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 Introduces Bill to Study Feasibility of an Arctic Deep Water Port
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today introduced legislation authorizing a study to determine the feasibility of building a deep water port in the Arctic. The Arctic Deep Water Sea Port Act would direct the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, to conduct the study in an effort to protect U.S. strategic interests in the region. The two-year study would seek to determine what strategic capabilities a deep water port could provide a… Continue Reading
12.07.09
Murkowski: MMS Approval of Shell’s Chukchi Exploration Plan a Positive Sign
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today welcomed the Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service's conditional approval of Shell Oil's plan to drill up to three exploratory wells off the northwest coast of Alaska in the Chukchi Sea. "This is progress," Murkowski said. "Today's announcement from the MMS is an encouraging sign that Alaska's oil and natural gas resources can continue to play a major role in America's energy security." "While this represents a step fo… Continue Reading
12.05.09
Citing ISER Study, Murkowski Says Democrats’ Health Care Bill Would Be Poor Fit for Alaska
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Citing a University of Alaska at Anchorage analysis of the Democrats' health care bill in the Senate, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska said today that nearly 28,000 Alaskans would see their health care premiums rise under the Democrats' health care proposal now under debate on the Senate floor. Murkowski asked UAA's Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) to review a recent non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis of the Democrats' bill that said p… Continue Reading
12.04.09
Delegation Announces Grants and Contracts to Alaska Programs
Washington, D.C. - The Alaska Congressional Delegation is pleased to announce the following grants awarded to communities in the State of Alaska: National Park Service: • $75,000 to Kolmakovsky Redoubt Collection, Fairbanks to preserve the original blockhouse and stabilize the archaeological collections of the first Russian fort in the interior of Alaska. As part of the Save America's Treasures grants. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: • $748,487 to the Bristol Bay Are… Continue Reading
12.04.09
United States Should Support Climate Adaptation at Home First
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today made the following statement in response to President Obama's call for $10 billion a year to support climate change adaptation and mitigation in developing countries, a "fair share" of which will be paid for by the United States: "I'm surprised the president would commit our nation to billions in new and long-term spending, particularly in a year that has seen our government rack up a record deficit, and before our economy is back on… Continue Reading
12.03.09
Indian Affairs Committee Approves Indian Health Care Improvement Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, a senior member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, today announced that the committee approved the Indian Health Care Improvement Reauthorization and Extension Act of 2009, a bill that would permanently reauthorize Indian health programs delivered by Alaska's Native regional health care providers. "It has been nearly 20 years since Congress last reauthorized the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. Our first Americans suffer the highest… Continue Reading
12.02.09
Murkowski Offers Amendment to Keep Government Out of Health Care Coverage Decisions
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today introduced an amendment to the Senate health care bill that would ensure patients receive doctor recommendations for what preventive health services their health insurance plan should cover without interference from government appointed advisers. "Since the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations against getting mammograms before age 50 came out last month, millions of Americans have become anxious and confused … Continue Reading
12.02.09
Sen. Murkowski: All Options on Table for Reducing Emissions
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today questioned whether the climate bills currently pending in the Senate represent the best approach for lowering greenhouse gas emissions, saying that all options, including a net zero carbon tax, deserve thorough consideration. "The main argument for cap and trade is that it would create a new market in which economically efficient and environmentally compliant decisions could be made. Despite this, the House and Senate bills display a… Continue Reading
12.01.09
Murkowski Comments on President Obama’s Afghanistan Decision
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, made the following statement regarding President Obama's speech on his plan for Afghanistan: "I am pleased that the President, after months of deliberation, is willing to provide General McChrystal with a substantial number of additional troops to carry out his mission in Afghanistan. But the key question is whether the President is fully committed to a strategy that provides a peaceful future for the people of Afghanistan and ceases the e… Continue Reading
12.01.09
Murkowski Statement on NOAA Beluga Whale Proposal
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, issued the following statement in response to a proposal by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to designate at least one-third of Cook Inlet as critical habitat for beluga whales: "I appreciate that the National Marine Fisheries Service has tried to identify the most important areas for the beluga whale in Cook Inlet, using the limited but available science. I have not had an opportunity to read the economic analysis… Continue Reading
12.01.09
Murkowski Champions Flexible Spending Accounts for Military Families
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today urged President Obama to promptly extend flexible spending accounts for military families so they can help pay out-of-pocket child care and health care expenses. A provision included in the recently enacted Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Authorization bill calls on the Department of Defense to make such accounts available to military members. Murkowski signed on to a bipartisan Senate letter to Obama urging him to work with Secretary of Def… Continue Reading
11.24.09
Murkowski Expresses Support for Biomass Energy Development at Coast Guard Facilities in Southeast Alaska
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today announced that she has sent letters to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Chief of the U.S. Forest Service Tom Tidwell urging that they continue their efforts to bring biomass wood energy usage to Coast Guard facilities in Southeast Alaska. The Coast Guard is actively working to identify renewable energy opportunities in the wake of last year's high oil prices. In their search, the Coast Guard has identified biomass as a fuel s… Continue Reading
11.24.09
Murkowski Leads Bipartisan Effort Calling for Senate Hearing on Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, joined by a bipartisan group of fellow senators, today called on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) to hold a hearing on controversial new breast screening recommendations made by a federal task force. Murkowski authored a letter (attached) , co-signed by 21 of her colleagues, to the chairman and ranking Republican member of the HELP committee asking for a hearing. A HELP committee member, Murkowski said the r… Continue Reading
11.21.09
Murkowski Opposes $2.5 Trillion Democrat Health Care Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, issued the following statement regarding her vote against beginning debate on the Democrat health care bill: "This 2,074-page, $2.5 trillion Democrat health care bill drafted without public input in the privacy of Majority Leader Harry Reid's office is not reform. Simply put, it's government-run health care that will raise taxes on individuals, families and small businesses, increase health insurance premiums and cut Medicare by a half tril… Continue Reading
11.20.09
Murkowski Speaks Against Democrats’ Health Care Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said today that the controversial new guidelines for breast cancer - which say that women in their 40s shouldn't undergo routine mammograms - could become a first step toward rationing under a government run health care system. "These guidelines could be a kind of peak under the curtain of what we can anticipate with a government run program," Murkowski said at a Senate Republican leadership news conference to discuss the Senate Democrats' … Continue Reading
11.20.09
Murkowski Gets Commitment from Postal Service to Resume 'Dear Santa' Letter Responses
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, announced today that the United States Postal Service (USPS) has agreed to resume a program in Alaska that would allow volunteers to respond to Dear Santa letters from children across the country. In a phone call today, Deputy Postmaster General Pat Donahoe told Murkowski that the USPS had reconsidered its position not to allow Alaskan volunteers to answer letters addressed "Dear Santa, North Pole." Donahoe told Murkowski, "We're all set a… Continue Reading
11.19.09
Murkowski Lauds Passage of Omnibus Veterans Health Care Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today announced that the Senate has approved legislation that would provide monthly stipends to family members who care for seriously injured veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflict in their home. The Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009 includes provisions from three bills cosponsored by Murkowski: the Caregiver and Veterans Health Services Act of 2009; the Women's Health Care Improvement Act of 2009, intended … Continue Reading
11.19.09
Murkowski Comments on Democrats’ Senate Health Care Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today made the following comments regarding the health care bill unveiled this week by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: "The health care bill unveiled this week by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is deeply disappointing and in many ways is even worse than the Senate Finance Committee-passed proposal. Not only would the new bill, like the Finance measure, raise taxes, cut Medicare and boost health insurance premiums, but it would also cr… Continue Reading
11.19.09
Murkowski Works for Fair Treatment Regarding 8(a) Contracting Preferences
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today took action on several fronts to ensure that Alaska Native Corporations continue to be treated fairly under the Native American 8(a) program. Alaska's senior senator called on the Obama Administration to hold a public hearing in Alaska on the proposed new regulations for the Native American 8(a) program. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will be holding several hearings around the country on the proposed regulations, but ha… Continue Reading
11.18.09
Senate Health Panel Approves Food Safety Bill That Includes Murkowski Initiatives Involving Seafood Safety and Bush Food Shipments
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today approved comprehensive food safety legislation that includes provisions by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, pertaining to seafood safety and food shipments to rural and frontier areas, including the Alaskan Bush. The bill, approved unanimously by the HELP Committee, would address recent events concerning unsafe and tainted foods, including contaminated spinach with E. Coli and peanut butter laced with Salmone… Continue Reading
