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.
Alaska Delegation Pleased to Announce Denali Commission Interim Co-Chair
The Alaska Congressional Delegation today announced that John Torgerson of Soldotna has been appointed as the Denali Commission Interim Federal Co-Chair. This appointment comes following a letter the delegation sent last week to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, requesting an interim federal co-chair as the administration moves through the process of vetting candidates to fill the vacancy left by Joel Neimeyer on April 20, 2018. "The Denali Commission plays a crucial role in the lives of Alaskans… Continue Reading
04.27.18
Van Hollen, Murkowski Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Create National Fab Lab Network
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) have introduced the National Fab Lab Network Act of 2018, legislation that would expand Fab Labs across the country. These facilities are equipped with digitally-controlled tools that enable individuals to create and innovate new products. Tools available range from laser cutters, to 3D printers, to automated knives, and training is also provided. To foster the growth and expansion of new and current Fab Labs, the Senators' leg… Continue Reading
04.27.18
Rubio Introduces Bill To Promote U.S. Shark Conservation As A Global Model Of Sustainability
U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Sustainable Shark Fisheries and Trade Act (S. 2764), bicameral legislation that recognizes the sustainable and economically-valuable fishing practices of U.S. shark fishermen and promotes U.S. standards for shark conservation and humane harvest. U.S. Representative Daniel Webster (R-FL) has introduced similar legislation (H.R. 5248) in the House. "Sharks play an important role in maintaining the health of the ocean ecosys… Continue Reading
04.27.18
Progress for Firefighter Cancer Registry Bill
The Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, of which U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is a member, this week advanced the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act, legislation cosponsored by Murkowski which creates a national cancer registry for firefighters diagnosed with the deadly disease in order to collect data and improve research activities on incidents of cancer among firefighters. "The stark reality we have seen firsthand in Alaska is that firefighters are diagnosed with canc… Continue Reading
04.27.18
Klobuchar, Murkowski, Feinstein, Tillis, Coons, Graham Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Maintain Critical Support for Local Law Enforcement
The COPS Reauthorization Act would reauthorize the program through fiscal year 2023 U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced the COPS Reauthorization Act to maintain critical support for local law enforcement. The bipartisan legislation would reauthorize the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program through fiscal year 2023. The COPS program awards grants to state,… Continue Reading
04.26.18
Murkowski Votes to Confirm Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State
Today U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released the following statement after voting to confirm Mike Pompeo as the new Secretary of State: "These are dangerous times right now around the world so it is critical that we have these incredibly important positions filled and have the right people in place. Having a highly qualified individual to leverage our national security and protect our nation is imperative," said Senator Murkowski. "As a US Army Veteran, Pompeo has dedicated his career to k… Continue Reading
04.25.18
Murkowski Welcomes New Coast Guard Assets to Alaska
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) welcomed the announcement that the Coast Guard will homeport six Fast Response Cutters (FRC) in Alaskan communities, which will enhance the Coast Guard's coastal capability to perform search and rescue operations, protect our fisheries, and improve resiliency to disasters throughout Alaskan waters. In a letter from the Coast Guard Commandant, Admiral Zukunft wrote Senator Murkowski today (attached) that two FRCs will be homeported in Kodiak, one in Seward, one … Continue Reading
04.25.18
Murkowski: Forest Service Must Address
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today chaired an oversight hearing to examine the president's budget request for the U.S. Forest Service for Fiscal Year 2019. Interim Chief Vicki Christiansen testified on behalf of the Forest Service. Murkowski opened the hearing by noting the Forest Service will receive greater flexibility in funding as a result of the recent omnibus, which included a multi-year budgeting fix for wildfire suppression costs. Murkowski, while urging meaningful forest managem… Continue Reading
04.24.18
Health Committee Passes Bill Addressing Opioid Crisis
Today the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, of which U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is a member, advanced the Opioid Response Act of 2018, legislation aimed to bring an end to the opioid crisis by accelerating research on non-addictive pain medicines, improving access to treatment, and strengthening enforcement. "Opioid abuse is currently our nation's most devastating public health epidemic, and it has been wreaking havoc in our communities and our homes for far too l… Continue Reading
04.19.18
Energy Committee Examines Rural Energy Solutions
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today chaired a hearing to examine energy-related challenges and opportunities in remote and rural areas of the United States. "In Alaska, Montana, Hawaii, North Dakota, and any number of states, too many people are living on the edge of what Senator Tim Scott and I call 'energy insecurity.' There is real trouble in too many households when already-expensive energy bills keep piling up," Murkowski said. "Now, where there is challenge, there is also opportuni… Continue Reading
04.19.18
Delegation Welcomes Coastal Plain EIS Scoping Announcement
U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Rep. Don Young, all R-Alaska, today released the following statement after the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced a 60-day public scoping period as it prepares to draft an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Department of the Interior's oil and gas leasing program on the Coastal Plain. "We welcome this scoping announcement and the Department's continued work to implement our legislation opening the Coastal Plain to responsible energ… Continue Reading
04.19.18
Murkowski Urges for Swift Action on Addressing Coastal Erosion
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) called for an urgent focus on assistance for Alaskan communities facing coastal erosion. During an Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee hearing examining the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' budget request for Fiscal Year 2019, Senator Murkowski cited threats to the northern community of Utqiagvik, facing serious winter storms, receding sea ice, and greater coastal erosion. "You've got a utility corridor that is in danger of washing away due t… Continue Reading
04.17.18
Murkowski Convenes Oversight Hearing on Deferred Maintenance in National Parks
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today chaired a hearing of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee focused on deferred maintenance and the operational needs of the National Park Service (NPS). The deferred maintenance backlog, which currently stands at $11.6 billion, is one of the most significant challenges for NPS to provide a quality visitor experience. "Just about every state, and for that matter just about every park unit, is affected by the deferred maintenance backlog," Murkowski… Continue Reading
04.11.18
Murkowski: Improving the Response to the Opioid Crisis
Today U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) participated in a Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing to discuss innovative ways to address root causes of the opioid addiction crisis and substance abuse in Alaska, and across the nation. The hearing featured witnesses Jessica Nickel, President and CEO of the Addiction Policy Forum, Robert Morrison, Executive Director of the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, and Jennifer Donahue, Child Abuse Inve… Continue Reading
04.10.18
Alaska Delegation Bill Works to Protect Alaska Native Whaling Quota
The Alaska Congressional Delegation recently introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to preserve the bowhead whale subsistence harvest and Alaska Native food security under U.S. law if the International Whaling Commission (IWC) fails to act on bowhead whale quota during their September 2018 meeting in Florianopolis, Brazil. The legislation - the Whaling Convention Amendments Act of 2018 - is led by Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Chairman of the Oceans, A… Continue Reading
03.30.18
Murkowski Provides Government Funding Bill Resource Page
On Friday, March 23, the President signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which sets federal funding levels for the remainder of the fiscal year. As Chairman of the Interior Appropriations subcommittee and a member of the Appropriations Committee, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) had a significant role in crafting the final product, which includes funding programs critical to Alaska. To help Alaskans navigate the extensive contents of the government funding bill, Senator Murkow… Continue Reading
03.30.18
Murkowski Announces the Addition of New Staff and Fellows
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced the addition of four new fellows and one new staff member to her office in Washington D.C. "As I continue to work for Alaska, I am proud to have the support of dedicated and hard-working staff. I am excited to have these news faces who bring fresh energy and an enthusiasm for service," Senator Murkowski said. "I am confident that their knowledge, understanding, and experience will have a positive impact on Alaskans. Having these bright individuals a… Continue Reading
03.29.18
Senators Murkowski and Udall Introduce Legislation Honoring Native Women
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Tom Udall (D-NM) introduced a resolution recognizing the heritage, culture, and contributions of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women in the United States. This legislation recognizes the importance of promoting equity, providing safety, and upholding the interests of strong, diverse women in this country. "Thirty years ago, Congress passed legislation declaring March as Women's History Month in the United States. But I feel it is nec… Continue Reading
03.28.18
Cortez Masto, Colleagues Call on Banking Committee to Hold Hearing on the SAFE Banking Act
U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) led her colleagues in sending a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Ranking Member Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), urging them to hold a legislative hearing on S. 1152, the Secure And Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, which would allow cannabis and cannabis-related businesses that are legal under state law to access financial services in the banking system and give law enforcement th… Continue Reading
03.28.18
All Twenty-Two Democratic and Republican Women Senators Call on Senate Leadership to Bring Forward Legislation to Reform Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Rules in Congress
Letter also signed by Ranking Members Feinstein and McCaskill, and members of the Rules Committee Working Group Capito, Fischer, and Cortez Masto All twenty-two Democratic and Republican women of the U.S. Senate today called on Senate leadership to bring legislation that would update and strengthen the procedures available to survivors of all forms of sexual harassment and discrimination in congressional workplaces before the full Senate. The House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislati… Continue Reading
