07.01.24

Murkowski Congratulates AFN on Newly Elected President Ben Mallott

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, released the following statement in response to Benjamin Mallott being elected as the Alaska Federation of Native’s (AFN) future president. Ben is the current Vice President of External Affairs for AFN, having worked over 11 years for the organization. Ben formerly served as Senator Murkowski’s Legislative Assistant for Alaska Native and Indian Affairs in her Washington DC office. “Cong… Continue Reading

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06.13.24

Murkowski speaks on Chugach Land Exchange, Cape Fox Entitlement, and Alaska Native Vietnam Vet Allotments during Senate Energy Hearing

Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) a senior member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, participated in a Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee Hearing to receive testimony on 20 bills, including three Alaska-specific bills which are either sponsored or co-sponsored by Senator Murkowski. S. 4310, to exchange non-Federal land held by the Chugach Alaska Corporation for certain Federal Land in the Chugach Region, and for other purposes; S. 3617, t… Continue Reading

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06.05.24

Murkowski, Sullivan Call for Five Year Tribal BABA Waiver

  Washington D.C. - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the U.S. Senate on Indian Affairs (SCIA), and U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) sent a letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) expressing their concern with the implementation of the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act and the impact on infrastructure development in Native communities. In the letter, the Senators note that Native communities continue to face challenges with infrastructure construction due to … Continue Reading

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06.03.24

Murkowski Introduces Legislation Amending the Tribal Forest Protection Act to Work Better for All Tribes, Including in Alaska

  Washington D.C. - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, introduced S.4370, the Tribal Forest Protection Act Amendments Act of 2024, to promote greater indigenous stewardship of Federal and Indian forest and rangelands. The 2004 TFPA law was intended to protect Indian forest lands and resources from various threats, including wildfires, by allowing Tribes to enter into agreements with the Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management to… Continue Reading

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05.13.24

Congressional Delegation Introduce Chugach Alaska Land Exchange and Oil Spill Recovery Act

  Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-AK) and U.S. Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-AK) introduced the Chugach Alaska Land Exchange and Oil Spill Recovery Act to direct a land exchange between the federal government and Chugach Alaska Corporation (Chugach). This exchange would resolve conflicts that exist between the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) Trustee Council’s Habitat Protection Program (the “Program”) goals for habitat conservation of surface lands … Continue Reading

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05.08.24

Murkowski Looking at Cuts to Interior’s Budget After Repeated, Unlawful Resource Restrictions in Alaska

Washington, DC—U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today suggested she would seek to cut the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) budget, unless and until the Department stops targeting responsible resource development in Alaska and returns to following federal law and the balanced management it provides for the state’s federal lands. Haaland appeared at a hearing held by the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, where Murkowski is Ranking Member, to testify about the Biden administration’s bu… Continue Reading

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05.07.24

Murkowski Introduces Legislation to Improve Services for Alaska Native Elders

Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Tina Smith (D-Minnesota) introduced the Enhancing Native Elders’ Longevity, Dignity, Empowerment, and Respect (Native ELDER) Act legislation that will improve federal programs and services for Alaska Native, American Indian, and Native Hawaiian Elders. The legislation will be introduced in May, in light of the national observance of Older Americans Month, a time to recognize the important role and contributions of Alaska Native … Continue Reading

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04.09.24

Murkowski and Sullivan Welcome Significant Investments to Make Rural Alaska More Resilient

Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) welcomed the United States Department of Transportation’s announcement of over $50 million in grants for the state of Alaska through the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROJECT) program. These grants are part of the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, and aim to bolster community resilience efforts, secure funding for at-risk coastal infrastructure, as… Continue Reading

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03.20.24

Murkowski Welcomes More Than 40 Awards for Climate Projects in Tribal Communities Across Alaska

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, today welcomed the announcement of more than $30.4 million for 42 climate resilience projects in tribal communities in Alaska. These awards, made through funding provided by Congress through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and the annual appropriations process, will help tribal communities across the state adapt and bolster their resilience to climate change. “The se… Continue Reading

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02.28.24

Vice Chairman Murkowski Welcomes Report And Recommendations From The Alyce Spotted Bear And Walter Soboleff Commission On Native Children

Last week, the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children (Commission) transmitted its official and final report and recommendations to the President and Congress as directed by bipartisan legislation Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) ushered into law (Public Law 114-244, as amended by Public Law 117-41) in 2016. Congress created and directed the Commission to conduct an intensive study of federal, tribal, state and local programs and grants available to American Indian, Al… Continue Reading

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02.13.24

Sullivan, Murkowski Renew Effort to Deliver Alaska Native Vietnam-Era Veterans Their Rightful Land Allotments

U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (both R-Alaska) have introduced legislation to extend the Alaska Native Vietnam Veteran Land Allotment Program for another five years before its expiration in December 2025. The program was established by a Sullivan-authored provision that became law in 2019, which enabled several thousand Alaska Native veterans to apply for their congressionally-promised Native land allotments—an opportunity many originally missed due to their military service durin… Continue Reading

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11.09.23

Schatz, Murkowski Lead Oversight Hearing On Fentanyl in native communities

- Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), vice chairman of the Committee, led an oversight hearing titled, “Fentanyl in Native Communities: Native Perspectives on Addressing the Growing Crisis.” “Fentanyl - a potent synthetic opioid - is contributing to a rapid rise in opioid-related deaths across the country, and Native communities are getting hit extra hard,” said Chairman Schatz. “We have to… Continue Reading

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05.24.23

Murkowski Joins 26 Senators to Reintroduce Bill Seeking Healing for Stolen Native Children and their Communities

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, joined 26 senators in reintroducing S.1723, the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States Act, which seeks healing for stolen Native children and their communities. The bill would establish a formal commission to investigate, document, and acknowledge past injustices of the federal government's Indian Boarding School Policies. This includes attempts to terminate… Continue Reading

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03.21.23

Schatz, Murkowski: More Than $3 Million In New Tourism Grants For Native Communities

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), vice chairman of the Committee, issued statements on the recent announcement of more than $3 million in Department of the Interior Tribal Tourism Grant Program funding to 30 Tribes and Tribal organizations, including four Alaska Tribes and Tribal Organizations. This funding, along with similar grants to Native Hawaiian organizations, is made possible… Continue Reading

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12.20.22

Murkowski Leads Senate Passage Of Land Transfer Legislation To Improve Alaska Native Health Care Access

WASHINGTON, DC - Yesterday, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved H.R.441, the Don Young Alaska Native Health Care Land Transfers Act of 2022. The bill contains three separate Senate land conveyance bills sponsored by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) that were merged into one bill, H.R.441, in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill now heads to the President's Desk. "I thank my Senate colleagues for approving the Don Young Alaska Native Health Care Land Transfers Act. I have worked for several… Continue Reading

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12.20.22

Schatz, Murkowski: Tribal Land Transfer Bills Set To Become Law

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), vice chairman of the Committee, released the following statements on Senate passage of - H.R. 441, the Don Young Alaska Native Health Care Land Transfers Act of 2022; H.R. 478, the Blackwater Trading Post Land Transfer Act; H.R. 4881, the Old Pascua Community Land Acquisition Act; S. 989, the Native American Language Resource Center Act of 2021… Continue Reading

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12.02.22

Murkowski Applauds Senate Passage Of The Stop Act

WASHINGTON, DC - This week, the Senate unanimously approved H.R.2930, the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act of 2021 (STOP Act). The STOP Act now heads to the President's desk to be signed into law. U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) have led the Senate companion bill since 2016. "Safeguarding and repatriating tribal items of cultural and sacred heritage remains at the forefront of protecting Native customs and history. I have worked for several Congresses t… Continue Reading

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11.18.22

Schatz, Murkowski Lead Bipartisan National Native American Heritage Month Resolution

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), vice chairman of the Committee, led passage of a Senate Resolution recognizing November 2022 as National Native American Heritage Month. "In November we celebrate Native American Heritage Month to recognize American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian peoples and their unique cultures and contributions," said Chairman Schatz. "I am honored to… Continue Reading

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09.22.22

ALASKA NATIVE LEADERS APPOINTED TO NEW TRIBAL ADVISORY COUNCIL

Recently, Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), announced the first round of appointments to the new GAO Tribal Advisory Council, which include three Alaska Native leaders. The appointees will tap their knowledge and experience serving Native communities to assist GAO in overseeing federal programs and addressing the many challenges facing Native communities across the country. The three Alaska Natives appointed to t… Continue Reading

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08.31.22

Murkowski Announces Savanna’s Act Guidelines for State of Alaska

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) applauds the announcement that the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Alaska has completed Savanna's Act guidelines for Alaska. This bipartisan legislation, authored and stewarded into law by Senator Murkowski, requires federal law enforcement to create standard guidelines on responding to cases of missing and murdered Native Americans and strengthen data collection on them. This announcement follows a May 2022 letter by Senators Murkowski, Catherine C… Continue Reading