Speeches
Remarks to Arctic Imperative Summit
SEN. MURKOWSKI WELCOME ADDRESS FOR THE ARCTIC IMPERATIVE SUMMIT ***As Prepared For Delivery*** JUNE 19, 2011 Good evening and welcome to the Arctic Imperative. First I want to thank Alice Rogoff and her staff for putting together a fantastic agenda and very impressive list of speakers and participants. You have truly brought the Arctic conversation to Alaska on a world scale and I am very pleased to be able to be here and participate. I speak frequently at conferences about our na… Continue Reading
05.23.11
Arctic Council Floor Speech
SENATOR MURKOWSKI ARCTIC COUNCIL FLOOR SPEECH ***As Prepared For Delivery *** MAY 23, 2011 Thank you Mr. President. Last week I was honored to participate in a historic trip to attend the 7th Ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council in Nuuk, Greenland with Secretary of State Clinton and Secretary of the Interior Salazar. The Arctic Council, founded in 1995, is an intergovernmental association of eight member states with territory inside the Arctic Circle. The group includes Ca… Continue Reading
01.27.11
Congressional Response to NCAI's "State of Indian Nations"
President Keel has introduced me but I stand before you this morning with a special recognition. It was less than a week ago when I was back home in the state that I was adopted into the Tlingit tribe. I was adopted by the Deisheetaan clan and given a new name - Aan shaawátk'i. In English this Tlingit Raven name means "Lady of the Land." As one who has been blessed to have been born and raised in my state to be welcomed into the Tlingit tribe and to be given a name of this honor&hellip… Continue Reading
08.17.10
Anchorage: Remarks to World Trade Center Alaska
Good afternoon. Thanks, Tavish, for that introduction. And, a special thanks to the members of World Trade Center Alaska for the invitation to join you today. It's been almost four years since I've had the privilege of addressing your association. It's amazing to consider how much has happened in that time. Control of Congress has changed; we've elected a new President; and national and world events have shifted our attention to new issues and challenges. The War in Iraq is going far better tod… Continue Reading
08.04.10
Floor Statement: On the Nomination of Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court
Mr. President. On July 2nd, following the conclusion of hearings on Elena Kagan's nomination to serve as Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, I informed my colleagues and my constituents in the State of Alaska that I could not support her nomination. I decided to express my views at that time in summary form, knowing that I would get many questions about Ms. Kagan in the course of my travels during the Independence Day recess when I was up in the state. Many of the Alaskans w… Continue Reading
07.28.10
Floor Speech: On Democrat Proposed Energy Legislation
Mr. President, it has now been 99 days since the Deepwater Horizon drill rig exploded, caught fire, and sank to the ocean floor. That incident - and the millions of barrels of oil that have spilled into the Gulf of Mexico since it began - have made absolutely clear that our nation's offshore energy regulations need to be reformed. Even in a Congress as deeply and bitterly divided as this one, the fact that we are living through a terrible environmental disaster, caused at least in part by certai… Continue Reading
06.29.10
Remarks to the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare
Hello and thank you for this opportunity to speak with you all today. I am honored to receive this award. I want to thank you all for the work you do as mental health and community based health care workers every day. I would also like to take a moment and recognize my constituents who have travelled nearly 4,000 miles to be here today. You all provide vitally needed services in our communities and your skills give our children and our elderly patients in particular, the resources to help them… Continue Reading
06.23.10
Floor Speech: Murkowski Slams Health Care Law, Calls for Repeal and Replace
Mr. President, I rise to speak about the health care debate that has gone on in the Congress throughout the past year. President Obama promised that the Democrats' health care bill would reduce the spiraling cost of health care. The promise was made that if one likes their health care plan, they can keep it. Not necessarily every day but just about every other day there is yet another report released that confirms what many of us who opposed a Federal takeover of the health care system feared al… Continue Reading
06.11.10
Ketchikan: Christening of the M/V Susitna and Keel Laying for the Ken Eichner II
Good Morning. It is my pleasure to be back home in Ketchikan for such a great event. We are here today to christen the marvelous new ship, the M/V Susitna, and lay the keel for the M/V Ken Eichner-2. With these two vessels, we are also celebrating the success of the Alaska Ship and Drydock. Let's first talk about the M/V Sustina first. I was there at the beginning with the name. I was with you here, almost four years ago, on August 24, 2006 for the keel laying of this vessel and I remember weldi… Continue Reading
06.10.10
Floor Speech: Murkowski's Closing Statement on Disapproval Resolution
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today delivered the following closing statement today from the Senate floor on her disapproval resolution: "Mr. President, you've heard our reasons for bringing this bipartisan resolution to the floor. The EPA's efforts to contort the Clean Air Act into a statute capable of regulating greenhouse gas emissions amount to an unprecedented overreach and are unlikely to survive legal… Continue Reading
06.10.10
Floor Speech: Statement on EPA Disapproval Resolution
Mr. President, during the Memorial Day recess we received two pieces of alarming news that should inform the work of every member of this chamber. First we learned that the national debt has surpassed $13 trillion in total. Shortly after that, we learned that nearly all jobs added in May came from temporary Census positions. The private sector created just 41,000 jobs last month - many fewer than expected, and a far cry from a pace that will allow us to dig out from the economic recession. Ther… Continue Reading
06.08.10
Remarks to the U.S. Nuclear Infrastructure Council
Thank you for the opportunity to be with you this morning. Thank you also to David Blee and the U.S. Nuclear Infrastructure Council for the invitation to share a Congressional perspective on the "State of the Renaissance" of the nuclear industry. Let me start by complimenting the Obama Administration and the Department of Energy for some of the actions they have taken in the last several months relating to the nuclear industry. I know it's early, but you heard correctly. A Republican is complim… Continue Reading
05.31.10
Anchorage: Korean War Veterans Association Memorial Day Ceremony
Hello. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in your fitting tribute to the most deserving of our nation's heroes. It's great to be home in Alaska, and it is a privilege to spend Memorial Day at the Veterans' Memorial Flag Pole with all of you. It's appropriate that on Memorial Day we should set aside our differences and come together as Americans - a unified nation with one common voice. Let us celebrate that we are a free nation, a proud nation, a nation guided by principles and univer… Continue Reading
05.30.10
Wasilla - Veterans Wall of Honor Memorial Day Ceremony
Hello. What a great day to be here in Wasilla. It's a privilege to be with you at this special venue for reflection on Memorial Day. I want to thank VFW Post 9365 for inviting me to speak today. I extend to you my gratitude for your service while you were in uniform and for the service you continue to provide your country today. This afternoon I want to briefly share with you my thoughts on the gift of freedom. On Memorial Day citizens across the country pause and reflect on our nation's fallen… Continue Reading
05.30.10
Mat-Su: Alaska Veterans Memorial Day Ceremony, Byers Lake
Hello to everyone. What a great day to be here at Byer's Lake. This is such a fitting venue for reflection on Memorial Day, and I'm honored to spend this time with the Alaska Vietnam Veteran's Motorcycle Club. Before I begin I need to say thank you to General Katkus for giving me a ride up here from Anchorage in one of his Blackhawk helicopters. While it's not a Harley, it's still a pretty slick ride. Today I want to share with you my thoughts on our gift of freedom. On Memorial Day citizens ac… Continue Reading
05.21.10
Remarks to Center for Oceans Law and Policy Conference on the Arctic and Law of the Sea Treaty
"Thank you. Good afternoon. It is my pleasure to address you today at the 34th annual Center for Oceans Law and Policy conference. I have to commend the Center for putting together a very impressive conference. "As all of us in this room are aware, the United States IS an Arctic nation because of Alaska. And I am very privileged to be the Senior Senator for America's Arctic State. But, what does it mean to be an Arctic nation? I believe that the Federal Government is just waking up to this real… Continue Reading
05.12.10
Remarks to Big Brothers Big Sisters Reception
Thank you Lynne, and thank you, Karen for this lovely recognition. I am so proud to be a supporter of the wonderful difference that Big Brothers Big Sisters makes in the lives of children. I need tell no one here the great benefits that Big Brothers Big Sisters brings to adults and children alike across America. This is, after all, a reception for alumni. But I think it's safe to say that Littles who have Bigs in their lives are more likely to be able to tackle a job like Capitol Hill staffer o… Continue Reading
05.04.10
Remarks to the Latino Coalition Opening Reception
It's great to be here. Thank you for giving me the honor of addressing you today. First, I would like to commend The Latino Coalition for its unwavering commitment to assuring that Hispanic small businesses throughout the country have a voice in the legislative process. The United States of America was built on the hard work and dedication of small businesses and today, Hispanic small business are an integral part in promoting economic wealth and growth throughout the country. This is especially… Continue Reading
04.30.10
Remarks for Bishop John Carroll Weekend on 'The Difference Women Make: the Growing Role of Women in American Politics'
Thank you, President DeGioia, for inviting me to participate in this wonderful event in celebration of Georgetown University. All of us are so proud to be alumni of this excellent university that helped to educate us and mold our personalities. I'm very proud to be a Georgetown University graduate, and to have been invited to participate in today's discussion. Professor Swers, thank you for agreeing to moderate our discussion today. Your research to discover what makes Congress work the way it … Continue Reading
04.28.10
Remarks to the Center for Strategic and International Studies on U.S. Arctic Interests
Thank you and good morning. I first want to thank CSIS and the Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies for sponsoring this conference. As usual, you have attracted some of the top experts on the Arctic as speakers and panelists and I am sorry that I will not be able to attend the conference myself. It is a pleasure to be back at CSIS to talk about one of my favorite subjects, the Arctic. There is a growing public interest in the region. It is primarily due to the impacts of climate change, the … Continue Reading
