Articles & Op-eds
Fairbanks Daily News Miner: Honoring the fallen on Memorial Day
by Sen. Lisa Murkowski
When you walk the hollowed grounds of Arlington, Gettysburg and Normandy, you see row upon row of marble headstones. Etched into them are names known to many and names known to none. What the men and women who rest beneath them have in common is their brave, selfless service to our nation—and lives cut short and unlived. Memorial Day is an opportunity for us to honor all who gave what President Abraham Lincoln called “the last full measure of devotion.” The United States is an… Continue Reading
05.13.23
Cordova Times: USDA will purchase up to $119.5M in Alaska sockeye, Pacific groundfish
by Cordova Times
U.S. Department of Agriculture officials have agreed to purchase up to $119.5 million worth of Alaska sockeye salmon and Pacific groundfish for distribution through federal food assistance programs, after months of efforts by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute and the state's Congressional delegation. The deal is to involve up to $37.5 million in canned Alaska sockeye salmon, up to $30 million in Alaska sockeye salmon fillets, and up to $52 million in Pacific groundfish projects. The Pacif… Continue Reading
05.13.23
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: OPINION: Returning Indigenous remains is the correct move for universities, institutions
by News Miner
The Daily News-Miner applauds a bipartisan coalition of senators urging immediate compliance with a lawful federal act in existence for more than 30 years that mandates a return of ancestral remains and related cultural artifacts taken from Indigenous people in Alaska and countless Lower 48 sites. Leading the charge is U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and our state's Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Particularly disturbing is that the senators cite remains that were desecrated or exhibited … Continue Reading
05.12.23
Alaska Beacon: Speedier permitting of energy projects gains bipartisan backing on U.S. Senate panel
by Jacob Fischler
Members of both parties on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voiced their support Thursday for reforming the federal process for approving energy projects, saying it should be prioritized to secure domestic energy supply and boost renewable energy. There is bipartisan interest in revising the permitting process and members of both parties have offered competing proposals to accomplish it. Chairman Joe Manchin III, a centrist West Virginia Democrat who has authored a permit… Continue Reading
05.10.23
Frontiersman: Senators Murkowski, Tester lead bipartisan push to protect critical services, essential resources for veterans
by Katie Stavick
This week, the Critical Health Access Resource and Grant Extension (CHARGE) Act to extend veterans' programs and services is set to expire, taking with it support for unhoused veterans, caregivers, and State Veterans Homes. To ensure continuous support for the nation's veterans, caregivers, and their families, Senator Lisa Murkowski and Jon Tester of Montana have introduced a bipartisan bill to extend essential Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs and authorities currently set to expir… Continue Reading
05.09.23
Seafood Source: USDA to purchase USD 119.5 million worth of Alaskan sockeye and groundfish
by Nathan Strout
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) intends to purchase USD 119.5 million (EUR 109 million) worth of Alaskan sockeye salmon and Pacific groundfish for federal food assistance programs, according to Alaska's congressional delegation. "USDA's purchase of Alaska seafood is great news for our fishing industry and all who depend on federal food assistance," U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said in a statement. "Alaskan fishermen stand ready to help feed their communities, and these purchase… Continue Reading
05.08.23
Alaska’s News Source: Murkowski announces legislation protecting veteran health, housing resources
by Elinor Baty
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski and Montana senator Jon Tester have announced a bipartisan push to protect critical services and essential resources for our nation's veterans. The duo introduced legislation that would extend essential Department of Veterans Affairs programs and authorities that are currently set to expire on May 11 of this year. The bill is called the Critical Health Access Resource and Grant Extensions Act (CHARGE). The CHARGE Act protects measures … Continue Reading
05.07.23
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: A written code of conduct for the Supreme Court is owed the people
by News-miner Staff
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Angus King (I-Maine) introduced legislation requiring the Supreme Court of the United States to pen its own code of conduct. The Daily News-Miner editorial board read the news with interest. Our conclusion is that we support the need for the Supreme Court to publish a clear, significant and self-enforceable code of conduct on its own. We at the Daily News-Miner clearly see a cause for public concern with the Supreme Court's moral compass given an associate j… Continue Reading
05.05.23
Fairbanks Daily News Miner: Dunleavy, Murkowski recognize Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Awareness Day
by Staff Report
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy and U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski both issued statements Friday recognizing the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. "Today, on May 5th, my heart is with the many families who have lost a loved one to violence and all those who have been affected by the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and people. We honor the memory of your loved ones who are no longer with you in you," Murkowski in a released statement. "I join in raising aw… Continue Reading
05.05.23
Cordova Times: Bill would require code of conduct for U.S. Supreme Court
by Cordova Times
Legislation introduced in late April by Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Angus King, I-Maine, would require the U.S. Supreme Court to create its own code of conduct and appoint an official to review potential conflicts and public complaints. Introduction of the bill on April 26 came in the wake of ProPublica's report that conservative Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose several expensive trips he and his wife accepted from Texas billionaire Harlan Crow. The two senators said the le… Continue Reading
05.04.23
Anchorage Daily News: Alaska’s U.S. senators join push to protect banks serving cannabis businesses
by Riley Rogerson
WASHINGTON - Alaska's two Republican senators are part of a group of federal lawmakers seeking to protect banks that serve the marijuana industry from federal penalties - an effort that has repeatedly flamed out in the face of GOP opposition and Democratic efforts to broaden the measure. The SAFE Banking Act would shield banks that serve legitimate cannabis businesses from federal penalties in states that have legalized marijuana, including Alaska. Because they lack banking access, most cann… Continue Reading
05.04.23
Fairbanks Daily News Miner: Judge orders closure of Southeast troll fishery to protect orcas
by Jack Barnwell
A Washington state-based federal judge ordered a closure of Southwest Alaska's troll fishery for the summer after voiding an environmental review that authorized the fishing activity. Judge Richard Jones sided Tuesday with the Washington-based nonprofit Wild Fish Conservancy, who filed a lawsuit in order to protect orcas on the coast of Lower 48 states and British Columbia. In his two-page order, Jones ordered the troll fishery closed pending a review of the 2019 Southeast Alaska Biological … Continue Reading
05.04.23
Cordova Times: Bruce’s Law reintroduced to combat fentanyl crisis
by Cordova Times
Bruce's Law, legislation to raise federal prevention and education efforts surrounding the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl, has been reintroduced in the U.S. Senate by Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-AK and Dianne Feinstein, D-CA. Senators Dan Sullivan, R-AK, Maggie Hassan, D-NH, and Tammy Baldwin, D-WI, are the original co-sponsors of the legislation, which is named after Robert "Bruce" Snodgrass, a 22-year-old Alaskan who died in 2021 from fentanyl poisoning. Murkowski said that the fentanyl cris… Continue Reading
05.03.23
Alaska Public Media: Murkowski says Supreme Court should live by an ethics code of its own making
by Liz Ruskin
A partisan slugfest broke out at the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, when the panel met to consider an ethics code for the Supreme Court. "Last month we learned about a justice who for years has accepted lavish trips and real estate purchases worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from a billionaire with interests before the court," chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said in his opening statement. Republicans accused Democrats of ulterior motives. "Very directly, this is a poli… Continue Reading
05.03.23
Fox News: OPINION: Americans don't trust the Supreme Court, but this helps the justices help themselves
by Sen. Angus King, Lisa Murkowski
A healthy democracy requires trust: trust in leaders, trust in public institutions, and trust in systems. As our founders warned in the Federalist Papers, preserving America's historically-rare democracy starts with citizens having faith in their government. But this trust is waning, and our fragile system is facing a crisis of confidence. Unfortunately, this erosion of faith over the years includes public views of the Supreme Court, resulting in all-time low confidence levels in this vital in… Continue Reading
05.02.23
Must Read Alaska: Murkowski introduces code of conduct bill for Supreme Court
by Suzanne Downing
Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Sen. Angus King of Maine have introduced the Supreme Court Code of Conduct Act, requiring the Supreme Court to establish a code of conduct that would follow the same ethics guidelines as other federal judges. The proposed bill would mandate that the Supreme Court create a code of conduct within one year from the date of enactment and appoint an official to handle any complaints of violations of the code. The official would accept information or complaints from the publi… Continue Reading
05.01.23
Your Alaska Link: Bruce's Law, named for late Alaskan, aims to tackle Fentanyl crisis in U.S.
by La’shawn Donelson
ANCHORAGE (Your Alaska Link) - Bruce's Law is a measure named after an Alaskan, Robert Bruce Snodgrass, who lost his life at the age of 22 to fentanyl poisoning. U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dianne Feinstein have reintroduced Bruce's Law into legislation to help federal efforts and increase education about the dangers of Fentanyl. "Bruce's Law is all about education. Bruce's Law is all about letting people know how how truly lethal fentanyl is, that it can poison you. And it is not it is n… Continue Reading
04.30.23
Anchorage Daily News: Alaska’s U.S. senators press museums and universities to repatriate Indigenous remains
by Riley Rogerson
WASHINGTON - Alaska Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan signed letters to five museums and universities urging them repatriate Indigenous remains in their collections. The letters, signed by a bipartisan group of 13 senators, call on the University of California Berkeley; Harvard University; Illinois State Museum; Indiana University; and the Ohio History Connection to comply with the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act. The 1990 federal law mandates that museums receivin… Continue Reading
04.28.23
Cordova Times: Legislation would aid reuniting Filipino veterans with their children
by Cordova Times
A bipartisan congressional group has reintroduced the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act, the legislation would speed up the visa process for children of Filipino World War II veterans. The legislation was introduced in Congress on Tuesday by Senators Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Mazie K. Hirono, D-HI, and Representatives Ed Case, D-HI, and Jen Kiggans, R-VA. "To express our gratitude to the brave Filipino servicemembers who fought for our nation in World War II, we should do what i… Continue Reading
04.27.23
Frontiersman: Senators Sullivan and Murkowski introduce Fish Act to combat illegal foreign seafood harvest
by Katie Stavick
Last week, Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski, along with Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, and Roger Wicker representing Mississippi introduced the Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvest, also known as the FISH Act, legislation to combat foreign illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by blacklisting offending vessels from U.S. ports and waters, bolstering the U.S. Coast Guard's enforcement capabilities, and advancing international and bilateral negot… Continue Reading
