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.
BLM’s NPR-A Plan Harms American Energy Security, Ignores Alaskan Voices
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both R-Alaska, today slammed the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for reverting the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) to the 2013 version of its Integrated Activity Plan (IAP). This shortsighted decision closes millions of acres to responsible energy development, deliberately upending a careful balance in the management of the reserve and more broadly across Alaska lands. The Biden administration's move abandons the 2020 version of the IAP, … Continue Reading
04.22.22
Murkowski: BLM Expands Lands Available for Native Veterans Allotments
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement about the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) decision to open 27 million acres of land for Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans to select their birthright allotments-which could have been the case from day one of the Biden administration onward. BLM's decision is based on an environmental assessment that found there would be no significant impact from lifting outdated Public Land Orders (PLOs) for this purpose. "While this decision … Continue Reading
04.22.22
Murkowski, King Cove Continue Fight for Life-Saving Road
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) visited King Cove, Alaska with Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Governor Mike Dunleavy (R-AK), and Alaska's Chief Medical Officer, Anne Zink, to push for continued federal support and the urgent approval of a short, gravel, one-lane, life-saving road needed to connect the predominantly Aleut community to the all-weather airport in nearby Cold Bay. "We recently heard from the people of King Cove, who have stewarded these lands since time immemorial. Long … Continue Reading
04.18.22
Sullivan & Murkowski Ask Secretary Haaland to Correct Injustice, Approve Land Orders Needed for Alaska Native Vietnam-Era Veterans to Select Promised Allotments
U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (both R-Alaska) today sent a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, in advance of her first visit to Alaska this week, asking the secretary to expeditiously allow the Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veterans Land Allotment Program to proceed. Specifically, the senators are requesting the secretary lift the Public Land Orders (PLOs) that would make over 28-million acres of federal land available for selection by eligible veterans or their heirs. The sena… Continue Reading
04.14.22
Murkowski Statement on Highest Inflation in Four Decades
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released a report showing inflation reached 8.5 percent over the past year, the largest year-over-year increase since 1981. "The numbers in this report serve to underscore the painful reality that Alaskans are facing every time they go to a grocery store or a gas station. Just about everything is being impacted by rising inflation as we see the cost of transportation and the overall co… Continue Reading
04.13.22
Murkowski, Sullivan, Speier Call on Army Secretary to Address High Alaska Servicemember Suicide Rate
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, and Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), chair of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel have sent a letter to Army Secretary Christine Wormuth calling on the Army to do more to address the high incidence of service member deaths by suicide in Alaska and to take comprehensive actions to change the current traject… Continue Reading
04.07.22
Murkowski Supports Additional Penalties for Russia
The Senate today passed two measures to impose additional penalties on Russia over its bloody, unprovoked war on Ukraine. The first measure, H.R. 6968, imposes a legislative ban on Russian energy imports and contains language crafted in part by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) to expedite its implementation. The second measure, H.R. 7108, would suspend permanent normal trade relations (PNTR), a key benefit of World Trade Organization membership, for Russia and Belarus. "Congress remains united in … Continue Reading
04.07.22
Ketanji Brown Jackson Confirmed to be Supreme Court Justice
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today voted to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve as the next Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, filling the vacancy that will be created when Justice Stephen Breyer retires at the end of the current term. The nomination was confirmed by a bipartisan vote of 53-47. "I give my constitutional 'advice and consent' responsibility to consider Supreme Court nominees the tremendous weight it deserves. In all my reviews of Supreme Court nominees, I… Continue Reading
04.04.22
Murkowski To Support Confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, announced today that she will support the confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who has been nominated to be a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. "After multiple in-depth conversations with Judge Jackson and deliberative review of her record and recent hearings, I will support her historic nomination to be an Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. "My support rests on Judge Jackson's qualifications, which no one questions; her demonstrated judicial… Continue Reading
04.04.22
Murkowski, Sullivan Respond to Damaging Designation of ‘Critical Habitat’ in Alaska
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both R-Alaska, today slammed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for announcing it is designating critical habitat in U.S. waters off the coast of Alaska for the Beringia "distinct population segment" (DPS) of bearded seals and Arctic ringed seals. The designated area extends from St. Matthews to the Canadian border in the Beaufort Sea, which is roughly equivalent in size to Texas. "NOAA's decision to designate more than 260,… Continue Reading
03.31.22
Administration Announces Additional H-2B Visas
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released the following statement after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) announced 35,000 additional H-2B nonagricultural worker visas for the second half of fiscal year 2022, which will be available to employers for the summer 2022 season. "With the tourism and fishing season right around the corner, and the economic fallout we have seen from COVID, it is vital to ensure Alaskans have the needed workers to supplement … Continue Reading
03.31.22
Murkowski: Latest Biden Oil ‘Plan’ is Half-Baked, Irresponsible
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today released the following statement after President Biden announced he would release approximately 180 million barrels of emergency oil reserves over the next six months. In addition, instead of taking meaningful steps to increase domestic oil and gas production, the President called on Congress to impose new fees on domestic oil and gas leaseholders. "Earlier this week, the President proposed to raise taxes on domestic energy producers by tens of billi… Continue Reading
03.31.22
DPA Announcement on Mineral Security Will Benefit Alaska
At the urging of U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Jim Risch (R-ID), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA), President Biden today announced that he is invoking the Defense Production Act (DPA) to spur critical mineral production. On March 11, the Senators sent a letter to President Biden calling to invoke the DPA to rebuild the capacity of key sectors and value-chains by domestically producing and processing critical minera… Continue Reading
03.30.22
Murkowski Announces Details of Upcoming Grant Symposium
On Monday, April 11, 2022, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), a lead author and negotiator of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, will host a federal grant symposium at the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage, Alaska. The purpose of the symposium is to provide Alaskans with a better understanding of the unprecedented opportunities made possible by the bipartisan infrastructure law, which provides for historic investments in core physical infrastructure-roads, bridges, rai… Continue Reading
03.29.22
Murkowski, Sullivan Lead Resolution Honoring Congressman Don Young
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both R-Alaska, today thanked the Senate for unanimously cosponsoring and passing their resolution honoring the life and legacy of Congressman Don Young, who served Alaska in the House of Representatives for the last 49 years. Congressman Young passed away on March 18, 2022. "Congressman Don Young was larger than life, as is the legacy he leaves behind. He devoted 49 years to the service of Alaska and the nation. In that time, he shepherded critical… Continue Reading
03.29.22
Murkowski to Launch FY 2023 Appropriations Request Page
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement after President Biden unveiled a budget request for Fiscal Year 2023: "The President proposes, Congress disposes. Now that the President has detailed his priorities, those of us in Congress will begin to evaluate which programs to fund and at what levels. As part of this, and just as we did for FY 2022, we will have an opportunity to bring taxpayer dollars back to our state through a very transparent Congressionally Directed Spen… Continue Reading
03.28.22
Klobuchar, Murkowski, Collins, Sinema Bipartisan Legislation to Honor Supreme Court Justices Ginsburg and O’Connor Passes the House
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, with U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), announced that their bipartisan legislation to honor U.S. Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O'Connor with statues in the U.S. Capitol campus or on Capitol grounds has passed the House. The bill now goes to President Biden's desk to be signed into law. Members of the House of Representatives, led by Democr… Continue Reading
03.28.22
Vice Chairman Murkowski: It Is Time HHS Take Action to Ensure Tribal Health Data Access
Recently, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, delivered remarks at the Committee's legislative hearing to receive testimony on six bills, including, S.1397, the Tribal Health Data Improvement Act of 2021, sponsored by Vice Chairman Murkowski with Senator Tina Smith (D-MN). "During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 12 Tribal Epidemiology Centers (TECs) in the country, which includes the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, faced signi… Continue Reading
03.28.22
Murkowski Announces New Round of FCC Emergency Connectivity Funding Commitments to Alaska
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) shared three announcements from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA) in support of broadband and connectivity in Alaska. First, the FCC awarded four school districts in Alaska funding from the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF), a program that helps schools and libraries provide the telecommunication tools and services students and communities need. Second, the FCC will open a third application filing window for emerge… Continue Reading
03.25.22
Murkowski, Cantwell Spearhead Legislation to Strengthen Blue Economy and Support Coastal Communities
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced the Ocean Regional Opportunity and Innovation Act of 2022 (Ocean ROI Act of 2022), which would direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish "Ocean Innovation Clusters" (ocean clusters) to strengthen the coastal communities and blue economy of the nation. Senator Murkowski is a strong supporter of Ocean Clusters, including the Alaska Ocean Cluster which serves as a hub for private, public, and academic stakeholders to colla… Continue Reading