Speeches
SPEECH: 2018 Address to Alaska State Legislature
As prepared, not delivered Speaker Edgmon, President Kelly, to all of our State Senators and State Representatives, and to all who are with us this morning: thank you for inviting me. It is always good to be back in these chambers, to be among friends, and to discuss what is happening both here at home and in Washington, DC. Let me start by thanking you for your service-for the long hours you spend, seeking the best ideas to help our state-by giving my strongest encouragement to work together… Continue Reading
11.30.17
FLOOR SPEECH: Reconciliation Legislation (Tax Reform)
Thank you, Mr. President. I appreciate the fact that I'm able to follow my colleague from South Carolina who has described and encapsulated in pretty simple terms what this proposal is before us, this tax proposal is, is good for the country. It's good for American families. It's good for Alaskan families and South Carolina, and I'm pleased to be able to join my colleagues this afternoon in support of the reconciliation legislation that we have pending before us. I happen to believe that the… Continue Reading
10.21.17
SPEECH: Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN)
Chin'an. (Hello) Ahn Sho-Aht-Key, You-Haht Do-Ah Saw-Kooh. My name is Aan Shaawak'i. (meaning 'Lady of the Land') Yea-Na Ay-Yah-Haht. I am of the Raven moiety. Day-Shee-than Nah-Haht-Sit-Tee. I am of the Deisheetaan Clan. As I practiced my pronunciation this morning, I recalled of Vivian Korthius to me yesterday that we know who we are and where we are from. Such important words. Know that I derive so much strength from you as you share your values and your traditions with me. In a country… Continue Reading
06.20.17
FLOOR SPEECH: 40th Anniversary of Trans-Alaska Pipeline System
As prepared, not delivered. [Mr./Madam] President, I've come to the floor this afternoon to mark the 40th anniversary of the first oil moving through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System-an 800-mile long engineering marvel that runs from the North Slope of Alaska to tidewater in Valdez. I will abbreviate the history, out of necessity, but want to start the story of our pipeline in the late 1960s. Believe it or not, this was a fairly bleak moment for oil exploration in Alaska. Despite great prom… Continue Reading
06.08.17
FLOOR SPEECH: Remembering Sam R. Brice and Howard A. "Buzz" Otis
Mr. President, over Memorial Day weekend Interior Alaska lost two really good people. They were doers. And they were builders - both literally and figuratively. They were family people and the best of friends. Today I pay tribute to Sam R. Brice and Howard A. Otis. But nobody called him Howard. We knew him as "Buzz". Buzz Otis. I would like to tell the Senate a bit about these two wonderful people. You couldn't find two more genuine Alaskans than Sam and Buzz. Yet neither was born in Alaska… Continue Reading
06.08.17
FLOOR SPEECH: 75th Anniversary of the Aleutian Campaign
Alaskans are emphatic about the observance of Memorial Day. We revere those who served in our military. We are home to more veterans per capita than any other state in the union. This year I was privileged to host a most distinguished veteran at Alaska's official state veterans' memorial. That memorial is located at Byers Lake, one of the most tranquil and picturesque spots in all Alaska. And that distinguished veteran was our Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, a former Navy SEAL. The follow… Continue Reading
05.17.17
FLOOR SPEECH: National Police Week
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, this week, our Nation observes National Police Week. This year, during National Police Week, we pay tribute to 143 officers who died in the line of duty during 2016--among them, Sergeant Allen David Brandt of the Fairbanks Police Department. I come to the floor to acknowledge not only Sergeant Brandt but all those officers who served us so honorably. Sergeant Brandt's wife Natasha and children, Fritz, Kate, Claire, and Belle have traveled all the way from Fairbanks… Continue Reading
04.05.17
FLOOR SPEECH: Confirmation of Judge Gorsuch to Supreme Court
Like several in this chamber, I was asked on my input on whom to nominate to the United States Supreme Court. And after much reflection, I recommended to the Vice President that Judge Neil Gorsuch of Denver, Colorado, should fill the Scalia seat on the Supreme Court. I am very pleased that my advice was considered. Mr. President, I offered that recommendation before I had an opportunity to sit down one-on-one with judge Gorsuch. In fairness, we had had an opportunity here in the Senate to revi… Continue Reading
03.30.17
FLOOR SPEECH: Sequicentennial
[Mr./Madam] President, I have come to the Floor today in commemoration of an important milestone. Yet, speaking about it presents a bit of a challenge. How do you give a statement, in our current environment, about a Secretary of State, a Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, a Russian Ambassador, and an exchange of millions of dollars, without making sensational headlines? My answer is that you tell the story of Alaska, and the Treaty of Cession that brought Alaska into our nation on … Continue Reading
02.22.17
2017 Address to Alaska State Legislature
As Delivered Good morning. It really is a pleasure to be back. Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, thank you for the opportunity to be with you. My fellow legislators, my friends, it is wonderful to be back home, and here with all of you, as we renew our annual conversation about the future of our state. Things look pretty good around here. You've got some new equipment, some new hardware. You've got some new faces, and I welcome each of you. And you have some very familiar faces, and it's good to be … Continue Reading
02.01.17
FLOOR SPEECH: Murkowski to Vote “No” on Betsy DeVos
Mr. President, I'd like to share my thoughts with colleagues today about the President's nominee to be Secretary of Education. I shared many of these thoughts yesterday with my colleagues on the Senate HELP Committee. Like my colleague from Maine, this nomination has been one of the most difficult for me since I came to the Senate. As I mentioned in committee, I take very personally the education of the children in my state. I take very personally the contributions that our educators, … Continue Reading
10.24.16
SPEECH: 2016 Alaska Federation of Natives Convention
REMARKS OF SENATOR LISA MURKOWSKIAS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY50TH ANNUAL ALASKA FEDERATION OF NATIVES CONVENTIONOCTOBER 21, 2016FAIRBANKS, ALASKA I am so pleased to join you at the 2016 AFN Convention, Alaska's great family reunion. At AFN we speak with each other in different languages and different ways. In Native languages and in English. But also in ways that transcend language: in dance, in art, in spirituality, and in fellowship. That's what makes this a favorite event for me each year. We th… Continue Reading
09.14.16
Floor Seech: King Cove Amendment
*As prepared, not delivered Mr. President, I am pleased that we are debating the Water Resources Development Act here on the Senate floor. I believe this is an important bill that addresses needs across our nation. I thank the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Committee for their leadership on it, and for working with Senator Sullivan and me to include a number of priorities for our home state of Alaska. As we continue to consider this bill, I want to highlight… Continue Reading
07.26.16
Anchorage Chamber: Make it Monday
*As prepared, not delivered I would like to thank the Chamber for your tireless work on behalf of businesses across our state, our families and the fundamental principles that make America exceptional. And it is great to be home; for Alaska is certainly the most exceptional state in our nation and I am honored every day to serve you in the United States Senate. Last week, while my colleagues drove around their respective districts in the Lower 48, I traveled the Yukon River and Kuskokwim Rive… Continue Reading
05.19.16
FLOOR SPEECH: Ways to Fix the Affordable Care Act
*remarks as prepared I have come to the floor today to join several of my colleagues to talk about the impacts the UN-Affordable Care Act has had on Americans across the nation, especially the people of Alaska. Last year nationally, we saw a dozen co-ops fail that were created by the ACA, throwing people into turmoil and leaving them questioning if they had insurance. UnitedHealth, one of the largest providers in the country, has been forced off the exchanges in numerous states. Just last week… Continue Reading
02.17.16
SPEECH: Annual Address to Alaska State Legislature
Good morning. It's a little unsettling isn't it? To come into this chamber and to know that our friend isn't with us. Max Gruenberg was a really great guy and a good friend to so many of us. And a friend to Alaska. And his loss is felt. My heart is with Kayla and the family, and with you, because Max was our family. Max was part of the Alaska family. So know that I am with you all as you are thinking of him. It's good to be back in Juneau, it's good to be home with family. And thank you for aga… Continue Reading
12.08.15
FLOOR SPEECH: Final Passage of Every Child Succeeds Act
Mr. President, I would like to take just a moment to talk very briefly about the Every Student Succeeds Act. I know that several of my colleagues have come down to the floor, just a couple of minutes ago the Senator from Wyoming, to really talk about the good things we've seen in this education reform bill and celebrate how the bill ends "the national school board" by putting more control for our schools in our state and local hands. And I think that is worthy of note. For the schools, for the … Continue Reading
12.07.15
Sen. Murkowski Highlights Alaska’s Leadership in Energy Innovation
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, this week highlighted the energy innovation occurring in some of Alaska's most isolated communities as local leaders seek to reduce the cost of electricity through a variety of cutting-edge technologies. Click here to view video of Thursday's event Speaking Thursday at an event hosted by The Hill newspaper on microgrids and innovation, Murkowski said that integrating a mix of local renewable resources - hydro and wind, chiefly - is a way for many Alaska co… Continue Reading
12.03.15
FLOOR SPEECH: Harmful Impacts of Affordable Care Act on Alaskans
Madam President, I have come to the Floor to once again talk about how the Affordable Care Act is harming the people of the State of Alaska. Alaskans have the highest insurance premiums in the country, and I hear from folks back home all the time about the burden these costs place on them. Our state's largest newspaper has been reporting as we've been seeing these premium increases coming out over the past several months, detailing the incredible rise of premiums throughout the state. The aver… Continue Reading
10.19.15
SPEECH: 2015 Alaska Federation of Natives Convention
What a week it has been! On Wednesday, I spoke to the NCAI and AFN Tribal Leadership Conference, where I pledged to work with Alaska's tribal leaders to re-examine federal laws that stand in the way of real meaningful tribal government. It was great to spend time with so many wonderful people at the Elders and Youth Conference. I even tried a little beading! Thanks to Liz Medicine Crow and her team at First Alaskans for the conference and all you do throughout the year. And of course the dancin… Continue Reading
