Articles & Op-eds

02.19.20

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Murkowski warns of partisanship in annual legislative address

by Erin McGroarty

Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski spoke on a number of topics ranging from state and national legislation to the recent impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate during her annual address to the Alaska Legislature on Tuesday morning. The senator made immediate note of the impeachment at the beginning of her speech, pointing to partisanship in both the House and Senate throughout the process. "The division in Washington, D.C, is an embarrassing portrayal of what we have become," Murkowski said. … Continue Reading


02.18.20

Alaska Public Media: Murkowski pushes Legislature for more REAL ID support in rural Alaska

by Andrew Kitchenmann

In her annual address to a joint session of the Legislature Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski told lawmakers that the state should do more to help Alaskans get REAL IDs. "This is going to take state resources, in order to get out to these communities," she said. "And in fairness, it's not something that we can just pass the plate and ask for it to be funded. We've just got to put the resources towards it so that people can move." Rural lawmakers have said the state should put more money toward… Continue Reading


02.18.20

Anchorage Daily News: Sen. Murkowski says she’s focused on Alaska issues, not on presidential race

by Becky Bohrer

President Donald Trump has had policies that are good for the country and have helped Alaska, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Tuesday, but she did not say if she would support his reelection bid. Murkowski, a Republican, told reporters in Juneau that she planned to focus on issues important to the state, not on "what's coming up in November." In 2016, Murkowski said Trump had "forfeited the right to be our party's nominee" after a 2005 video surfaced of him making lewd comments about women. Sinc… Continue Reading


02.17.20

KTVA: Murkowski and other US senators criticize new vaping guidelines

by Jennifer Summers

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski joins other lawmakers expressing concerns over the Food and Drug Administration's January guidance over vaping, saying it does not do enough to address the draw for young people. Sens. Mitt Romney, Maggie Hassan, Jeff Merkley, Susan Collins and Tom Udall joined Murkowski and explained their concerns in a letter Monday to Mitch Zeller, the FDA's director of the Center for Tobacco Products. The senators suggested flavors be banned in a greater range of electronic nicot… Continue Reading


02.14.20

Arkansas Democrat Gazette: House votes to revive ERA

The House of Representatives gave the Equal Rights Amendment a temporary new lease on life Thursday by voting to remove a 1982 deadline for ratification by the states. The 232-to-183 vote, on a resolution introduced by Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., pushes the issue to the Senate, where Sens. Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, have introduced a similar measure. During debate on the House floor, Republicans argued that enshrining the ERA in the Constitution would mean abortion coul… Continue Reading


02.14.20

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: What Congress and the Trump administration are doing to address the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women

by Liz Ruskin

The victims' families and communities had long felt the tragedy: Alaska Native women are murdered and go missing at rates that are far too high. But until two researchers in Seattle issued a report on it in 2018, the crisis wasn't known by a single name. The report authors used the term "Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women" and under that banner, the gears of government began to turn. Sen. Lisa Murkowski says the report has focused national attention on the horrifying reality that Native wome… Continue Reading


02.13.20

Windy City Times :NATIONAL Backlash in Tennessee, judge dies, voucher program, hate-crimes bill

by Andrew Davis

More than 140 businesses signed a letter announcing their opposition to Tennessee's recent slew of anti-LGBTQ laws, which has been dubbed the "slate of hate" by activist groups, NBC News noted. The collective, known as the Tennessee Businesses Against Discrimination, included major companies such as Amazon, Nike, Dell, Lyft, Marriott and American Airlines, as well as more than 100 small businesses in Tennessee. The letter specifically targets the passage of HB 836, which allows taxpayer-funded f… Continue Reading


02.11.20

Anchorage Daily News: Trump budget takes another run at killing Alaska’s Denali Commission

by Alex DeMarban

President Donald Trump's $4.8 trillion budget proposes eliminating the Denali Commission, using the Alaska Permanent Fund dividend as evidence the state is so wealthy it doesn't need the federally supported program that has improved village tank farms, docks and other rural infrastructure. Alaska's congressional delegation on Monday vowed to protect the Anchorage-based commission, as they've done before. The Trump administration proposed eliminating the Denali Commission in previous years a… Continue Reading


02.10.20

Dover Post: Coons, Braun welcome new members to Senate Climate Solutions Caucus

Sens. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, and Mike Braun, R-Indiana, announced Feb. 6 that four additional members will join the bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus - Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Florida; Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan; Susan Collins, R-Maine; and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin. The caucus brings together an equal number of Republicans and Democrats to craft and advance bipartisan solutions to address the changing climate. "I am excited to announce the addition of four new colleagues to the Clim… Continue Reading


01.29.20

Anchorage Daily News: LETTER: Thanks, fire crews

by Sen. Lisa Murkowski

Last summer's wildfires were among the worst Alaska has seen in decades. The skies filled with smoke, our main roads closed, and neighborhoods evacuated. A total of 742 fires destroyed more than 2.5 million acres - which is about twice the size of Delaware. From Hotshot crews and smokejumpers to the firefighters and managers stationed at command centers - our emergency responders, including many good Samaritans from the Lower 48 - were working hard, around the clock. This summer I met … Continue Reading


01.22.20

OP-ED: Anchorage Daily News: Alaskans are in harm’s way in Iraq. We should remember they’re there.

by Lisa Murkowski

As the United States is entering its 19th year of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, the presence of our troops in the respective regions can be out of sight and out of mind. All it takes is some attention, such as a breaking news story, for eyes and hearts to turn back to remembering the dangers our men and woman in uniform continue to face. The attacks on U.S. military bases this month reminded the nation we still have troops on the ground and their lives were in imminent danger. In the last … Continue Reading


01.14.20

Alaska Alliance: OPINION: Accomplishments Add Up for Alaska

by Senator Lisa Murkowski

As I reflect on this past year as Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I'm proud of the national policies we advanced, and the many ways those policies will benefit Alaska. I'm also proud of the process we used to achieve success and the Alaskans who helped pave the way. I liken our committee to the "little engine that could." In a Congress not often marked by cooperation, we have bucked the trend, gone to work, and delivered real results. That takes commitment to nego… Continue Reading


01.14.20

Air Med and Rescue: Firefighting drone technology

by Amy Gallagher

Fighting fires with science Amy Gallagher explains how firefighting drone technology designed to protect people and property is developing; but without financial backing from the government, implementation continues to be a challenge A unique category of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), known as optionally piloted helicopters (OPH), has demonstrated the potential to minimise time gaps in aerial wildfire firefighting, supporting aggressive wildland firefighting strategies while leveraging alrea… Continue Reading


01.07.20

Alaska Public Media: Murkowski commends drone strike; Sullivan says Trump didn’t need Congress’ OK

by Liz Ruskin

Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she'll sign onto a resolution that commends President Donald Trump and praises the military for the drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani. Murkowski, in a written statement, called the attack at the Baghdad airport "significant" and "decisive." She said it "eliminated one of the greatest threats to peace in the region." She also said she'll look for a path toward de-escalation. Congress has never authorized a war against Iran, and some Democrats are qu… Continue Reading


12.31.19

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Defense bill clears House, Senate with PFAS protections

by Erin McGroarty

Last week's signing of a collection of 2020 spending bills is bringing the growing issue of PFAS contamination to the forefront of national attention, drawing federal dollars and increased research to a topic sweeping Alaska communities and towns across the country. PFAS, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a category of human-made chemicals that repel water and grease and are found in products such as nonstick pans and raincoats. The 2020 National Defense Authorization Act - and… Continue Reading


12.26.19

Juneau Empire: OPINION: Let Americans unwrap savings on prescription medicine

by Senators Lisa Murkowski and Chuck Grassley

These days it's seems there's scant agreement about much of anything in Washington. However, outside of the nation's capital, Americans share full-throated agreement on an issue that really matters: the sky rocketing prices they pay for prescription medicine. From all across the nation, inexplicable price spikes for prescription drugs are gouging consumers, putting patient health at risk and soaking the taxpayer. Drug prices are hitting the budgets of everyday Americans and squeezing our govern… Continue Reading


12.22.19

Anchorage Daily News: Solutions for our public safety challenges

by Senator Lisa Murkowski

Alaska's vast geography and uniquely complex governance frameworks have challenged Alaskans for generations and fostered a well-documented inequity in access to law enforcement and justice services throughout rural Alaska. The end result of the complex and under-resourced public safety system is that Alaska Native women are victims of violence in unprecedented proportions. Families have faced unspeakable loss, and until recently many felt almost invisible, frustrated, and let down by the complex… Continue Reading


12.20.19

KTVA: Bills contain money to combat missing and murdered Indigenous women epidemic

by Jennifer Summers

Two funding bills that include money to help combat the epidemic of missing, murdered and trafficked Indigenous women passed the Senate Thursday and are headed to President Trump's desk to be signed, according to a release from the office of Sen. Lisa Murkowski. According to Murkowski's office, the investments from these funding bills will go toward preventing and prosecuting crimes against Indigenous women as well as looking into cold cases. A 2017 report from the Alaska Native Tribal Health… Continue Reading


12.19.19

Fire House: AK Senator Murkowski Named CFSI Legislator of Year

On December 17, the Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI) presented Senator Lisa Murkowski (AK) with its 2019 Legislator of the Year Award. A co-chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus since 2018, Senator Murkowski has been a strong advocate for our nation's firefighters and emergency services personnel throughout her congressional career. "During my years in public service, I have always had a deep appreciation for our nation's first responders," said Senator Murkowski. "The tra… Continue Reading


12.19.19

USA Today: Here's how Congress cooperated to fight child sex abuse images on government computers

by Senator Lisa Murkowski and Senator Brian Schatz

The problem of child pornography has reached crisis levels. In all corners of the internet, images of child sexual abuse are being created, produced, and traded. Last year, more than 45 million online images and videos of child sexual abuse material were reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The pain inflicted on these children is unimaginable. The details are sickening: an increasing number of the images are of infants and children younger than 12 enduring the mos… Continue Reading

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