Press Releases
Media Requests: Members of the media can contact the press office by emailing Joseph_Plesha@murkowski.senate.gov or by calling 206-302-8317 and asking for the press office.
Murkowski Congratulates Aaron Peterson – Alaska’s New Federal Judge – on Senate Confirmation
Washington, DC— Today, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted to confirm Aaron Christian Peterson to be a U.S. District Judge for the District of Alaska. Peterson was confirmed by a bipartisan 58-39 vote. Senator Murkowski released the following statement in response: “I congratulate soon-to-be-Judge Peterson and am pleased that we have finally filled one of Alaska’s District Court vacancies. I look forward to Mr. Peterson hitting the ground running to help an overworked court, while working … Continue Reading
02.03.26
Murkowski Highlights Wide-Ranging Wins for Alaska in Appropriations Package
Washington, DC — Today, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) celebrated major Alaska priorities she successfully secured in the final appropriations “minibus” bill that completes five of the final six spending bills to fully fund the government. H.R. 7148 includes the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) appropriations bill; the FY26 Defense appropriations bill; the FY26 Transportation, Housing, Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill; the FY26 Financ… Continue Reading
02.03.26
Senator Murkowski Addresses Alaska Native Health Outcomes with NIH Director
Washington, DC— Today, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, engaged with National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jayanta Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, on health outcome disparities facing Alaska Native communities. The exchange built on a previous conversation on what more NIH can do to improve health outcomes in Native communities and the federal trust responsibility the NIH has to Tribal nations. Senator Murkowski’s ex… Continue Reading
01.27.26
Murkowski Begins FY27 Funding Work with Alaskans on Critical Projects Around the State
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is now accepting appropriations requests from Alaskans for programmatic funding and Congressionally Direct Spending (CDS) in Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) through the next month. The appropriations request portal on her website opened on January 26, 2026, and will remain open until February 27, 2026, at 11:59 PM AKST. The February 27, 2026, deadline applies only to the CDS requests. The submission window for programmatic appropriations requests will… Continue Reading
01.22.26
Senator Murkowski And Colleagues Lead on Legislation to Bolster Hydropower
Washington, DC — U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has introduced two new measures to help unleash hydropower and marine energy’s full potential. The Fair Licensing for Operations of Water Structures (FLOWS) Act, which was introduced with Senator Angus King (I-ME), provides common sense permitting reform for hydropower and marine energy projects by reducing administrative burdens on project developers and accelerating federal decision-making on licensing. The Water Power Research and Developmen… Continue Reading
01.21.26
Murkowski Proud to Announce U.S. Military Service Academy Nominee Class of 2030
Washington, DC—U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) was proud to announce the young Alaskans she is nominating to the U.S. Military Service Academies for the class of 2030. “These young Alaskans exemplify what it means to lead - and it is an honor to nominate them to our nation’s military service academies as they take their next steps,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski. “I offer them my heartfelt congratulations and can’t wait to see how they serve their communities as they become the next generation… Continue Reading
01.15.26
Murkowski Celebrates Major Wins for Alaska in Interior Appropriations Bill
Washington, DC — U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) secured a wide range of Alaska priorities and policy wins in the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Chair of the Interior-Environment Subcommittee, Murkowski used her leadership position to shape the legislation to reflect Alaska’s unique needs—strengthening public safety, supporting subsistence and Native communities, advancing r… Continue Reading
01.15.26
Murkowski Secures Key Alaska Priorities in Appropriations Package
Washington, DC — U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today highlighted major Alaska priorities secured in an appropriations “minibus” bill that moves Congress closer to avoiding a January 30 funding lapse for key federal agencies. H.R. 6938 includes the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS), Energy and Water Development (EWD), and the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) bills. With this package of appropriations bills, Murkowski helped to ensure core investments critica… Continue Reading
01.15.26
Murkowski Introduces Resolution Affirming U.S. Partnership with Denmark and Greenland
Washington, DC — Today, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) introduced a concurrent resolution affirming the United States’ enduring partnership with the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenland. The Senate Concurrent Resolution follows President Trump and his administration’s recent comments about acquiring Greenland, including through the potential use of military force. “Whether through defense cooperation, such as our shared military assets at Pituffik Space Base, or the de… Continue Reading
01.14.26
Co-Chairs of Arctic Caucus Host Nordic Foreign Ministers in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Angus King (I-ME), co-chairs of the Senate Arctic Caucus, hosted a delegation from the Kingdom of Denmark to emphasize the importance of de-escalating tensions following recent comments from the executive administration about taking over Greenland. Attendees of the meeting included the Ambassador of Denmark to the United States, Jesper Møller Sørensen; Greenlandic Minister of Foreign Affairs and Research, Ms. Vivian Motzfeldt; Da… Continue Reading
01.14.26
Murkowski: “Congress has an obligation to ask hard questions before—not after—hostilities escalate.”
Washington, DC — This evening, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement on tonight’s point of order vote regarding Senate Joint Resolution 98: “This evening, I, for the fourth time, voted in favor of the War Powers Resolution for Venezuela. “Nicolás Maduro was a brutal dictator who ruled through repression, corruption, and violence, and his removal from power makes the United States, the Western Hemisphere, and the Venezuelan people safer. The professionalism, discipli… Continue Reading
01.13.26
Murkowski and Shaheen Introduce Legislation to Cement NATO Unity
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced the NATO Unity Protection Act, bipartisan legislation to prohibit the use of U.S. Department of Defense or Department of State funds to blockade, occupy, annex or otherwise assert control over the sovereign territory of a NATO member state without that ally’s consent or authorization from the North Atlantic Council. The legislation comes amid growing concern following Trump Administration’s recent… Continue Reading
01.13.26
Murkowski Statement on Supreme Court Decision to Deny Certiorari in U.S. v. Alaska Case Regarding Subsistence Management
Washington, DC — U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, issued the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the State of Alaska’s petition for certiorari in United States v. Alaska: “I support the Supreme Court’s decision to decline review, leaving in place longstanding precedent from the Katie John line of cases, which has guided federal subsistence management under ANILCA in Alaska for decades,” said Senator Murko… Continue Reading
01.12.26
Murkowski Releases Statement on Investigation into Fed Chair
Washington, DC — Following the launch of a Department of Justice investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released the following statement: “After speaking with Chair Powell this morning, it’s clear the administration’s investigation is nothing more than an attempt at coercion. If the Department of Justice believes an investigation into Chair Powell is warranted based on project cost overruns—which are not unusual—then Congress needs to investig… Continue Reading
01.08.26
Murkowski on Greenland: “Focus on continued partnership rather than possession.”
Washington, DC — U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), co-chair of the Senate Arctic Caucus, today spoke on the Senate floor in support of Greenland’s autonomy and long-standing partnership with the United States. Watch Senator Murkowski’s full remarks here. The rough transcript of Senator Murkowki’s remarks can be found below. Rough Transcript Mr. President, as we begin this new year, there is certainly no shortage of issues before us. You and I have been engaged in productive discussions abo… Continue Reading
01.08.26
Murkowski Joins Colleagues to Bring War Powers Resolution to Senate Floor
Washington, DC — U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement after her vote on Senate Joint Resolution 98: “Today, my colleagues and I voted to bring a resolution to the Senate floor requiring congressional approval for further military operations against Venezuela. This will allow the senate to begin debate on this measure following President Trump’s statements yesterday suggesting that the United States could remain in Venezuela for years, while failing to rule out the d… Continue Reading
01.07.26
Alaska Delegation Introduce Bycatch Reduction & Research Act
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski, and Congressman Nick Begich (all R-Alaska), have introduced the Bycatch Reduction and Research Act. The legislation would improve marine environmental data collection, particularly in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska; prioritize technology that supports research, bycatch reduction, and protection of marine seafloor habitat; advance, streamline, and enhance electronic monitoring and electronic reporting in United States… Continue Reading
01.07.26
Co-Chairs of Arctic Caucus Comment on Trump Administration’s Greenland Posturing
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Angus King (I-ME), co-chairs of the Senate Arctic Caucus, released the following statements following members of the Trump Administration’s recent comments on Greenland. “I continue to hope the administration’s rhetoric on Greenland is nothing more than posturing for a new era of cooperation, because any effort to claim or take the territory by force would degrade both our national security and our international relationships,” said Sen… Continue Reading
01.06.26
Murkowski Leads Senate Passage of Landslides, Earthquakes Reauthorizations
Washington, DC — Last night, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) secured unanimous consent for the Senate to pass two bills: her S. 1626, the National Landslide Preparedness Act Reauthorization Act, and S. 320, the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act, which she is cosponsoring alongside Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA). The bills will modernize and continue federal funding for critical programs that help predict, prepare for, and respond to these natural disasters. “Eart… Continue Reading
12.29.25
Murkowski on Rural Health Transformation Fund: “Alaska has an extraordinary opportunity.”
Anchorage, AK - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced awards under the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion initiative established through the reconciliation bill. U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) highlighted the opportunity presented to Alaska’s rural health care system through the newly expanded fund, which will deliver $272 million per year to Alaska for the next five years. “During the reconciliation negotiations, protecting health care acces… Continue Reading
