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: Strategic Reserve Critical to Long-Term Security
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement in response to calls to release oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in an attempt to lower gasoline prices: "Once again we are hearing calls from Democrats to tap our nation's emergency oil supplies to lower prices at the pump. Rising gas prices are painful for all of us, but the SPR is our nation's insurance policy against serious oil supply disruptions, not a political lever to b… Continue Reading
02.27.12
Senator Murkowski's Floor Speech: Production Must be Part of an "All-of-the-Above" Energy Policy
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today spoke on the Senate floor about rising gasoline prices and the need to increase domestic production of oil, especially from Alaska. "The President says that the Republican plan is just to drill, drill, drill, and he says we hear this every year. Why do we hear this every year? Because it is part of the solution. It's not the whole solution, but it is part of the solution. It shouldn't just be part of the rhetoric here." "We ha… Continue Reading
02.27.12
Murkowski: President's 'All-of-the-Above' Energy Statements Omit Many of the Facts
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement in response to President Obama's recent comments about rising gasoline prices: "While I welcome the president's stated commitment to develop 'every available' energy source and his reluctant acknowledgment that increasing domestic production does help reduce prices, many of his recent comments and his administration's actions have been disappointing to those of us who have long been working to make en… Continue Reading
02.22.12
Murkowski Welcomes Hearing on Loan Guarantee Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today welcomed Chairman Bingaman's announcement that the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee would hold a hearing on the Department of Energy's loan guarantee program next month. "If the loan guarantee programs are going to continue in this era of austerity, we must ensure that they are working as intended and that taxpayer dollars are not being put in unnecessarily risky investments," Murkowski said. "As the Senate committee… Continue Reading
02.17.12
Senator Murkowski Co-Sponsors Bipartisan Bill to Boost Housing Market
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senators Lisa Murkowski, Scott Brown (R-MA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced legislation to improve the housing market by expediting "short sales" - real estate transactions that must be approved by the bank because the seller owes more on their mortgage than the selling price. The legislation addresses the lengthy closing process that often comes with a short sale by requiring banks to respond to prospective buyers within 75 days. "There are neighborhoods across the coun… Continue Reading
02.17.12
Murkowski Applauds Approval of Shell’s Arctic Spill Prevention Plan
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today congratulated the U.S. Department of the Interior for its approval of Shell's oil discharge prevention and contingency plan for Alaska's Chukchi Sea. "I appreciate Interior's final approval of Shell's contingency plan for the Chukchi," Murkowski said. "Today's decision confirms what we've known for some time - that Shell has put together a robust and comprehensive spill prevention and response plan that offers the highest level of env… Continue Reading
02.17.12
Murkowski Votes To Extend Temporary Tax Cut on Alaskans’ Paychecks, Other Benefits
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today cast her vote in favor of extending the payroll tax cut provision for 160 million working Americans for the rest of 2012, as well as continuing Medicare reimbursements to doctors and a modification of the unemployment benefit program - which passed the U.S. Senate 60-36. Afterwards, she had the following statement about the vote: "I reluctantly voted to extend the temporary payroll tax cut for the rest of the year, but I did so because it means a… Continue Reading
02.16.12
Murkowski Celebrates Elizabeth Peratrovich Day
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In honor of Elizabeth Peratrovich Day, Senator Lisa Murkowski shared the following reflection with her fellow Alaskans: "Elizabeth Peratrovich is an iconic Alaskan figure because of her poise and vision. She is remembered as one of the greatest civil rights activists and female leaders we have ever known. Where Rosa Parks changed the face of history by simply telling a bus driver 'No," Elizabeth gained lasting change in Alaska decades earlier by reminding the Alaska state leg… Continue Reading
02.16.12
Murkowski Voices Support for Disapproval Resolution on Utility MACT
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today issued the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency's publication of the final Mercury and Air Toxics Standards rule, or Utility MACT, in the Federal Register, and in support of Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe's resolution filed under the Congressional Review Act to disapprove the rule. "Despite some substantive changes to the final Utility MACT rule, I continue to be concerned about its potential adverse imp… Continue Reading
02.16.12
Murkowski Names Tourism Aide
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today named Miles Baker - former Alaska Legislature aide, a current member of her Washington, D.C. staff - her U.S. Senate legislative assistant for tourism. Raised in Alaska, Baker will now assist Senator Murkowski on tourism-related matters, in addition to his current responsibilities on economic policy. "Alaska offers the world a one-of-a-kind combination of breathtaking beauty, wildlife and down-to-earth hosts, and I want to make sure that every po… Continue Reading
02.16.12
Sen. Murkowski Asks Sec. Chu to Testify at Loan Program Hearing
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today asked Energy Secretary Steven Chu if he would be willing to testify at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the department's loan programs, when one is scheduled. (click picture for video) Murkowski, the ranking Republican on the committee, renewed her request for an oversight hearing to review DOE's loan programs since the solar company Solyndra, which received a $535 million loan guarantee, filed for … Continue Reading
02.16.12
President’s Budget Represents Missed Opportunity on Energy Policy
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today made the following opening statement at the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the administration's proposed fiscal year 2013 budget for the Department of Energy. "It almost goes without saying that I was disappointed by the administration's overall request for fiscal year 2013. We all hoped - and expected - that the president would lead the way by presenting a good plan to reduce our debt and grow our economy. … Continue Reading
02.15.12
Murkowski Educates Senate on Alaska Road Needs
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today took to the U.S. Senate floor to educate her colleagues about the harm that could be done to Alaska's Indian Reservation Roads (IRR) program through the Surface Transportation Bill being considered on Capitol Hill. Earlier today, Senator Murkowski introduced an amendment that would protect the existing IRR funding formula from a newly-proposed one "written behind closed doors by a handful of people with no government-to-government tribal consultat… Continue Reading
02.15.12
Murkowski, Begich Fight to Restore Road Funding Balance
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators Lisa Murkowski and Mark Begich today co-sponsored an amendment (attached) to S. 1813, the Surface Transportation Bill that would keep Alaska's federally recognized tribes from being disproportionately harmed through a funding formula change to the Indian Reservation Roads (IRR) program. The Senators also proposed to restore 'High Priority Projects' funds that totaled $14 million last year in rural Alaska. The new formula proposed in the bill would funnel the existing… Continue Reading
02.14.12
Senators Call on Majority Leader Reid to Allow Hearings, Debate on Cybersecurity Legislation
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Kay Bailey Hutchison, John McCain, Chuck Grassley, Saxby Chambliss Jeff Sessions and Mike Enzi today sent a letter calling on Majority Leader Reid to reconsider his plan to bypass regular order on the Lieberman/Collins cybersecurity bill. "If we are serious about enacting effective legislation into law, we must provide all Members of the Senate the opportunity to become adequately informed by regular order. This is not the kind of legislation tha… Continue Reading
02.14.12
Murkowski Urges Heart Disease Awareness for Women
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski today joined the Women's Heart Health Foundation, encouraging women to communicate to one another about the high risk of heart disease - given that too few women are aware a woman dies every minute from heart disease, stroke or other forms of cardiovascular disease. "I urge you to use your networks, talk to other women, go home tonight and share it with people you know," Murkowski told the women in attendance. "Tweet it, go to your Facebook page. Put t… Continue Reading
02.13.12
Murkowski Responds to White House Budget
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski today had the following reaction to President Obama's budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, 2012: "My initial response to the President's budget today is that it represents another missed opportunity. The President had an opportunity to show leadership and attempt to get our fiscal house in order when it comes to spending, entitlement and tax reform, but instead he is proposing adding another trillion dollars to our debt - ignoring the … Continue Reading
02.13.12
Murkowski Opens Juneau Office to Strengthen Outreach
Senator Lisa Murkowski announced the opening of a new office today in Juneau, to improve her connectivity with constituents in the capital city. While Murkowski staffer Colleen McCowan has been working in Juneau for a number of months, Senator Murkowski's new office, which is located in the heart of downtown Juneau, provides a place for Alaskans to more easily connect with the Senator. "The city of Juneau is a vibrant community with a high fluency in politics, and I'm glad this opens up an imp… Continue Reading
02.10.12
Murkowski Fights for Rural Justice Commission Return
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Lisa Murkowski is proposing a framework to restart the Alaska Rural Justice and Law Enforcement Commission -- which has exhausted its authorized funding levels - in the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. Other Murkowski provisions successfully included in the bill during a Senate Judiciary Committee working session promote the health and safety of Alaskan women in remote locations. "The Rural Justice Commission has been a critical component to provide public s… Continue Reading
02.10.12
Murkowski Renews Request for Oversight Hearing on DOE Loan Guarantee Program
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today renewed her request to Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., that the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hold an oversight hearing on the Department of Energy's loan programs. This renewed request comes as the Obama administration released an audit of the Loan Program Office (LPO) at DOE. "It's clear that implementation of the DOE's loan programs has flaws that need to be addressed," Murkowski said. "As the Senate committee of juris… Continue Reading
