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 Applauds Alaska’s Kuskokwim Consortium Library on Winning Nation’s Highest Honor
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today made the following statement after the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) awarded Kuskokwim Consortium Library in Bethel, Alaska, the 2023 National Medal for Museum and Library Service - the nation's highest honor given to museums and libraries. "I nominated the Kuskokwim Consortium Library for this prestigious award becauseI have been so impressed by the important resources and personalized services they provide-including… Continue Reading
05.24.23
Murkowski Joins 26 Senators to Reintroduce Bill Seeking Healing for Stolen Native Children and their Communities
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, joined 26 senators in reintroducing S.1723, the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States Act, which seeks healing for stolen Native children and their communities. The bill would establish a formal commission to investigate, document, and acknowledge past injustices of the federal government's Indian Boarding School Policies. This includes attempts to terminate… Continue Reading
05.19.23
Delegation Welcomes Reaffirmation of Alaska LNG Project
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-AK) and Representative Mary Peltola (D-AK) this week welcomed a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals upholding the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) approval of the Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project. The court's decision both dismissed and rejected claims from Lower 48 environmental groups while reaffirming FERC's authorization of the major project to connect Alaska's North Slope resources to an LNG export terminal in Ni… Continue Reading
05.19.23
Delegation Welcomes Over $200 Million in Fishery Disasters Funding for Alaska
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, (both R-Alaska), and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska) welcomed allocations of nearly $216 million in fishery disaster funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce. In December, the Secretary of Commerce announced that a number of Alaska's crab and salmon fisheries met the requirements for disaster determinations in the past few years, allowing this funding to be distributed to fishermen and their crews, seafood processors, and research… Continue Reading
05.17.23
ICYMI: Murkowski-Led Bill to Provide Transparent and Safe Access to Treatment Passes HELP Committee
In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), joined advocates from Alaska and across the U.S. in welcoming the news that her amendment, the Safe Step Act of 2023, was reported favorably out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee - of which Senator Murkowski serves as a Senior Member. The Safe Step Act, which was included by amendment into the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Act, now heads to the full Senate for consideration. The Safe Step Act places … Continue Reading
05.15.23
Coons, Murkowski, Whitehouse, Rounds reintroduce legislation to support spouses of veterans who died from ALS
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), founding members of the Senate Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) Caucus, reintroduced the Justice for ALS Veterans Act alongside Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.). This bipartisan measure would guarantee that surviving spouses of veterans receive all benefits due to them. This bill was previously introduced in January 2022 in the 117th Congress by Senators Coons and Murkowski. "AL… Continue Reading
05.12.23
Murkowski Supports Comprehensive Permitting and Environmental Review Reform Legislation
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), former chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), joined Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), Ranking Member of the ENR Committee in introducing legislation to substantively reform the nation's broken permitting and environmental review processes, which are currently delaying key energy, infrastructure, and transportation projects across America. The Spur Permitting of Underdeveloped Resources (SPUR) Act, covers key reforms in ENR's… Continue Reading
05.12.23
Murkowski Announces New Staff Hires, Promotions
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today announced new staff members in her Soldotna and Anchorage offices, and a staff promotion within her Washington, D.C. office. "Tanya and Nancy are great new additions to my Alaska team. They each come with unique backgrounds and experiences that make them well-suited to serve Alaskans in their respective communities. Brian has been a dedicated member of my team and has proven himself as an ambitious, hard-working part of the office. I lo… Continue Reading
05.11.23
Murkowski Congratulates Norway on Assumption of Chairship of Arctic Council
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today released the following statement as the Chairship of the Arctic Council, the world's leading forum for intergovernmental cooperation and collaboration among the nations of the Far North, passed from Russia to Norway. "I congratulate Norway on the start of its Chairship, which arrives not a moment too soon, and look forward to a productive two-year period for the Arctic Council. We are at a critical juncture for the future of the Ar… Continue Reading
05.10.23
Murkowski Hosts SCPAR Conference, Emphasizes U.S. Role as an Arctic Nation
Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) recently hosted leaders from five Arctic nations in Washington, DC, as part of a conference of the Standing Committee of Arctic Parliamentarians (SCPAR). Murkowski, who serves as Vice Chair of SCPAR, helped lead discussions on Arctic policy and the future of the Arctic Council-whose Chairship will transition from Russia to Norway this week. Senator Murkowski and parliamentary representatives from Canada, Denmark/Greenland, Iceland, Norway,… Continue Reading
05.08.23
Tester, Murkowski Lead Bipartisan Push to Protect Critical Services, Essential Resources for Veterans
To ensure continuous support for the nation's veterans, caregivers, and their families, Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) are introducing bipartisan legislation to extend essential Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs and authorities currently set to expire May 11th. The Senators' Critical Health Access Resource and Grant Extensions (CHARGE) Act of 2023 would protect measures currently being implemented by VA to curb veteran homelessness, support caregivers, an… Continue Reading
05.05.23
Delegation Helps Convince USDA to Approve Major Purchase of Alaska Seafood
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both R-Alaska, and U.S. Representative Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, today applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) announcement that it has approved the purchase of up to $119.5 million worth of Alaskan Sockeye and Pacific Groundfish, which will be distributed across the country through federal food assistance programs. "USDA's purchase of Alaska seafood is great news for our fishing industry and all who depend on federal food assistance," … Continue Reading
05.05.23
Murkowski Recognizes MMIW Day of Awareness
Washington, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released the following statement recognizing 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 your communities. I join in raising awareness about an inju… Continue Reading
05.04.23
Alaska Delegation Condemns Court Ruling Against Southeast Troll Fishermen
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska), and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska), condemned a ruling by the U.S. District Court in Seattle, Washington in favor of a lawsuit filed by Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC) that will effectively shut down a Southeast Alaska small boat troll salmon fishery. WFC argued that the Southeast Alaska salmon harvest is a primary contributor to the population decline of Southern resident killer whales hundreds of miles to the… Continue Reading
05.02.23
Murkowski Joins Merkley and Daines in Introduction of SAFE Banking Act to Improve Community Safety and Banking Access for Legal Cannabis Businesses
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) joined Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Steve Daines (R-MT), along with U.S. Representatives Dave Joyce (R-OH-14) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-03) in introducing the bipartisan, bicameral Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act of 2023. This bill would ensure that legal cannabis businesses would have access to critical banking and financial services. Most state legal medicinal or recreational cannabis businesses are denied access to trad… Continue Reading
04.27.23
Murkowski Expresses Disappointment over Failed Resolution to Remove Deadline to Ratify the ERA
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today released the following statement after S.J.Res. 4, a bicameral, joint resolution to affirm the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), failed to pass the U.S. Senate. The resolution would have removed the arbitrary deadline for ratification of the ERA. It would also have recognized the amendment as a valid part of the Constitution, with the 38-state threshold needed for ratification of the ERA having been met. "I am disappointed that our resolu… Continue Reading
04.27.23
Cantwell, Murkowski Introduce ‘Recreation for All Act’ to Boost Outdoor Rec on Public Lands
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Recreation for All Act which directs the four primary land management agencies - the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish & Wildlife Service, and National Park Service - to increase outdoor recreational opportunities for youth, including underserved youth, pilot new technologies to better track the number and type of recreational visitors to federal land, and require land ma… Continue Reading
04.27.23
Schatz, Murkowski Introduce Bill To Expand Tribal Lease Authority, Support Infrastructure And Economic Development
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), vice chairman of the Committee, introduced the Unlocking Native Lands and Opportunities for Commerce and Key Economic Developments Act (UNLOCKED Act). The bill would authorize all federally recognized Tribes to issue leases of up to 99 years and affirm Tribal authority to issue rights-of-way to eliminate barriers to Tribal infrastructure and economic… Continue Reading
04.26.23
King, Murkowski Introduce Bill Requiring Supreme Court to Create A Code of Conduct
U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today introduced bipartisan legislation requiring the Supreme Court to create its own code of conduct, and appoint an official to review potential conflicts and public complaints. Justices of the Supreme Court are currently the only federal judges that are not explicitly bound by a code of conduct which provides guidance on performance of their official duties and engagement in outside activities; the Executive and Legislative bran… Continue Reading
04.25.23
Murkowski Helps Reintroduce Bicameral, Bipartisan Bill to Reunite Filipino World War II Veterans with Their Children
Today, U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Representatives Ed Case (D-HI) and Jen Kiggans (R-VA) reintroduced the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act, legislation that would speed up the visa process for children of Filipino World War II veterans. "Filipino soldiers served our country with honor and bravery during World War II. But for too long, they've been denied many of the rights and benefits they deserve, including the ability to reunify with their fam… Continue Reading