2013. Murkowski co-sponsored this same legislation in both the 115th and 114th Congress. "There is nothing more fundamental than the right to vote, wh… Continue Reading

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02.11.20

ENR Advances Two Interior Nominees

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) today held a business meeting to advance the following nominees to the full Senate for confirmation: Ms. Katharine MacGregor to be Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior, and Mr. Lanny Erdos to be Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement at the Department of the Interior. "Ms. MacGregor and Mr. Erdos are both well-qualified and have bipartisan support. I hope we can move swiftly to confirm b… Continue Reading

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02.10.20

Murkowski Statement on President’s Budget Request

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement after President Trump unveiled a budget blueprint for Fiscal Year 2021: "The President's request marks the start of the budget process and clearly outlines the administration's priorities. Those of us in Congress will take those requests under consideration as we work to determine what programs to fund and at what levels. As an Appropriator, I look forward to moving through the Fiscal Year 2021 process in a manner that addresses … Continue Reading

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02.06.20

Sens. Coons, Braun announce founding members of bipartisan Senate ALS Caucus

U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) announced the founding members of the bipartisan Senate ALS Caucus: U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Martha McSally (R-Ariz.). "I'm excited to join Senator Braun in announcing 12 n… Continue Reading

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02.03.20

Senator Murkowski Speaks on Impeachment Trial

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today spoke on the Senate floor on the current court of impeachment of President Donald J. Trump and the upcoming Senate votes on the articles of impeachment. Full video and speech text are included below. VIDEO: CLICK HERE TO WATCH SPEECH. SPEECH TEXT: "I rise to address the trial of Donald John Trump. The founders gave this body the sole power to try all impeachments, and exercising that power is a weighty responsibility. "This was only the third time … Continue Reading