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 Bill to Improve Rural Health Passes Senate
Senator Lisa Murkowski today was proud to see S.230, her legislation providing a land transfer of 23 acres in Bethel, pass the United States Senate unanimously. This bill would not only allow the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC) to build a new primary care facility for the region, but also allow them to renovate the current facility and maximize the range of care provided. "I thank my Senate colleagues for recognizing the importance of boosting healthcare in rural Alaska and I commend … Continue Reading
06.25.15
Murkowski: Supreme Court Ruling Doesn’t Change “Broken Promises” of Health Care Law
Senator Lisa Murkowski today responded to the 6-3 decision from the United States Supreme Court in King vs Burwell, which upholds federal subsidies in the Affordable Care Act, saying: "From day one, the political document called the Affordable Care Act has been a steady stream of mistakes, glitches and broken promises. The fact that the law survived this legal challenge doesn't change the basic reality that Alaskans continue to face the highest health cost care in the country. Since passage o… Continue Reading
06.25.15
Murkowski: “We Are Losing Our Children” to Alaska Native Suicide
Senator Lisa Murkowski today stressed the need for youth-oriented solutions and approaches to fighting the epidemic of Alaska Native youth suicide. In a hearing of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Murkowski noted recent successes in dealing with the problem by a heightened awareness campaign in certain areas. She challenged the Acting Director of the Indian Health Service to bring more young people and young attitudes into the program development phase, in order to customize a message t… Continue Reading
06.24.15
Murkowski Votes to Strengthen Alaska Export Trade, Boost Small and Medium-Sized Businesses
Senator Lisa Murkowski today voted for H.R.2146, the vehicle for Trade Promotion Authority, and explained her reasoning with Alaskans afterwards: "When Alaskans discuss economic partners - being separated from the contiguous 48 - more often than not we're talking about exports with partners abroad. International trade supports 90,000 Alaskan jobs, roughly 70 percent of which are part of our small- and medium sized-business community, from fishermen to natural resource developers. "Trade Promo… Continue Reading
06.23.15
Sen. Murkowski: Iran Deal Will Disadvantage U.S. Energy
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today advanced her efforts to lift the current ban on most U.S. crude oil exports by releasing a report making the case that sanctions on Iranian oil should not be lifted without also lifting the current ban on U.S. crude oil exports. The report, Cross-Currents: Iranian Oil and the U.S. Export Ban, connects the dots between Obama Administration statements to support this argument. "We are letting Iran export its oil to markets that we prevent our own compani… Continue Reading
06.19.15
Murkowski Protects Military From Commissary Price Hike, Interior Sportsmen through Defense Bill
Senator Lisa Murkowski cast her vote in support of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which lays out the Pentagon's priorities and agenda for the upcoming year. The bill also incorporates her amendment (attached) that promotes better communication between military installations and sportsmen who utilize military lands during periods in which they are not needed for military activities, in light of the recent Fort Wainwright and Fort Greely hunting grounds calendar dispute. Proposed… Continue Reading
06.18.15
Appropriations Committee Passes Murkowski Interior Spending Bill Reflecting Alaskan Concerns
Senator Lisa Murkowski, Chairman of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommitee, today cast her vote in support of the 2016 Interior appropriations bill - which sets an agenda more in accord with Alaska's priorities - and was passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The legislation now heads to the Senate floor for a final vote. The bill, the first of its kind in six years, covers a broad range of issues and initiatives of critical importance to Alaska i… Continue Reading
06.18.15
Murkowski Promotes U.S. Coast Guard Assets through Appropriations Work
Senator Lisa Murkowski today successfully worked with her Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee colleagues to finalize a 2016 spending bill that will help the United States Coast Guard protect and monitor Alaska's waters. The Department of Homeland Security budget, which passed out of the Appropriations Committee and now heads to the Senate floor, includes funds for an additional national security cutter, better navigational aids on the water, and promotes a higher presence in th… Continue Reading
06.17.15
Murkowski Introduces NATIVE Act to Empower Native Communities, Boost Tourism
Senator Murkowski is an original co-sponsor of the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience (NATIVE) Act, bipartisan legislation that would enhance and integrate native tourism, empower native communities, and expand unique cultural tourism opportunities in the United States. The NATIVE Act would require federal agencies with tourism assets and responsibilities to include tribes and native organizations in national tourism efforts and strategic planning. It would also provide N… Continue Reading
06.17.15
Murkowski, Alexander, Fischer Introducing Legislation to Strengthen Protections for Pregnant Women
Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI) today introduced bicameral legislation to clarify the intent of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) of 1978 to strengthen protections for pregnant women in the workplace. The legislation provides much-needed protections highlighted by a recent Supreme Court decision, Young v. United Parcel Service, Inc., where the Justices upheld the discrimination protections in the PDA but noted that they could be strengthened. The bill is al… Continue Reading
06.16.15
Murkowski’s Interior Chairmanship Improves Wildfire Protections, Challenges Federal Overreach, Honors Trust Responsibilities, Promotes Resource Development and Access, Prioritizes the Arctic
Senator Lisa Murkowski today released the 2016 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for consideration by the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee. The Subcommittee approved the bill, which will be considered by the full Appropriations Committee on Thursday. The bill, the first of its kind in six years, covers a broad range of issues and initiatives of critical importance to Alaska including substantial funding for wildfire protections, blocking the EPA's controversial … Continue Reading
06.16.15
Murkowski’s Interior Work Boosts Alaska Wildfire Prevention, Suppression
Senator Lisa Murkowski today released the 2016 Interior spending bill that reins in federal overreach at agencies like the EPA, promotes responsible public lands management and contains several provisions that directly address Alaska's needs. As Chairman of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, Murkowski leveraged her position on the subcommittee to improve the capabilities and capacity for the nation's wildland firefighters. "Wildfires consistently pose … Continue Reading
06.16.15
Murkowski Assures Native Care Funding, Alaska Native Care Jobs, Rural Justice Through Interior Spending Bill
Senator Lisa Murkowski today utilized her position as Chairman on the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee to ensure that Alaska's Native health care providers will have fully funded contract support costs for the second year in a row. The forward-looking bill also separates the resources relied upon for contract support costs (CSCs) from other programs to avoid the prospect of funds being redistributed to other agencies. Murkowski also redesigned how funding … Continue Reading
06.16.15
Murkowski Blocks “Waters of the U.S.” Rule Through Interior Bill
Senator Lisa Murkowski, Chairman of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, today utilized that position to block the Environmental Protection Agency's "Waters of the United States" (WOTUS) rule for the next fiscal year in legislation approved by the Subcommittee. The WOTUS rule, formally announced in May, greatly expands the amount of area in Alaska that will require federal permits for development. The rule includes provisions that give EPA control over ar… Continue Reading
06.16.15
Murkowski Fights to Transfer King Cove Road Land to State of Alaska in Interior Bill
Senator Lisa Murkowski today continued her efforts to protect the health and safety of the people of King Cove, Alaska by advancing a land transfer needed to provide local residents with reliable access to medical care in emergency situations. The legislation, drafted by Murkowski and approved today by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, would direct an equal-value land transfer to allow the construction of a short, one-lane, non-commercial use… Continue Reading
06.12.15
Murkowski: Defense Budget Backs Alaska’s Military Equipment, Infrastructure and Agenda
Senator Lisa Murkowski voted in the full Senate Appropriations Committee for the 2016 Defense Appropriations Bill, which contains several Alaska priorities she added and gathered support for. As a member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee - which passed this bill earlier this week - Murkowski used her position there to raise the profile of Alaska's military concerns, given the state's rising significance in light of threats to the west and growing Arctic activity. "Alaska's military f… Continue Reading
06.11.15
Murkowski Leverages Appropriations Seat to Boost Law Enforcement and Justice System in Alaska
One day after Senator Murkowski decried public safety conditions in rural Alaska, the Senate Appropriations Committee finalized its 2016 Justice Department funding bill, which includes strong funding to support justice services and law enforcement in Alaska as requested by Senator Lisa Murkowski. "Alaska faces unique law enforcement challenges, and though we've come up with innovative solutions to make progress, we still have a long way to go. The rates of crime, domestic violence, sexual assau… Continue Reading
06.11.15
Murkowski Fights Proposed Cuts to Military Commissaries, Backs Successful Effort to Protect Support
Senator Lisa Murkowski today strongly opposed the Obama administration's proposed $320 million cuts to military commissaries, as the Senate Appropriations Committee debated the 2016 Defense Appropriations bill. Murkowski spoke in support of an amendment that would restore the government support for commissaries and avoid the prospect of reducing store hours. The amendment passed unanimously by the Senate Appropriations Committee. Prior to the committee vote of the amendment, Senator Murkowski… Continue Reading
06.10.15
Murkowski’s Appropriations Work Makes Alaska Waters Safer, Fisheries More Sustainable
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) finalized its 2016 funding bill today, incorporating several policies and provisions at the urging of Senator Lisa Murkowski. The CJS bill successfully passed out of the subcommittee earlier today and will head to the full Senate Appropriations Committee for more consideration tomorrow. "Alaska's waters are our farms, and we've got to keep them safe for mariners and fishermen, but also prioritize funding the researc… Continue Reading
06.10.15
Subcommittee Advances Chairman Murkowski’s Efforts to Restore Denali Name, Honor Governor Jay Hammond
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks today received testimony on two bills authored and introduced by Senator Lisa Murkowski, chairman of the full committee. The first, S. 319 would officially designate North America's highest peak by its traditional Alaska Native name, Denali, meaning "high one." Alaskans already refer to Mount McKinley as Denali and the state of Alaska changed the name of the mountain in 1975, but the U.S. Board on Geographic Names continues… Continue Reading
