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 Congratulates Ulsom on Iditarod Victory
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski today congratulated Joar Leifseth Ulsom, of Norway, and his team on winning the 2018 Iditarod, finishing in nine days and twelve hours. "The Iditarod holds a special place in Alaska's history and demonstrates the toughness and determination that sets this event apart from the rest of the world. This thousand mile race takes mushers across rugged terrain in harsh winter conditions-a true test of grit. A huge congratulations to Joar Leifseth Ulsom on his victory today.… Continue Reading
03.13.18
Murkowski: Interior Budget Proposal Will Increase Access, Protect Lands, Boost Resource Production
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today chaired a hearing to examine the U.S. Department of the Interior's $11.7 billion budget request for Fiscal Year 2019. Murkowski opened the hearing by welcoming Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke back to the committee and highlighting the good work he has done for Alaska, other western states, and the nation during his first year leading the department. "You and I have worked closely to chart a path to greater energy security, which runs right throu… Continue Reading
03.12.18
Senators Tina Smith, Lisa Murkowski Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Mental Health Services in Schools
U.S. Sens. Tina Smith (D-MN) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today introduced a bipartisan bill to expand mental health services in the school system. The Improving Access to Mental Health Services Act would bring mental health professionals who currently work in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) into schools, community-based organizations, and into the homes of families who need the services. Right now, NHSC professionals can only provide care at certain approved clinics and are limited in th… Continue Reading
03.09.18
Murkowski on Steel and Aluminum Tariff Announcement
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski made the following statement after President Trump announced he is imposing a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports: "I share the President's desire to help rebuild our steel and aluminum industries, but have significant concerns about the impact these tariffs will have on our broader economy, trade relationships, and particularly our nation's energy sector. A lot of good work has gone into ensuring that the U.S. is able to r… Continue Reading
03.09.18
Donnelly, Murkowski, Hassan Announce Bipartisan Bill to Address Opioid Treatment Workforce Shortage
U.S. Senators Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) announced the Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Act, bipartisan legislation that would address the ongoing shortage of professionals needed to provide treatment and recovery services as communities combat the opioid abuse epidemic. The bill would incentivize students to pursue substance use disorder work by providing them with student loan relief up to $250,000 if they work for six years in areas tha… Continue Reading
03.08.18
Bipartisan Advanced Nuclear Research and Energy Bill Passes Senate
Bipartisan legislation led by Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) cleared the Senate today by voice vote. The measure, S.97, known as the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act, (NEICA), would create partnerships between private-sector innovators in nuclear energy with government researchers to create the next generation of clean, advanced nuclear power. The measure, cosponsored by Sens. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Cory Booker (D-New Jersey), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), … Continue Reading
03.08.18
Energy and Natural Resources Committee Advances 24 Measures
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today held a business meeting to approve 24 energy, lands, and territories bills. After the meeting, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, thanked her colleagues for their work to develop and report the measures for consideration by the full Senate. The bipartisan measures reported today include bills to: address Northern Mariana Islands workforce needs; expedite the approval of small-scale LNG exports; boost research efforts at the Departmen… Continue Reading
03.06.18
USGS Nominee Will Prioritize America’s Mineral Security
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today chaired a hearing of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee to consider the nomination of Dr. James Reilly to be director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS surveys and inventories our nation's mineral base, provides real-time data for natural hazards, and deploys thousands of stream gauges across the country to monitor groundwater and river levels. Murkowski opened the hearing by thanking Dr. Reilly for his willingness to serve our coun… Continue Reading
03.05.18
Senator Hatch and Bipartisan Senators Introduce Critical School Safety Legislation
Today US Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Bill Nelson (D-FL), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Udall (D-NM), Dean Heller (R-NV), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Doug Jones (D-AL), Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Angus King (D-ME) in… Continue Reading
03.02.18
Duckworth, Murkowski & Udall Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Help Ensure Servicemembers Don’t Go Hungry
U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Lisa Murkowksi (R-AK) and Tom Udall (D-NM) introduced bipartisan legislation this week to help prevent troops and military families from going hungry so that no one willing to serve this nation in uniform struggles to feed their families. The Military Hunger Prevention Act fixes a quirk in federal law and eliminates inconsistencies that prevent many low-income servicemembers from accessing federal food assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assi… Continue Reading
03.01.18
Murkowski: Common Sense Solutions and Cooperation Necessary to Protect Energy Infrastructure Against Cyber Threats
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today chaired a hearing to examine opportunities to promote the cybersecurity and resiliency of our nation's critical energy infrastructure. "Protecting our nation's energy infrastructure is critical to maintaining so much of the American way of life," Murkowski said. "We have repeatedly heard how protection of our nation's critical assets is a shared responsibility, with federal, state, and private sector partners working together to improve cyber defenses a… Continue Reading
02.23.18
Murkowski Calls on Oil and Gas Industry to Share Hiring Data, Seeks Input to Increase Hiring of Alaskans
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, this week sent a letter to the five largest oil and gas producers in Alaska, raising concerns about the rising percentage of workers from outside of the state and requesting ideas to increase the number and share of Alaskans who work in the industry. "Consistent with my previous requests over the past years, I ask that you provide up-to-date information on your companies' employment of Alaska residents, including data for your contractors and subcontract… Continue Reading
02.16.18
Sen. Murkowski to Host Forest Service Chief in Southeast Alaska
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today announced she will host U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service Chief Tony Tooke on Friday, Feb. 23 and Saturday, Feb. 24 in Ketchikan and on Prince of Wales Island in the Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska. The trip will allow Chief Tooke, who took over as the head of the Forest Service in August 2017, to hear from a variety of local stakeholders and gain a greater understanding of the forest management challenges faced by communities i… Continue Reading
02.16.18
Murkowski Welcomes Critical Mineral List
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today welcomed Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's release of a draft list of critical minerals, which are important to the U.S. economy and national security but increasingly imported from foreign nations. "I thank Secretary Zinke for his recognition of the dangers of our foreign mineral dependence and his continued efforts to strengthen our nation's mineral security," Murkowski said. "This list provides a good starting point as we seek to develop more of the m… Continue Reading
02.16.18
Murkowski Statement on Senate Immigration Votes
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski made the following statement after the Senate failed to advance immigration legislation to address DACA and improve border security: "I am extremely disappointed that the Senate failed to advance our bipartisan proposal that provided both certainty for the Dreamers and critical improvements to border security. The legislation was developed through weeks of discussion and while far from perfect, it offered a path forward to the most urgent and pressing immigration i… Continue Reading
02.15.18
MURKOWSKI, SCHATZ RENEW CALL FOR FULL BENEFITS OWED TO FILIPINO WWII VETERANS
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), members of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, introduced the Filipino Veterans Fairness Act of 2018 today. The bipartisan legislation would restore the U.S. government's promise to Filipino World War II veterans and ensure those surviving are fully eligible for the benefits they earned. "We must never forget that the Philippines was annexed by the United States during World W… Continue Reading
02.14.18
Senators Unveil Bipartisan Amendment to Protect Dreamers, Strengthen Border Security
Click HERE to read the text of the amendment A bipartisan group of 16 Senators unveiled legislation this evening to protect "Dreamers" and to strengthen border security. The Senators are part of the Common Sense Coalition, a group of 25 Republican, Democratic, and Independent Senators convened by U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), who have been meeting nearly every day in Senator Collins' office to develop a framework to address Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (D… Continue Reading
02.12.18
Murkowski Statement on President Trump’s Budget Request
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today responded to President Trump's budget request for Fiscal Year 2019: "The Trump administration established his budget priorities for our nation today, which includes a call for major investments for our national defense and removal of unnecessary regulations. Those are proposals I can get behind. I'm glad to see that the administration has proposed significant resources to combat the opioid epidemic. I'm also pleased by the administration's interest in gr… Continue Reading
02.09.18
Murkowski, Sullivan Applaud Emergency Relief for Communities Affected by Fisheries Disasters
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) today applauded the inclusion of funding for fisheries disasters in the Bipartisan Budget Act, which established funding levels through the end of Fiscal Year 2019. The bill passed the Senate in a vote of 71-28. Last month Senators Murkowski and Sullivan called on their colleagues to include disaster funding for coastal communities affected by longstanding and ongoing fisheries disasters, as Congress considered a relief package for U.S… Continue Reading
02.09.18
Murkowski: ANCSA Improvement Act Fulfills Federal Promises to Alaska Natives
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, this week spoke at a legislative hearing held by the Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining to highlight the importance of S. 1481, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) Improvement Act. The bill, sponsored by Murkowski and Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, will help ensure that ANCSA continues to serve and benefit Alaska Natives as Congress intended. "Back in 1971, Congress passed ANCSA to settle the aboriginal land claims of Alaska Natives,… Continue Reading
