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 Welcomes Additional H-2B Visas, Critical for Seasonal Jobs in Alaska
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released the following statements after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) announced 20,000 additional H-2B nonagricultural worker visas for the first half of fiscal year 2022, which will be available to employers on Friday, January 28, 2022. This marks the first release of supplemental visas in the first half of a fiscal year. "The H-2B visa program has long played an important role for seasonal fishing and tourism bus… Continue Reading
01.28.22
Murkowski Welcomes Steve Wackowski Back to Team as State Director
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today announced Steve Wackowski will serve as her new State Director in Anchorage, Alaska. "I'm excited to welcome Steve back to my team. His work experience-not only in Alaska but also around Congress at large-expertise in the resource development industry, and his passion for our state make him a great fit for this position. Steve is a guy that just gets how Alaska works," said Senator Murkowski. "Throughout the many years I've known Steve, he has proven to … Continue Reading
01.24.22
Delegation Reiterates Support for Tongass Roadless Exemption
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, today released the following joint statement as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) closed the 60-day comment period for its proposal to reinstate the 2001 Roadless Rule on the Tongass National Forest. "Southeast Alaska deserves a sustainable economy, but the one-size-fits-all Roadless Rule works against that. It should never have been applied to Alaska, and it should not be re-applied this year or any … Continue Reading
01.21.22
Grant Roundup: Senator Murkowski Announces Federal Grants to Alaska
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the senior Senator for Alaska, announced the following grants to organizations, Tribal entities, and communities in Alaska: Anchorage: Up to $400,000 in Phase II funding for PKS Consulting, Inc. from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a mobile plastic ocean waste recycler that produces recycled plastic lumber products from locally collected plastic ocean waste. Anchorage: $20,000 for Alaska Design Forum from the National Endowment for the Arts (… Continue Reading
01.21.22
Delegation Announces Disaster Declarations for Alaska Fisheries
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, today welcomed determinations from the Department of Commerce that fishery disasters have occurred in numerous Alaska fisheries, allowing them to receive critical relief funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The funding can be distributed to fishermen and their crews, seafood processors, and research initiatives in the impacted regions. "Alaska's fisheries are economic and s… Continue Reading
01.20.22
Sens. Coons, Murkowski, Reps. Peters, Salazar unveil landmark bipartisan climate resilience legislation
Today, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and U.S. Representatives Scott Peters (D-Calif.) and María Salazar (R-Fla.) introduced the National Climate Adaptation and Resilience Strategy Act (NCARS), a bipartisan bill to streamline the federal response to climate hazards that threaten human health and well-being, critical infrastructure, and natural systems. Cosponsors include Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) as w… Continue Reading
01.20.22
Murkowski Urges Bipartisan Approach for Voting Rights, Election Reforms, Senate Rule Changes
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released the following statement after voting against the motion to invoke cloture on H.R. 5746, a combination of voting rights bills passed by the House of Representatives last week, and a subsequent effort to weaken the Senate's legislative filibuster to facilitate its passage along party lines. The cloture motion failed 49-51, while the rule change failed 48-52. "I continue to believe that Congress should pass a reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, whi… Continue Reading
01.19.22
Murkowski Announces Significant Funding for Alaska from Bipartisan Infrastructure Act
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today announced that as a result of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which she played a lead role in crafting and advancing into law last year, four more projects in Alaska have been selected to receive substantial federal funding. Today's announcement, which follows last week's announcement of $25 million for the Denali Park Road, includes $250 million for the Port of Nome; $185 million for the Lowell Creek flood diversion project in Sew… Continue Reading
01.17.22
Murkowski Shares a Message of Reflection on MLK Day
In light of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) shared the following message: Click here for video. Click here for a high-res photo. "When we reflect on what matters to us as Americans-things like equality, freedom, justice-it's hard to forget the remarkable leaders who fought to secure these rights in the ongoing quest toward a more perfect union. "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s commitment to Civil Rights and leading with kindness changed the course of histor… Continue Reading
01.16.22
Murkowski Welcomes USDA Announcement for New Mariculture Facility on Prince of Wales Island
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today welcomed the announcement that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will award $500,000 to Southeast Conference to design a mariculture processing facility to be located on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska-home to one of the largest kelp farms in the United States. "Creating sustainable economies in rural and remote communities can be challenging, but this investment, in recognition of the promise that Alaska's unique and growing mariculture industry … Continue Reading
01.14.22
Alaska Mental Health Trust Land Exchange Near Completion
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young all R-Alaska, welcomed the finalization of approximately 45 miles of permanent access easements, which mark the completion of a long-running land exchange between the Alaska Mental Health Trust (AMHT) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS). This final step follows more than twenty years of work, including significant leadership and support from the Alaska Congressional Delegation and the State of Alaska. "While my 2017 legislatio… Continue Reading
01.14.22
Casey, Tillis, Smith, Murkowski Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Community Health Workforce
As communities across the Nation tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tina Smith (D-MN) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) are introducing bipartisan legislation to strengthen the workforce of community health workers and address health disparities among underserved communities. Studies have demonstrated that community health workers can identify and address the specific health needs of their communities, promote healthy behavior and reduce hospitalization. Th… Continue Reading
01.14.22
Vice Chairman Murkowski Underscores Need to Increase Access & Affordability of Broadband in Native Communities
During a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA) roundtable this week on "Closing the Digital Divide in Native Communities through Infrastructure Investment," Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the SCIA, provided an opening statement and questioned panelists about the importance of closing the digital divide through implementation of appropriations, COVID-19 relief bills, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. "Closing the digital divide in Native communities has seemed … Continue Reading
01.14.22
Murkowski Votes to Sanction Nord Stream 2
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) yesterday voted in favor of S. 3436, the Protecting Europe's Energy Security Implementation Act, which would impose sanctions with respect to entities responsible for the planning, construction, or operation of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline. The vote, set at a threshold of 60 for passage, failed by a margin of 55-44. "Our partners in Europe need better options to meet their energy demand, but increasing their dependence on Russian gas is not one o… Continue Reading
01.13.22
Murkowski Welcomes Supreme Court Decision Blocking Biden’s Vaccine Sweeping Mandate for Businesses
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) issued the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked the Biden administration from enforcing its vaccine and testing mandate for private companies with more than 100 employees. In a 6-3 decision, the Court ruled against the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) order for larger businesses to either require vaccines or have a masking and testing policy. "I join many Alaskans in welcoming the Supreme Court decision to … Continue Reading
01.13.22
Delegation Welcomes Major Announcement on Denali Park Road
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, issued the following statements after Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced that $25 million from the bipartisan infrastructure law is being made available to expedite a solution for Denali Park Road access. The investment is one of the first that the Department of the Interior (DOI) has made under the infrastructure law. It is both timely and critical for Alaska, as the Denali Park Road has continu… Continue Reading
01.12.22
Senators Coons, Murkowski reintroduce legislation to support spouses of veterans who died from ALS
U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), the co-chair of the Senate ALS Caucus, and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate ALS Caucus, re-introduced the Justice for ALS Veterans Act, bipartisan legislation that would ensure the surviving spouses of veterans receive the full benefits they are owed. Companion legislation was introduced in the House last October by U.S. Representatives Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.). According to the ALS Association, military veterans… Continue Reading
01.12.22
Senators Coons, Murkowski reintroduce legislation to support spouses of veterans who died from ALS
U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), the co-chair of the Senate ALS Caucus, and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate ALS Caucus, re-introduced the Justice for ALS Veterans Act, bipartisan legislation that would ensure the surviving spouses of veterans receive the full benefits they are owed. Companion legislation was introduced in the House last October by U.S. Representatives Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.). According to the ALS Association, military veterans… Continue Reading
01.12.22
Murkowski Urges Consensus Building Over Partisan Rule Changes
As partisan attempts to weaken or eliminate the legislative filibuster reach a fever pitch this week, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) spoke about the importance of protecting minority rights in the Senate, and to the consequences of weakening the legislative filibuster to a 50-vote, majority-serving threshold. Click here for video of Senator Murkowski's floor statement on the legislative filibuster. EXCERPTS "I understand what it takes to work across the aisle to bring good policy in… Continue Reading
01.11.22
“No Action” Administration Targets NPR-A for Latest Restrictions on Alaska Resource Development
U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, issued the following statements after the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) signaled that it plans to close millions of additional acres in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska to responsible resource development. "With zero analysis or consultation with Alaskans, the Biden administration has decided to upend the NPR-A's current management plan to return to an outdated policy that is worse for our state's econ… Continue Reading