url,title,date,year,month,party,chamber,state,member_name,bioguide_id,domain,scraper,source,date_source,text,has_text,collected_at,updated_at
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/icymi-senate-passes-five-alaska-bills,ICYMI: Senate Passes Five Alaska Bills,2024-12-31,2024,2024-12,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=9,scraper,"Anchorage, AK— In case you missed it, five Alaska-related bills passed the Senate by unanimous consent during the final week of the current 118th Congress. The Senate passed these measures on a standalone basis after a package of public lands measures prepared by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee was not included in a year-end vehicle such as the Continuing Resolution.

The Senate passed the following measures by unanimous consent:

S. 623, a bill to amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) to exclude certain payments to aged, blind, or disabled Alaska Natives or their descendants from being used to determine eligibility for certain programs, and for other purposes. Sponsored by Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK).

S. 2615, the Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands Restoration Act. Sponsored by Senators Murkowski and Sullivan. This legislation would sunset the requirement for village corporations to reconvey lands for municipal uses under Section 14(c)(3) of ANCSA.

S. 3617, the Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act. Sponsored by Senators Murkowski and Sullivan. This bill would waive an existing statutory requirement that compels Cape Fox Corporation, an Alaska Native Corporation for the Village of Saxman, to use a portion of its entitlement under ANCSA for remote parcels that have no economic value to the corporation. Instead, the bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey to Cape Fox the surface estate to a 180-acre tract in the Tongass National Forest that was unavailable to the corporation under the original terms of ANCSA.

S. 3790, the Alaska Native Vietnam Era Veterans Land Allotment Extension Act. Sponsored by Senators Sullivan and Murkowski. Thislegislation would make lands identified in 2020 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFS) eligible for conveyance, as was promised to our Alaska Native Vietnam Veterans. The legislation would also require USFS to identify additional lands for selection and conveyance to eligible veterans.

S. 4974, a bill to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to reauthorize the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System, and for other purposes. Sponsored by Senators Murkowski, Sullivan, Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI).

While none of these bills will become law before the end of the 118th Congress, their passage provides positive momentum going into the new year. Senator Murkowski expressed her “hope and optimism” that both the House and the Senate could advance these non-controversial measures into law relatively early in the next Congress.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:07:19Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/senator-murkowski-opposes-denali-name-change,Senator Murkowski Opposes Denali Name Change,2024-12-23,2024,2024-12,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=9,scraper,"Washington, DC – In response to recent comments from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) reaffirmed her support for Denali to remain the officially recognized name of North America’s tallest mountain.

“You can’t improve upon the name that Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans bestowed on North America’s tallest peak, Denali – the Great One,” Senator Murkowski said. “For years, I advocated in Congress to restore the rightful name for this majestic mountain to respect Alaska’s first people who have lived on these lands for thousands of years. This is an issue that should not be relitigated.”",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:07:19Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/12/21/2024/murkowski-never-ever-a-time-when-a-government-shutdown-is-a-good-thing-for-americans-or-alaskans,"Murkowski: “Never, Ever a Time When a Government Shutdown is a Good Thing for Americans or Alaskans”",2024-12-21,2024,2024-12,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"Washington, DC – Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) supported a stopgap package that extends the federal government funding deadline to March 14, 2025, thus avoiding a costly and unnecessary government shutdown while also providing critical disaster recovery funds for communities across the country. This package garnered bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress and included $300 million to refill the U.S. Department of Commerce’s fishery disaster assistance accounts, which Senator Murkowski was instrumental in securing.

“There is never, ever a time when a government shutdown is a good thing for Americans or Alaskans. I’m relieved that cooler heads prevailed and a needless shutdown was avoided,” said Senator Murkowski. “Additionally, I was able to secure several critical provisions that will help Alaskans, including a desperately needed $300 million that will refill our fisheries disaster account, ensuring that our hardworking fishermen will have the support they need to get back on the water.”

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:07:19Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-celebrates-long-overdue-passage-of-social-security-fairness-act,Murkowski Celebrates Long-Overdue Passage of Social Security Fairness Act,2024-12-21,2024,2024-12,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced that the Senate passed H.R. 82 The Social Security Fairness Act tonight in a bipartisan vote of 76-20. This legislation repeals the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO), which have reduced the amount of Social Security benefits accessible to select federal, state, local employees, and to their spouses and survivors. Senator Murkowski has been a longstanding supporter of the Social Security Fairness Act since her arrival to the Senate, co-sponsoring the legislation every year since 2003. H.R. 82 is the companion bill to S. 597, introduced in the Senate. The bill will now go to the President for his signature.

“I have been working on the Social Security Fairness Act for as long as I’ve been representing Alaska in the United States Senate,” Senator Murkowski said. “There is no doubt that Congress has taken too long to address this inequity, but I am grateful to the diligent bipartisan work of my colleagues to help us finally get this over the finish line. This legislation takes care of Alaskans who have dedicated years of service to our communities, serving in integral roles such as teachers, firefighters, and police officers. Hardworking public servants should not be denied the benefits that they paid for because of their career choices, and I’m relieved that this longstanding injustice has been remedied.”

""The Alaska AFL-CIO and all of its affiliated unions are elated with the passage of the Social Security Fairness Act. The GPO/ WEP provisions have existed for far too long impacting the lives of thousands of Alaska workers and their heirs,” said Joelle Hall, President of Alaska AFL-CIO. Punishing public employees and their heirs for dedicating their lives to their community is wrong and we want to thank Senator Murkowski for her long-standing support for fixing this policy that has hurt so many families.""

“Today’s vote is incredibly welcome news to thousands of Alaska’s current and former public employees who have been unfairly punished simply for their public service,” said Heidi Drygas, Executive Director of ASEA/AFSCME Local 52. “We thank Senator Murkowski for her leadership on this critically important issue for our membership. So many Alaska families will breathe easier tonight knowing they will receive the full retirement that they deserve. Thank you to the thousands of AFSCME employees and retirees for their decades of persistent advocacy on this issue.”

“Alaska’s law enforcement personnel have worked too hard and put too much on the line in service of our communities to not receive their fully deserved Social Security benefits,” said President Shaun Kuzakin, Public Safety Employees Association, Local 803. “I’m relieved that this long-standing injustice has been corrected and grateful to Senator Murkowski for her support for Alaska’s public safety employees.”

“Alaska's firefighters applaud Senator Murkowski for standing up for public workers across Alaska,” said Dominic Lozano, President of Alaska Professional Fire Fighters. “For too long the federal government has been withholding portions of our social security benefits unfairly. Senator Murkowski understands the importance of this legislation and has been advocating for Alaskans since she started in the Senate. Retirees throughout Alaska know the importance of this legislation as well as future generations of Alaskans who will now receive their full social security benefit.”

“Passage of H.R. 82 is historic and will immediately make a positive difference in the lives of thousands of former military members, public servants and educators. We’re grateful that Senator Murkowski has been fighting alongside Alaska’s educators on this issue for her entire career in the US Senate,” said Kathy Simpler, Director of the National Education Association-Alaska.

“More than 17,000 former public servants in Alaska, and over 2.8 million nationally, are unfairly penalized by WEP and GPO. With this Senate vote, backed by Senator Murkowski, we will finally receive the full benefits we earned through our hard work. The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) will be forever grateful for Senator Murkowski’s leadership in the effort to repeal WEP and GPO, which NARFE has been advocating for 40 years,” said Paul McIntosh, President of the National Active and Retired Employees Association.

Background:

The WEP, enacted in 1983, reduces the Social Security benefits of workers who receive pensions from a federal, state, or local government for employment not covered by Social Security. The GPO, enacted in 1977, reduces Social Security spousal benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers whose spouses receive pensions from a federal, state, or local government. Together, these provisions reduce Social Security benefits for nearly 3 million Americans – including those who worked teachers, state employees, and public safety officers. Alaska is one of the most disproportionately and negatively affected states per capita by the WEP and GPO.

The Social Security Fairness Act has been endorsed by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations Alaska (AFL-CIO Alaska), Alaska Fire Chiefs Association (AFCA), Alaska Professional Fighters Association (APFA), National Education Association – Alaska (NEA-A), National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association Alaska (NARFE Alaska), Alaska State Employees Association (ASEA), Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Strengthen Medicare (NCPSSM), Social Security Works, Strengthen Social Security Coalition, American Federation of Teachers (AFT), International Union of Police Association (IUPA), National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), National Education Association (NEA), and the Senior Citizens League.

Below is a timeline of previous iterations of the legislation that Senator Murkowski has co-sponsored.

Timeline:

March 2023: Senator Murkowski co-sponsors S. 597 the Social Security Fairness Act in the 118th Congress.

April 2021: Senator Murkowski co-sponsors S. 1302 Social Security Fairness Act in the 117th Congress.

February 2019: Senator Murkowski co-sponsors S. 521 Social Security Fairness Act of 2019 in the 116th Congress.

April 2017: Senator Murkowski co-sponsors S. 915 Social Security Fairness Act of 2017 in the 115th Congress.

June 2015: Senator Murkowski co-sponsors S. 1651 Social Security Fairness Act of 2015 in the 114th Congress.

May 2013: Senator Murkowski co-sponsors S. 896 Social Security Fairness Act of 2013 in the 113th Congress.

December 2011: Senator Murkowski co-sponsors S. 2010 Social Security Fairness Act of 2011 in the 112th Congress.

February 2009: Senator Murkowski co-sponsors S. 484 Social Security Fairness Act of 2009 in the 111th Congress.

January 2007: Senator Murkowski co-sponsors S. 206 Social Security Fairness Act of 2007 in the 110th Congress.

March 2005: Senator Murkowski co-sponsors S.619 Social Security Fairness Act of 2005 in the 109th Congress.

February 2003: Senator Murkowski co-sponsors S. 349 The Social Security Fairness Act of 2003 in the 108th Congress.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:07:19Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-never-ever-a-time-when-a-government-shutdown-is-a-good-thing-for-americans-or-alaskans,"Murkowski: “Never, Ever a Time When a Government Shutdown is a Good Thing for Americans or Alaskans”",2024-12-21,2024,2024-12,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"Washington, DC – Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) supported a stopgap package that extends the federal government funding deadline to March 14, 2025, thus avoiding a costly and unnecessary government shutdown while also providing critical disaster recovery funds for communities across the country. This package garnered bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress and included $300 million to refill the U.S. Department of Commerce’s fishery disaster assistance accounts, which Senator Murkowski was instrumental in securing.

“There is never, ever a time when a government shutdown is a good thing for Americans or Alaskans. I’m relieved that cooler heads prevailed and a needless shutdown was avoided,” said Senator Murkowski. “Additionally, I was able to secure several critical provisions that will help Alaskans, including a desperately needed $300 million that will refill our fisheries disaster account, ensuring that our hardworking fishermen will have the support they need to get back on the water.”

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:07:19Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-praises-alaska-provisions-in-water-resource-development-act,Murkowski Praises Alaska Provisions in Water Resource Development Act,2024-12-20,2024,2024-12,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"Washington, DC – This week, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) supported S.4367, the Thomas R. Carper Water Resource Development of 2024, which overwhelmingly passed the U.S. Senate in a bipartisan vote of 97-1. The legislation authorizes projects to construct and improve new ports, harbors, and waterways across the country, while also installing a series of policy changes at the Army Corps of Engineers aimed at accelerating the agency’s work and expanding tribal partnerships. The U.S. House of Representatives approved the conference bill last week, and the legislation will now go the President’s desk for his signature.

“Communities across Alaska are facing increasingly intense flooding and erosion that must be addressed with urgency,” said Senator Murkowski. “The delegation’s tireless advocacy made it possible for us to secure a number of critical victories that will make our communities increasingly resilient, and ensure that federal money is put into the right hands to orchestrate strategic projects across the state.”

The Alaska Delegation worked to incorporate several Alaska-specific provisions that were included in the final version of the Water Resource Development Act (WRDA), which include:

Increases the Denali Commission’s authorization of federal funds from $15 to $35 million and authorizes the establishment of a new Denali Commission Housing Fund to address housing shortages in rural Alaska.

Extends the Lowell Creek operations and maintenance cost for another five years at 100% federal cost share, while the Corps continues to work on a new project to augment the existing flood diversion system in Seward. The project would also protect the tunnel inlet from landslides.

Authorizes Akutan’s Akun Harbor project under the Corps’ Tribal Partnership Program. The project would construct an access harbor on Akun, protected by a 400-foot-long rubble mound breakwater to facilitate access to the airport.

Clarifies the North Slope Borough’s National Flood Insurance Program enrollment to ensure that the Barrow Coastal Erosion project can proceed in a timely fashion.

Amends the storm damage prevention and reduction, coastal erosion, and ice and glacial damage provisions from WRDA 2022 to include “riverine erosion” for Alaskan projects. Currently, this allows the Barrow Coastal Erosion Project, Port of Nome Project, and the Kenai Bluffs Project to qualify for 90/10 federal/local cost shares instead of the historical 65/35 split.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:07:19Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-secures-wins-for-alaska-in-major-water-infrastructure-bill,Sullivan Secures Wins for Alaska in Major Water Infrastructure Bill,2024-12-19,2024,2024-12,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=9,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, celebrated the Senate’s passage last night of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024, which includes the Economic Development Reauthorization Act of 2024 and the Fiscally Responsible Highway Funding Act of 2024. The legislation features key victories for Alaska, including reauthorization of and funding for the Denali Commission through 2029, a novel Denali Commission Housing Fund, a new river-erosion program to mitigate damage from storm and flood events throughout the state, and provisions to cut red tape and significantly reduce costs for the Barrow Seawall project.

“My team and I worked hard over these past few months to craft provisions in this year’s WRDA reauthorization that maintain progress on major transportation projects throughout our great state, remove red tape and regulatory hurdles, improve safety and access for Alaskans, and close Alaska’s historic infrastructure gap as a young state,”said Sen. Sullivan. “We are a resource rich, but infrastructure poor state. This important legislation supports the vital work the Army Corps of Engineers is doing in so many of our communities—from Barrow to Seward—and improves the Corps’ ability to work cooperatively with Alaska Native tribal entities for the benefit of Alaskans. Lastly, I want to thank my fellow committee members for their continued recognition of the important role the Denali Commission plays in our state—providing funding for vital infrastructure in our rural communities. I’m particularly excited about the new opportunity the Denali Commission will have to address the shortage of affordable housing in rural Alaska.”

Regarding Alaska’s priorities, Sen. Sullivan’s provisions in WRDA 2024:

Extend the long-term management authorities of the Lowell Creek Flood Diversion System upgrade project for five years, or until 2032.

Narrow the scope of the floodplain management prerequisite for the Barrow Coastal Erosion Mitigation Project so that North Slope Borough is not on the hook for flood insurance across an area the size of the State of Wyoming for a project taking place in a small area of one community.

Add eligibility for “riverine erosion” to the storm damage prevention and reduction, coastal erosion, and ice and glacial damage program in Alaska with a 10 percent cost share for economically disadvantaged communities.

Make the Tribal Partnership Program permanent, improving the Corps’ authorities to partner with Indian Tribes. This provision will assist with the installation of the mooring and anchoring system at Port Clarence.

Establish a Tribal Construction Partnerships Pilot Program that enables the Corps to partner with tribal groups on eligible projects to carry out construction of a project that will be transferred to the tribe.

Continue an ongoing study under the Tribal Partnership Program to examine building a protected dock inAkutan Harbor to provide access to the village airport.

Reauthorize the Denali Commission through 2029.

Establish a dedicated Denali Commission Housing Fund for building new housing to meet the needs of low-income and moderate-income households.

WRDA 2024 ensures the Army Corps of Engineers is responsive to local and regional water resources needs, including environmental infrastructure authorities critical to water and wastewater infrastructure. The legislation avoids one-size-fits-all requirements and maintains the Corps’ flexibility in developing project alternatives with non-federal sponsors. It also extends existing programs that allow the Corps to carry out feasibility studies and water resources development projects in economically disadvantaged communities, many of which are located in rural areas.

The Economic Development Reauthorization Act reauthorizes Economic Development Act (EDA) programs, modernizes the federal cost-share requirements for EDA programs and activities so distressed communities can have better access to EDA funding, and addresses hurdles for certain broadband projects that seek to use EDA funding. Finally, the legislation includes the Fiscally Responsible Highway Funding Act, which would make unspent Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program funding eligible to states via formula, allowing states to utilize this funding for high-priority transportation infrastructure projects.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:07:19Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-supports-alaska-guardsmen-and-alaska-service-members-in-national-defense-authorization-act,Murkowski Supports Alaska Guardsmen and Alaska Service Members in National Defense Authorization Act,2024-12-18,2024,2024-12,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) voted in favor of S.4638 – National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (NDAA FY25), which passed the Senate by a bipartisan vote of 85-14. This year’s NDAA authorizes $923.3 billion for national defense, with $878.4 billion for the Department of Defense (DoD) and $33.4 billion for national security programs within the Department of Energy (DOE). Significantly, it provides a 14.5 percent pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5 percent pay raise for all other service members.

The legislation incorporates a number of Alaska-specific wins that Murkowski and the Alaska delegation fought to include. Chief among them was the increase of 649 new Active Guard Reserve Authorizations (AGR) for the National Guard Bureau (NGB). This has been a top priority for the Alaska delegation since the NGB implemented an initiative that would have impacted or eliminated nearly 80 AGR positions from the Alaska Air National Guard (ANG) earlier this year. The legislation also included an amendment, led by Senator Murkowski, Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) that places guardrails against any future leveling initiatives.

“The passage of this year’s NDAA will bring a greater sense of security to our Alaska Guardsmen whose jobs were put at risk by the Air National Guard,” said Senator Murkowski. “No longer will they have to worry that their careers or their mission is under threat from backroom political maneuvering now that the delegation has secured in statute protection from bureaucratic leveling. Back in February, I told Alaska’s Guardsman that I would not rest until their jobs were safe, and I am proud to have kept that promise.”

“The NDAA this year secured a number of notable provisions for Alaska’s service members and our national defense mission,” Murkowski continued. “On top of a well-deserved 4.5% pay raise, our men and women in uniform will secure a number of vital resources to help them as they serve our country. This includes a raise in Basic Needs Allowance, more mental health support, and greater accessibility to affordable childcare. This legislation further aids our mission abroad by expanding our critical defense initiatives, while at the same time increases investments to protect our borders at home. I’m grateful to my colleague Dan Sullivan for his hard work on this bill at the committee level and am proud to support this legislation for Alaska.”

NDAA FY25 Highlights

Alaska Military Construction Investment

As our adversaries step up their military presence in hotspots around the world, including the Indo-Pacific, Europe, and the Arctic, it’s important the United States matches that investment in Alaska as the critical location by which we project power into all of these regions. Senator Murkowski secured a funding authorization to begin construction of the Joint Integrated Test and Training Center (JITTC) which will facilitate mission planning, simulations, briefing, and debriefing at the highest tactical and operational level. This state-of-the-art facility, in concert with our other great training assets like the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex and the Donnelly Training Area, continues to cement Alaska’s place as the host of some of the greatest military training ranges in the world.

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) received funding authorizations to begin the construction of a National Guard Readiness Center to improve the Alaska Army National Guard’s training and drilling opportunities, a Fuels Facility to bring ground refueling capabilities up to the level of the air assets and missions assigned to the units at the base, a Conventional Munitions Complex to replace condemned facilities where munitions are housed and assembled, and to improve existing military housing units. Fort Wainwright received a funding authorization for an Automated Multipurpose Machine Gun Range to provide adequate facilities to train soldiers’ marksmanship skills, and Eielson Air Force Base received a funding authorization for a Fuel Operations and Lab Facility to ensure their ability to provide acceptable fuel for aircraft and serve as an air bridge to the Pacific and Arctic.

In all, the FY25 NDAA contains authorizations for more than $420 million in military construction projects in Alaska that Murkowski secured funding for through the Senate Appropriations Committee-passed version of the FY25 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriation bill. Addressing the $180 billion repair and maintenance backlog is a priority of the Senator, and the legislation will require the DoD to invest a certain percentage of military construction funding in facility sustainment, restoration, and maintenance programs. Devoting more of the DoD’s budget to taking care of facilities that it already has will benefit the assets that our military maintains in the Arctic and near-Arctic where the harsh climate degrades equipment faster than most other environments.

Supporting Alaska’s Military Service members

Our nation has a responsibility to provide for our military members as they serve our country. That responsibility is felt even more acutely to support our members in Alaska. On top of the 4.5% pay raise that all enlisted members received, junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4) will receive a 14.5% pay raise. The Basic Needs Allowance (BNA) will be raised to 200% of federal poverty guidelines, as well as a provision was included to enhance recruitment and employment of additional mental health providers.

Childcare remains one of Alaska’s most pressing challenges and it has affected our military members and their families as well. The NDAA will fully fund childcare fee assistance programs, eliminating fee assistance wait lists for eligible families. The legislation will also ensure pay for staff at DoD childcare centers is competitive with private industry and implement additional benefits for providers. It will also expand eligibility for unemployed military spouses who require childcare assistance as they seek employment.

Defending our border

National defense begins by protecting our borders. The NDAA will allow for the deployment of National Guard troops to assist Border Patrol at the southwest border and authorizes $90 million for construction of a new Joint Inter-Agency Task Force South (JIATF-S) Command and Control Facility. Additionally, the legislation increases funding by $10 million for DoD forces to push back against narcotics traffickers.

Strong National Defense

With a rapidly shifting geopolitical theater, it is vital that the United States remains on the front foot with a strong national defense. This legislation supports robust investment in our defense initiatives. Citizens of China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran will be banned from accessing U.S. nuclear weapons or naval nuclear propulsion facilities. The DoD will be banned from contracting with companies that hire lobbyists for Chinese military enterprises. Additionally, DoD will be authorized with $300 million in security assistance funds to support Taiwan’s defense reform and civil resilience efforts.

The FY25 NDAA further authorizes $47.5 million for continued U.S.-Israel collaborative research on emerging technologies and $30 million for U.S.-Israel anti-tunneling programs. The legislation further enhances the DoD’s ability to protect former officials whom Iran is targeting for assassination.

Also included in the legislation is the establishment of the Taiwan Deterrence Initiative, which provides Taiwan with legal assistance to maintain self-defense capabilities as tensions rise in the Indo-Pacific. The legislation further resources both the European Deterrence and the Pacific Deterrence initiatives, and improves the DoD’s ability to execute security cooperation by extending the availability of funds for security cooperation programs over the next three years.

Responsible Spending

It is vital that we support our defense mission at home and abroad. But we need to be sure that we are strategic in that support. Senator Murkowski supports the initiative in the NDAA that will require all DoD components to undertake an annual independent audit. Any component that fails to undergo an audit would have 1.5% of their unobligated amounts available cancelled and returned to the general fund of the Treasury.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:07:19Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/fy-2025-defense-authorization-includes-28-sullivan-provisions-historic-troop-pay-raise-and-723-million-in-military-projects-for-alaska,"FY 2025 Defense Authorization Includes 28 Sullivan Provisions, Historic Troop Pay Raise & $723 Million in Military Projects for Alaska",2024-12-18,2024,2024-12,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=9,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), voted with 84 of his Senate colleagues today to pass the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The $895 billion legislation includes 28 provisions authored by Sen. Sullivan and authorizes more than $723 million in military construction for Alaska.

“The National Defense Authorization Act is one of the most important bills of the entire year—setting the defense policies and spending levels needed to secure our nation during a very dangerous time, and taking care of our military men and women, and their families,” said Sen. Sullivan. “One critical element of this bill is a historic, well-deserved 14.5 percent pay raise for service members, which should help our military families weather high inflation and also help address the serious recruiting challenges our military has faced in recent years. The NDAA also includes a suite of provisions I authored aimed at addressing our Navy’s shipbuilding crisis, fixing bureaucratic hurdles in the ship design and procurement process, and deterring further Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific. Importantly, we were also able to increase the number of positions available to the National Guard nationwide, avoiding potential cuts and enabling Alaska’s Air National Guardsmen to continue to focus on fulfilling their wide array of critical missions. Finally, I worked hard to ensure this legislation also continues the significant military build-up taking place in Alaska, the most strategic place in the world. I was able to secure more than $723 million in military construction projects for our state, which is more great news for Alaska, our economy and our workers—but also for our national security.

“While there are many positive aspects to highlight in this year’s NDAA, Senator Schumer and House Democratic leaders have demonstrated they do not have the same appreciation for this legislation and its importance to our military. As he does every year, Senator Schumer punted consideration of the NDAA until the very end of the year, prevented senators from debating amendments on the floor, and, along with House Democrats, axed a much-needed $25 billion plus-up crafted in a bipartisan manner by Senators Wicker and Reed. Further, several provisions—including some I authored—that would strengthen the United States’ position relative to the Chinese Communist Party were stripped out in the dark of night, purportedly by House Democratic leaders. These decisions send the wrong message to our adversaries in Beijing and display Democratic leaders’ lack of seriousness on national security issues.”

In August, the Air National Guard announced an indefinite exemption for the Alaska Air National Guard from the National Guard’s “Fulltime Leveling” (FTL) initiative that would have negatively impacted the Alaska National Guard and its critical homeland defense mission. Sens. Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) were able to include a provision in the NDAA adding 649 new Active Guard Reserve Authorizations (AGR) to address this gap in positions.

Sen. Sullivan also secured $723.3 million in military construction authorizations for Alaska, including:

$250 million for the Joint Integrated Test and Training Facility at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson (JBER).

$175 million for unaccompanied enlisted personnel housing at Ft. Wainwright.

$120 million for family housing at JBER.

$67 million for a National Guard readiness center at JBER.

$55 million for fuel facilities at JBER.

$23 million for an automated multipurpose machine gun range at Ft. Wainwright.

$19.3 million for a combat rescue helicopter simulator at JBER.

$14 million for a fuels operations and lab facility at Eielson Air Force Base.

*Numbers exclude expected total additional annual authorization of $105 million for the Joint Integrated Test and Training Facility at JBER.

Sen. Sullivan’s military, shipbuilding, and defense infrastructure provisions:

Include portions of Sen. Sullivan’s efforts to expand naval shipbuilding and infrastructure and fix systemic issues with the Navy’s ship design process by:

Requiring the ships to be designed to a mature level before a contract is issued, addressing a significant cause of multiple shipbuilding delays. The shipbuilding industry cannot plan for capital expenditures—new dry docks, cranes, metal forges, etc.—or workforce development when multi-billion-dollar plans change year to year.

Improving the assessments required by the Navy prior to starting construction on the first ship of a shipbuilding program.

Requiring the Navy to brief Congress in the event of a proposed reduction in battle force ships as part of the annual naval vessel construction plan.

Providing an exception to allow limited maintenance for U.S. homeported vessels overseas, expanding shipyard and labor availability to maintain the current fleet and build new ships.

Allowing for advanced procurement across multiple amphibious ship platforms to allow longer lead time for common components before the full contract to build is complete.

Make the Navy-provided senior medical officer of the Marine Corps a flag officer, giving the Marine Corps parity with other services.

Require the Secretary of Defense to submit an annual report on how the Arctic Strategy will be resourced against other competing priorities in the Indo-Pacific region.

Sen. Sullivan’s acquisition-related provisions:

Create a Middle Tier Acquisition initiative to establish guidance aimed at programs in the two-to-five-year deployment range. This initiative would cover rapid prototyping for innovative technologies and rapid fielding to allow for proven technology to shift to production with minimal development. This will help get companies out of the so-called “valley of death.”

Update the Defense Modernization Account to adopt the recommendations from the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution Reform Commission. This will help critical, time-sensitive programs develop and procure modern equipment and technology faster.

Sen. Sullivan’s foreign policy-related provisions:

Prohibit DoD funds from being used to collaborate with People’s Republic of China (PRC) academic institutions on scientific and technological research that could ultimately threaten U.S. defense capabilities and forward deployed forces.

Fully fund U.S. military training assistance for Taiwan, strengthening the island democracy’s own capacity to deter Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aggression.

Extend the availability of security assistance for America’s allies and partners by remedying the time constraints DoD has faced in awarding contracts for necessary weapons systems.

Improve coordination of industrial base cooperation with allies by clarifying roles and authorities at DoD.

Streamline the foreign military sales process by improving the related workforce at DoD, codifying a continuous improvement board overseeing sales, and improving procedures for releasing technology to foreign allies.

Require the DoD to work with the Secretary of State, the Taiwanese government, and American and Taiwanese industry leaders to identify specific defense capabilities that can be coproduced with Taiwan, addressing a current impasse in getting Taiwan what it needs to defend itself.

The FY 2025 NDAA passed the House of Representatives on December 11 and now will be sent to the President to be signed into law.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:07:19Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/older-americans-act-and-murkowskis-native-elder-act-pass-senate,Older Americans Act and Murkowski’s Native ELDER Act Pass Senate,2024-12-12,2024,2024-12,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) applauded the Senate passage of the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2024, which included provisions of her bill, the Enhancing Native Elders’ Longevity, Dignity, Empowerment, and Respect (Native ELDER) Act. Co-sponsored by Senator Tina Smith (D-Minnesota), the Native ELDER Act will improve federal programs and services for Alaska Native, American Indian, and Native Hawaiian Elders. The legislation now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.

“The Older Americans Act was created to provide support for Americans as they age,” said Senator Murkowski. “This legislation works to ensure that aging Americans, individuals with disabilities, and their caregivers have access to resources that encourage healthy living, independence, and community engagement, bolstering long-term quality of life by providing increased resources and funding.”

“I’ve heard directly from stakeholders who made clear what modifications were needed to help bridge significant lapses when it comes to meeting the physical, social, and emotional healthcare needs of Native Elders, in Alaska and across the nation. We must ensure that Elders have the support they need to age in the communities they call home, surrounded by the people they know and love,” Senator Murkowski continued. “I’m proud that the provisions from our Native ELDER Act have been included in Senate passage of the OAA reauthorization of 2024. This takes us one step closer to increasing culturally relevant services, improving at home care options, and ensuring Elders – no matter their geographical location – have the care and support they deserve.”

“This legislation is important for Alaska Native and American Indian Elders. It aligns with Southcentral Foundation’s work to support Elders aging well by allowing them to maintain independence in their homes with family and as honored members of communities,” said April Kyle, President and CEO of Southcentral Foundation.

“The Native ELDER Act provides a mechanism for a more robust program to address how home care is utilized in rural Alaska,” said Brian Ridley, Chief of Tanana Chiefs Conference. “As recipients of Title VI funding, Tanana Chiefs Conference is deeply familiar with the benefits of the Home Care program. This Act is an excellent step towards improving agency coordination and increasing funding.” He adds, “Our culture puts great emphasis on elder care. Our elders should have the ability to pass down traditional knowledge and values in the safety and comfort of their homes.”

“The OAA is the key legislative framework for developing, coordinating, and delivering home and community-based services to allow American Indian and Alaska Native elders to maintain their independence and dignity,” Billie Tohee, Executive Director of the National Indian Council on Aging. “NICOA appreciates Senator Murkowski's leadership in introducing legislation that emphasizes Tribal priorities and increases coordination across agencies that serve our elders.”

“The Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA) is an important contribution to our native elder and aging population,” said Chairman William Smith, National Indian Health Board. “The Native ELDER Act will make changes to Title VI programs which reflect Tribal priorities including the establishment of an Older Americans Tribal Advisory Committee and expanded technical assistance authority to help tribes keep their elders at home and age in place. The National Indian Health Board is proud to support the Native ELDER Act.”

Background: The bill reauthorizes the Older Americans Act (OAA), originally passed in 1965. OAA programs allow seniors to age in place by encouraging healthy living, independence, and community engagement among seniors served by these programs. These include supportive services, nutrition services, family caregiver support, community service employment, and services to prevent abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older individuals.

In 2019 Senator Murkowski, along with Senator Smith, co-led the Strengthening Services for Native Elders Act that was included in the reauthorization for the Older Americans Act (OAA) of 2020, which expired on September 30, 2024. The Native ELDER Act builds on that piece of legislation by prioritizing supportive services and in-home modifications, to ensure Native American Elders are able to age at home within their own communities.

The Native ELDER Act is a part of the 2024 OAA reauthorization effort and includes a number of provisions to:

Establish an Older Americans Tribal Advisory Committee at the Administration on Aging, which would provide recommendations on how the OAA’s programs can improve services for Native American Elders.

Enhance technical assistance and build infrastructure for tribes and tribal organizations so they have the capacity to deliver services to build up self-reliance of Native American communities.

Direct the Assistant Secretary of Aging to evaluate and identify the barriers to Indian tribes accessing programs under Title VI of the Older American Act.

###

Note: Please do not reply to this email. This mailbox is unattended. For further information, please contact Senator Murkowski’s press office at 206-302-8317. Visit our website at http://murkowski.senate.gov",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:07:19Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-and-57-congressional-colleagues-ask-college-football-playoffs-to-preserve-army-navy-games-time-honored-tradition,Sullivan & 57 Congressional Colleagues Ask College Football Playoffs to Preserve Army-Navy Game’s ‘Time-Honored Tradition’,2024-12-12,2024,2024-12,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=9,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and chairman of the U.S. Naval Academy’s Board of Visitors (BOV), along with 55 members of Congress and two senators-elect, sent a letter to the executive directors of the College Football Playoff and Bowl Season asking that they preserve the annual Army-Navy football game’s “time-honored tradition” of setting “aside the second Saturday in December in future seasons solely” for the patriotic sporting event. This year’s Army-Navy game will be the first time since 2009 that other games have been scheduled on the same day (excluding the 2020 season which was modified due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

“The Army vs. Navy Football Game – affectionately known as “America’s Game” – has long been recognized as one of the greatest events in all of college sports,” Sen. Sullivan and his fellow Congressional Members write in the letter. “The game is so important that it continued to be played even during World War II. Citizens throughout the world look forward to the game’s telecast, which engages the interest of millions of Americans, including the hundreds of thousands of current and former military personnel who watch it. The game is always played in a sold out NFL venue and brings patriotism and pageantry to the fans in the stadium and to the people of the host city. To reflect the immeasurable esteem that this event garnered for decades, it has been played for many years on a Saturday reserved specifically for the Army vs. Navy Game without any competing college football events. . .

“We write out of concern that the additional games detract from the focus on our Armed Forces that the nationally televised Army vs. Navy Game provided with a unique day set aside for it. Young Americans often cite the pregame events as igniting their interest in serving in uniform. The airtime of those pregame events are now in jeopardy with a preceding televised college football game. We feel there is no other block of time in television programming that rekindles our nation's patriotism, unity, and confidence in the military and promotes a greater sense of appreciation than this incredible game day production. On behalf of both Army and Navy, all those who are serving or have served our country and the citizens whom we represent, we respectfully request you set aside the second Saturday in December in future seasons solely for the Army vs. Navy Game to preserve this time-honored tradition.”

To read the full letter, click here or see below. The letter was first reported in a news story by Dan Zaksheske in Outkick.

FULL LETTER:

Dear Mr. Clark and Mr. Carparelli:

The Army vs. Navy Football Game – affectionately known as “America’s Game” – has long been recognized as one of the greatest events in all of college sports. The game is so important that it continued to be played even during World War II. Citizens throughout the world look forward to the game’s telecast, which engages the interest of millions of Americans, including the hundreds of thousands of current and former military personnel who watch it.

The game is always played in a sold out NFL venue and brings patriotism and pageantry to the fans in the stadium and to the people of the host city. To reflect the immeasurable esteem that this event garnered for decades, it has been played for many years on a Saturday reserved specifically for the Army vs. Navy Game without any competing college football events.

As you know, college commissioners voted unanimously to schedule the twelve-team College Football Playoff (CFP) around the Army vs. Navy Football Game. The decision demonstrated a significant degree of respect extended by the most prominent leaders in college football, which we strongly commend. Nevertheless, the expanded CFP will cause other bowl games—for the first time in recent history—to be played on the same day as the Army vs. Navy Game.

We write out of concern that the additional games detract from the focus on our Armed Forces that the nationally televised Army vs. Navy Game provided with a unique day set aside for it. Young Americans often cite the pregame events as igniting their interest in serving in uniform. The airtime of those pregame events are now in jeopardy with a preceding televised college football game. We feel there is no other block of time in television programming that rekindles our nation's patriotism, unity, and confidence in the military and promotes a greater sense of appreciation than this incredible game day production.

On behalf of both Army and Navy, all those who are serving or have served our country and the citizens whom we represent, we respectfully request you set aside the second Saturday in December in future seasons solely for the Army vs. Navy Game to preserve this time-honored tradition.

We would like to thank you in advance for recognizing the importance of safeguarding the exclusivity of the Army vs. Navy Game and are hopeful we can work together to protect America’s Game.

Sincerely,

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:07:19Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-applauds-senate-passage-of-firefighter-cancer-registry-reauthorization-act-of-2023,Murkowski Applauds Senate Passage of Firefighter Cancer Registry Reauthorization Act of 2023,2024-12-11,2024,2024-12,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"Washington, DC –U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced that the United States Senate passed the Firefighter Cancer Registry Reauthorization Act of 2023. This legislation, which Senator Murkowski has spearheaded since 2016, maintains a national cancer registry for firefighters diagnosed with cancer in order to bolster research and data collection efforts to better understand the relationship between exposure to toxins and fumes, and higher cancer rates among firefighters.

“Firefighters protecting Alaskans on the frontlines are routinely exposed to harmful toxins on the job, which lead to higher cancer rates. Stories like those of Andy Mullen, who lost his battle with cancer caused by exposure to carcinogens while responding to a brush fire, are why I have been a steadfast advocate and co-sponsor of the National Firefighter Cancer Registry Act,” said Senator Murkowski. “Firefighters around the country put themselves in harm’s way for us each day. This registry provides a valuable, data-driven resource to enhance our understanding of these risks and work toward reducing the risk of cancer among these everyday heroes.”

“This registry has made a difference for firefighters everywhere,” said Chief Josh Waldo, President and Board Chair of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. “I want to thank Senator Murkowski for her successful efforts to reauthorize the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer and make its continued success possible. It has already helped save lives of firefighters with cancer and will no doubt save many more in the coming years.”

“The Alaska Professional Fire Fighters want to thank Senator Murkowski for all her work on the passage of the National Fire Fighter Cancer Registry Act,” said Dominic Lozano, President of Alaska Professional Fire Fighters. “This ensures continued funding in our effort to eradicate cancer in the fire service. For too long cancer has been the number one killer of firefighters. This legislation supports our efforts to remove carcinogens from our gear and make our workplaces safer for current and future generations.”

Background: The bipartisan Firefighter Cancer Registry Act was signed into law on July 12, 2018. The legislation instructs the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to study the relationship between career-long exposure to dangerous toxins and the frequency of cancer in firefighters. These research efforts include:

The collection and consolidation of epidemiological information submitted by healthcare professionals regarding cancer incidence among paid and professional firefighters;

direction to improve safety protocols as data is accrued; and

makes de-identified data available to public health researchers to provide them with robust and comprehensive datasets to expand research opportunities.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:07:19Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/senators-murkowski-sullivan-celebrate-victory-for-accessibility-and-affordability-of-groceries-in-alaska,"Senators Murkowski, Sullivan Celebrate Victory for Accessibility and Affordability of Groceries in Alaska",2024-12-11,2024,2024-12,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"Washington, DC – Following the news that Albertsons has backed out of the $24.6 billion merger with Kroger after a federal judge in Oregon and state judge in Washington blocked the deal yesterday, Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) released the following statements:

""I have been working with the delegation for over a year to amplify the justified concerns Alaskans have about this merger, and I’m pleased that the courts have now recognized what we knew, that it would have imposed significant harms on Alaskans. That Albertsons has now backed out is evidence that this was a bad idea from the start,” Senator Murkowski said. “Today marks a victory for Alaskans seeking affordable and accessible groceries for their families.”

“I appreciate the court’s decision to block this merger,” said Senator Sullivan. “Many Alaskans were concerned about this merger resulting in grocery store closures and higher prices in Alaska, especially as our state already faces some of the highest prices for food and basic goods in the country. Senator Murkowski and I demanded the FTC conduct a rigorous analysis to ensure that Alaskans would not be negatively impacted by this merger. The FTC found that the merger would likely reduce competition and raise prices—putting further strain on working families in our state. The courts agreed, which is good news for our state.”

Background: On September 22, 2023, Senators Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) sent a letter to the Lina Khan, Commissioner of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), expressing their concerns about the Albertsons-Kroger merger. They identified Alaskans’ concerns about how it would affect consumer prices, the state’s food security, and Alaskan employees and their union contracts.

As part of the merger, Kroger announced a $1.9 billion divesture agreement, which proposed selling 14 of 35 existing Carrs-Safeway stores in Alaska owned by Albertsons to C&S Wholesale, LLC. The stores up for sale are located in Anchorage, Girdwood, Fairbanks, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, Juneau, Kenai, Soldotna, and the North Pole, according to the proposed divestiture list.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:07:19Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/additional-kc-135-tankers-finally-coming-to-eielson-after-bureaucratic-delays,Additional KC-135 Tankers Finally Coming to Eielson After Bureaucratic Delays,2024-12-11,2024,2024-12,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=9,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today welcomed an announcement from the Air Force that it will finally fulfill its commitment to redistribute four KC-135 refueling aircraft to Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. The Air Force had previously committed to the basing in March of 2021, but subsequently delayed final approval and missed an expected arrival time of 2023. On October 8, 2024, Sen. Sullivan wrote a letter to Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall expressing frustration about the Air Force’s long delay in delivering the much-needed aerial refueling assets to Alaska.

“The Air Force has dramatically increased the fighter assets in Alaska in recent years, yet the necessary supporting refueling force has remained stagnant,” said Sen. Sullivan. “This strain on our refueling mission is unacceptable given the critical importance of Alaska as the hub of air combat power for the Arctic and entire Indo-Pacific, and the increasing aggression from our adversaries off Alaska’s coastline. Over the course of just two months this year, Alaska-based Airmen intercepted six separate incursions into the Alaska ADIZ—including the first-ever joint Russian and Chinese bomber task force—each requiring a nearly 2,000 mile roundtrip sortie. I have relentlessly pressed the Air Force to fulfill its commitment made to me in 2021 to redistribute four KC-135 tankers to Eielson, and I am glad to report it is finally happening. We look forward to finally welcoming these important aircraft and the 220 active duty personnel and their families to our great state, and better securing America’s security interests in our vital region of the world.”

Sen. Sullivan spent the last ten years pressing every relevant senior military and administration official—including every Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Air Force—in committee hearings and in visits to Alaska, on the imperative of bringing additional aerial refueling capacity to Alaska. Sullivan has cited Alaska’s increasing importance to U.S. national defense, the state’s unrivaled aerial training complexes, escalating incursions by the Russians and Chinese into America’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in Alaska, and the need to support the more than 100 fifth-generation fighters based in the state—the highest concentration of such fighters in the world.

In April 2016, the Air Force selected Eielson Air Force Base as the new home for 54 F-35A fighter aircraft, joining the base’s F-16 Aggressor squadron and the 168th Air Refueling Wing.

In May 2019, the Air Force announced its plan to permanently station an additional six F-22s at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) in Alaska.

In April 2020, the bed down of the first F-35s began at Eielson Air Force Base.

In March 2021, the Air Force announced its decision to base an additional four KC-135s at Eielson Air Force Base to fill Alaska’s refueling capability gap in response to Senator Sullivan’s demands. The aircraft were scheduled to arrive in fiscal year 2023.

In July 2024, Alaska-based F-16s and F-35s and Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 fighters intercepted the first joint Russian and Chinese bomber task force to ever enter America’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) off the coast of Alaska.

On October 8, 2024, Sen. Sullivan wrote a letter to Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall expressing frustration about the Air Force’s long delay of delivering the previously-committed aerial refueling assets to Alaska.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:07:19Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cantwell-cruz-baldwin-sullivan-introduce-bipartisan-coast-guard-reauthorization-act-of-2024,"Sullivan, Cantwell, Cruz, Baldwin Introduce Bipartisan Coast Guard Reauthorization Act of 2024",2024-12-11,2024,2024-12,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=9,scraper,"WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) introduced bipartisan legislation that would authorize $30.45 billion for the U.S. Coast Guard for Fiscal Years 2025 and 2026.

“My colleagues on the Commerce Committee and I have crafted a bill that makes great strides in fulfilling our commitment to this branch of the U.S. military with the support, funding and attention the U.S. Coast Guard deserves,” Senator Sullivan said. “As America’s only state with Arctic territory and with more coastline than the entire Lower 48 combined, Alaska is critical to the Coast Guard’s missions in defense of our nation. From expanded travel privileges for Alaska-based service members to visit home, to additional funds for local infrastructure projects, this legislation builds upon the strong relationship between Alaska communities and our Alaska-based Coast Guard members by authorizing projects that will make it easier for our service members and their families to live in the Last Frontier. Going forward, we should work to ensure that the Coast Guard reauthorizations are attached to the National Defense Authorization Act, so that we aren’t introducing this important bill at the last minute.”

“This legislation prioritizes the Coast Guard’s most important asset—its people,” said Senator Cantwell. “For the first time, our bill creates a Vice Admiral for Personnel, solely focused on the needs of Coast Guard members and their families, including expanding access to affordable housing, quality health care, child care and mental health services. The bill drives much needed reforms that will help prevent sexual assault and harassment throughout the Coast Guard, including establishing confidential reporting, strengthening protective orders, expanding access to care for victims, and stronger accountability for leadership. It increases funding for core Coast Guard missions such as Icebreakers, cracking down on illegal fishing and drug smuggling, and improving collaboration with local Tribes. The bill also makes infrastructure investments in Washington, Alaska, the Great Lakes, the Arctic and global partners to protect our national security.”

“The U.S. Coast Guard plays an indispensable role in keeping Americans safe at sea and enforcing the rule of law both in America’s waters and beyond,” said Senator Cruz. “Our bipartisan, bicameral Coast Guard Reauthorization Act will optimize marine safety resources in Texas, streamline vessel inspection requirements, and ensure the safe and efficient transportation of U.S. energy. This legislation also seeks to rectify instances of indefensible treatment endured by some victims of sexual assault in the Coast Guard. I am thankful for the continued efforts of my colleagues, including Chairwoman Cantwell and subcommittee leaders Sens. Baldwin and Sullivan, and I look forward to working to ensure this legislation swiftly becomes law.”

“Our Coast Guard is essential in keeping our country safe and our economy moving forward,” said Senator Baldwin. “Our bipartisan bill doubles down on the incredible work our Coast Guard does, investing in patrolling waters from here on our Great Lakes to keep commerce moving and boaters safe to the Indopacific to crack down on fentanyl trafficking and protect our country. Most of all, our bill invests in our Coasties. We came together to boost access to affordable housing, increase the availability of quality health care, and, in light of the egregious reports of sexual misconduct at the Coast Guard Academy, we are taking positive steps to protect survivors and reform the Coast Guard to ensure it is a safe place for everyone.”

The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024 authorizes $14.93 billion for FY25 and $15.51 billion for FY26 and would support the following national priorities:

Bill Text and Section-By-Section

Coast Guard Workforce

Creates the First Vice Admiral of Personnel: To support the more than 40,000 active service members, the bill establishes a new Vice Admiral leadership position solely focused on supporting the needs of personnel and their families, from housing to health care, child care and improving recruitment and training programs.

Jumpstarts Hiring of Health and Family Service Providers Across Entire Service: Provides direct hiring authority to swiftly fill more than a hundred vacancies, including behavioral and mental health professionals, medical specialists, child care service providers, housing supervisors, criminal investigators and other positions to protect the wellbeing of Coast Guard members and their families. It also adds two new telemedicine rooms at the Coast Guard Academy.

Protects Personnel from Illicit Drug Exposure: Requires all Coast Guard installations to maintain a supply of naloxone, or similar medication, to treat potential opioid or fentanyl exposure while carrying out illegal drug interdiction missions and when responding to search and rescue calls from the public.

Improves College-to-Service Career Pathways: Updates the College Student Pre-Commissioning Program to allow more colleges and universities to participate and to increase recruitment of students interested in commissioning into a Coast Guard career.

Supports Servicemembers in Alaska: Expands travel benefits for any members stationed in Alaska to be able to visit their families in other states more frequently. It also allows personnel stationed at Dutch Harbor in Alaska to now bring their families with them on the assignment.

Coast Guard Missions and Infrastructure

Expands Affordable Housing Opportunities: Allows the Coast Guard to acquire housing that is available on the market and in new housing construction programs. This is particularly important in coastal and Great Lakes areas where it’s hard for Coast Guard families to find affordable, quality housing. This bill also expands the Coast Guard's ability to enter into long-term leases for medical facilities, child development centers and training facilities, reducing administrative expenses and allowing for additional improvements to these facilities.

Expedites Icebreaker Construction: Speeds the delivery of a new icebreaker for the Great Lakes at least as capable as the Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw, which is critical to the Great Lakes region and our national economy. This also requires the Coast Guard to begin developing a replacement plan for the aging 50-year-old icebreaking tug fleet, the backbone of ice operations on the Great Lakes and in the Northeast. Sen. Baldwin held a field hearing in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in March 2024 to highlight the importance of the Great Lakes icebreakers.

Maps Arctic Maritime Routes: The Bering Sea is expected to see increased fishing, commercial, and other vessel traffic over the coming decades. As a key international trade and maritime route, this bill requires an analysis of projected traffic in the Bering Strait, and the emergency response capabilities and infrastructure needed to support this increased vessel traffic and prevent oil spills in the Bering Sea and the Arctic.

Boosts International Pacific Cooperation: Requires the Coast Guard to develop a plan to increase training opportunities with the other nations, including the Taiwan Coast Guard. This coordination will strengthen American relations, combat illegal fishing, and boost international security in the Pacific.

Maritime Industry and Public Safety

Holds Vessel Operators Accountable for Negligence: With the steady rise of vessel traffic in our waterways, the bill increases the penalty for individuals who operate a vessel in a grossly negligent manner that results in serious bodily injury.

Expands Smuggling Enforcement at Sea: To adapt to emerging technologies and to cut down on illegal maritime drug smuggling, this bill expands criminal enforcement to include drug smuggling using unmanned or autonomous vessels. The Committee held a subcommittee hearing on improving Coast Guard drug interdiction and enforcement in September 2024.

Clears Red Tape for Maritime Jobs: A 2021 report from the International Shipping Chamber estimated a shortage of 26,000 officers certified to work on ships in international waters, with the number expected to triple by 2026. The bill creates new training and credentialing opportunities for qualified mariners, veterans and the general public who are seeking to become mariners. And it expedites processing times for merchant mariner licensing documents to help close this critical workforce gap.

Improves Port & Maritime Cyber Response: Allows the Coast Guard to conduct new training exercises with port and maritime facility operators to improve cyber readiness and protect against any cyber threats to our maritime transportation system.

Tribes and Natural Resources

Creates the First-Ever Tribal Advisor: Creates a new civilian employee position within the Coast Guard to advise the Commandant and other Coast Guard leadership on tribal affairs, such as government-to-government consultation, pollution response, fisheries enforcement and other matters important to tribes and Native Hawaiians.

Boosts Local Partnerships to Improve Conservation:Provides the Coast Guard with new authorities to support habitat conservation and other resilience projects with state, local and tribal governments. This important provision would ensure tribes and other organizations can partner with the Coast Guard to protect treaty fishing rights and maintain access to cultural and natural resources.

Sustains the Whale Desk: Extends the Cetacean Desk at Coast Guard Puget Sound Command Center by two years, through FY2028. Created by the Coast Guard Reauthorization Act of 2022, the “Whale Desk” gives Puget Sound vessel operators and mariners near real-time data about the location of whales to reduce encounters that disturb whales, including noise pollution and ship strikes.

Prepares Tsunami Evacuation Plans: Requires the development of tsunami evacuation and preparedness plans for Coast Guard units in tsunami zones, including across the West Coast and Pacific Northwest. It also requires the Coast Guard to consider vertical evacuation as a lifesaving option for Coast Guard members.

Supports the Commercial Fishing Industry: Continues to authorize the use of a satellite tracking system to mark fishing equipment locations, which ensures commercial fishing gear is not lost and avoids potential damage by derelict gear. It also supports fishing vessels engaging in temporary towing operations as part of salmon hatchery development in Alaska.

Cracks Down on Abandonment of Vessels: Improves oversight of derelict and abandoned vessels by requiring the Coast Guard to develop and maintain an inventory list of these vessels to improve tracking, management, and coordination between federal, state, tribal and other relevant entities. It authorizes a new federal penalty for abandoning vessels.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Supports NOAA Corps Officers: To support the hundreds of commissioned officers, the bill makes improvements to personnel management, education assistance programs, pilot recruitment programs and more. NOAA Corps members help manage maritime research, support disaster response and monitor weather forecasting, including onboard the hurricane hunter aircraft.

Modernizes NOAA Vessel Fleet: Authorizes replacement and modernization of the NOAA research vessel fleet and improves oversight of the fleet.

Removes Aging NOAA Vessels: Allows NOAA to use the proceeds of obsolete vessel sales to support the acquisition or repair of other NOAA vessels.

Combatting Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment

This bill establishes and updates numerous Coast Guard and Academy authorities and programs to improve response, prevention, oversight, reporting and accountability related to sexual misconduct.

Victim Support

Addresses Expedited Transfers for Victims: To ensure victims of sexual assault and domestic violence feel safe, particularly if they are experiencing retaliation, the bill requires the Coast Guard to develop processes that are consistent with DOD for transferring members who are victims to a new unit. This includes requiring consideration of the victim’s career path when determining the transfer location, and recusal of officials involved in the approval or denial of an expedited transfer who may have a conflict of interest. The bill also establishes the opportunity for Coast Guard Academy cadets who are sexual assault victims to transfer to a DOD service academy, which students attending one of the DOD academies have had since 2020.???

Strengthens Protective Orders for Victims:? Reforms the process for victims of domestic abuse or sex-related offenses to obtain protective orders prohibiting perpetrators from contacting or communicating with them. Previously, many victims were not aware of the process for obtaining an order and Coast Guard procedures placed a heavy burden on victims to renew the orders themselves every 90 days.

Establishes Confidential Reporting of Sexual Harassment:Requires the Coast Guard to develop a process for members to report sexual harassment in a confidential manner. This will improve access to programs and services by providing more avenues for reporting sexual harassment and allow members a reporting option that the DOD services have had since 2021.

Expedites Victim Access to Records and Expands Records Retention: In response to whistleblower concerns about lengthy delays in receiving case files, this bill requires victims to receive expedited access to records associated with their reported assault. Additionally, this provision specifies what documents must be included and retained in case files and expands the retention timeframes to address the discovery from Operation Fouled Anchor that relevant documents and other evidence often were not retained.

Requires Door Locks on Coast Guard Academy Cadet Dorm Rooms: Requires installation of electronic door locks on each dorm room at the Coast Guard Academy and requires the Coast Guard to maintain the identity of individuals who electronically accesses a cadet room. Unauthorized room entries were a factor in the majority of incident cases in Operation Fouled Anchor that occurred on campus. Allowing cadets to lock their doors has been recommended by victims and individuals in the Coast Guard for more than 25 years.

Overhauls Sexual Misconduct Training: Requires new, specified sexual misconduct training content tailored to command leadership, first responders and all Coast Guard members. This will ensure that members are educated about victim support resources and other programs that are modified in this bill, including:

Expedited transfers

No-contact orders

Military and civilian protective orders

Temporary separation

Recommendations from the Commandant’s Accountability and Transparency Review that have been codified in law

Expands Victim Access to Medical Exams Upon Involuntary Separation: Victims of sexual assault often suffer from behavioral health conditions such as anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder that can manifest more than two years after an incident. This provision expands eligibility for medical exams for those facing an involuntary separation from two years to five years after a reported incident, and now includes any behavioral health condition listed in the DSM, rather than what is currently covered: traumatic brain injuries and PTSD.

Accountability and Oversight

Institutes Accountability for Retired Offenders: The bill explicitly codifies the Coast Guard’s authority to reconsider and reduce the rank of a retired commissioned officer, affecting their pension, if substantial evidence comes to light that the officer acted with disregard for relevant laws, committed sexual assault or failed to report instances of sexual assault with an intent to defraud or deceive.

Requires Sexual Misconduct to be Recorded in Personnel Service Records: Requires information regarding substantiated sexual misconduct to be placed in personnel records of members and to be considered in civilian hiring. According to findings and recommendations in the Coast Guard’s Culture of Respect Report, and underscored by whistleblowers, misconduct has not been appropriately considered in the past.

Improves Security Clearance Oversight: The bill also requires the Coast Guard to improve oversight of security clearances for perpetrators.?The bill adds the Coast Guard to DOD’s statutory requirements specifying that security clearance adjudicators consider convictions or determinations by commanding officers that an individual committed sexual assault, sexual harassment, fraud or other violations that could make the individual susceptible to blackmail.

Transfers Investigations of Senior Leader Misconduct from Coast Guard to DHS IG: Requires any credible allegation of misconduct, as defined by DOD policy, made against a Coast Guard senior officer or Senior Executive Service member to be referred to the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General, rather than being internally investigated by the Coast Guard.

Demands Reporting of Retaliation Against Victims: Requires documentation of all reports of retaliation related to sexual misconduct made by Coast Guard personnel and to include information about sexual misconduct cases involving retaliation in the Coast Guard’s annual reports to Congress.?The bill adds the Coast Guard to the DOD’s statutory requirements to better assist the Coast Guard and Congress in understanding the extent to which retaliation is occurring.

###

Next Article Previous Article",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:07:19Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senators-murkowski-sullivan-celebrate-victory-for-accessibility-and-affordability-of-groceries-in-alaska,"Senators Murkowski, Sullivan Celebrate Victory for Accessibility and Affordability of Groceries in Alaska",2024-12-11,2024,2024-12,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=9,scraper,"WASHINGTON – Following the news that Albertsons has backed out of the $24.6 billion merger with Kroger after a federal judge in Oregon and state judge in Washington blocked the deal yesterday, Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) released the following statements:

""I have been working with the delegation for over a year to amplify the justified concerns Alaskans have about this merger, and I’m pleased that the courts have now recognized what we knew, that it would have imposed significant harms on Alaskans. That Albertsons has now backed out is evidence that this was a bad idea from the start,” Senator Murkowski said. “Today marks a victory for Alaskans seeking affordable and accessible groceries for their families.”

“I appreciate the court’s decision to block this merger,” said Senator Sullivan. “Many Alaskans were concerned about this merger resulting in grocery store closures and higher prices in Alaska, especially as our state already faces some of the highest prices for food and basic goods in the country. Senator Murkowski and I demanded the FTC conduct a rigorous analysis to ensure that Alaskans would not be negatively impacted by this merger. The FTC found that the merger would likely reduce competition and raise prices—putting further strain on working families in our state. The courts agreed, which is good news for our state.”

Background: On September 22, 2023, Senators Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) sent a letter to the Lina Khan, Commissioner of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), expressing their concerns about the Albertsons-Kroger merger. They identified Alaskans’ concerns about how it would affect consumer prices, the state’s food security, and Alaskan employees and their union contracts.

As part of the merger, Kroger announced a $1.9 billion divesture agreement, which proposed selling 14 of 35 existing Carrs-Safeway stores in Alaska owned by Albertsons to C&S Wholesale, LLC. The stores up for sale are located in Anchorage, Girdwood, Fairbanks, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, Juneau, Kenai, Soldotna, and the North Pole, according to the proposed divestiture list.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:07:19Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/coastal-plain-rod-is-a-complete-failure,Coastal Plain ROD is a Complete Failure,2024-12-10,2024,2024-12,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"Washington, DC—U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) slammed the Department of the Interior (DOI) after it released an unlawful Record of Decision (ROD) for the federally-mandated oil and gas program on the Coastal Plain of the non-wilderness Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in northeast Alaska.

Interior’s ROD dramatically restricts leasing and future development on the 1.57-million-acre Coastal Plain by deliberately departing from the clear and unambiguous language that Murkowski and Sullivan enacted within the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Interior also announced a lease sale for January 9, 2025, while transparently attempting to ensure it fails to attract bidders and raises revenue for the federal government.

“For the past four years, Interior has done everything it can think of to undermine responsible development on the Coastal Plain, ignoring federal law and those who actually live on the North Slope to upend the reasonable program the Trump administration put in place in 2020,” Murkowski said. “The ROD does not reflect statutory requirements, the preferences of most local residents, or the needs of our nation, but it’s a fitting finale for an administration that has routinely allowed Iran, Venezuela, and other adversaries to produce their resources, regardless of the consequences, while attempting to shut everything down in Alaska.”

“The Biden-Harris administration’s eleventh-hour lease sale in ANWR is yet another charade aimed at subverting the will of Congress in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” Sen. Sullivan said. “The Biden Interior Department is proposing a lease sale that closes three-quarters of the 1002 Area—including lands that are projected to have substantial resources beneath them—after having previously cancelled all of the leases lawfully-issued under the first statutorily mandated lease sale. But the most insulting aspect of BLM’s announcement is the agency’s claim to have ‘consulted with Alaska Native Tribes and Corporations’ on this Record of Decision. Having spoken with the leaders of these entities, I can report that nothing is further from the truth. The Biden-Harris administration has never given any weight to the voices of the Alaska Native people in the region who strongly support responsible resource development in ANWR for the benefit of their communities—just like the Biden-Harris administration refused to even meet with Alaska Native leaders when promulgating their illegal NPR-A rule. Cancelling Alaska Native voices continues under the Biden-Harris administration, but don’t hold your breath for the mainstream media to write that story. The good news is we will soon be working with the Trump administration that, unlike Biden-Harris, has a proven track record of responsible oil and gas production and Alaska resource development, and respects the voices of the Iñupiat people of the North Slope.”

In November 2024, Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a final SEIS for the Coastal Plain oil and gas program selecting Alternative D2 as its “preferred alternative.” BLM described Alternative D2 as the “most restrictive” of all alternatives, as it would arbitrarily place 74 percent of the Coastal Plain off-limits to leasing and thus development. BLM also restricted seismic testing to just 400,000 acres left available for leasing, which will prevent resources across the Coastal Plain from being studied and characterized.

Among other major legal deficiencies, BLM did not meaningfully consult with leaders of Kaktovik, the only community within ANWR, or Alaska Native leaders on the North Slope. Last Friday, the Native Village of Kaktovik (NVK) sent a letter to BLM asserting that the agency’s process has been “a failure of NEPA, our Memorandum of Understanding, your responsibility to us through tribal consultation – all of it a complete sham of a process. We do not want to be associated with this failure and proverbial slap in the face to us, the Kaktovikmiut.”

In 2017, Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which established an oil and gas program for the Coastal Plain of ANWR (also known as the “1002 Area”) and required two area-wide lease sales in the area by December 2024. The 1002 Area is estimated to contain a mean of 7.7 billion barrels of oil that could help refill the three-quarters empty Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. Congress authorized the development of up to 2,000 surface acres within the 1002 Area – just 0.01 percent of ANWR – to bring those barrels to market.

Instead of upholding the law and implementing it as Congress directed, the Biden administration imposed an unlawful pause for the Coastal Plain program, illegally rescinded valid leases issued in early 2021, and deliberately injected uncertainty into the future of leasing and development efforts at every turn.

At the same time, the Biden administration stunningly relaxed sanctions and other production and export restrictions on nations such as Iran and Venezuela, allowing them to increase their production levels and generate tens of billions in new revenues for illicit and corrupt purposes that have degraded global security.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:07:19Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-murkowski-bidens-anwr-decision-ignores-law,"Sullivan, Murkowski: Biden’s ANWR Decision Ignores Law",2024-12-10,2024,2024-12,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=9,scraper,"Washington, DC—U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) slammed the Department of the Interior (DOI) after it released an unlawful Record of Decision (ROD) for the federally-mandated oil and gas program on the Coastal Plain of the non-wilderness Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in northeast Alaska.

Interior’s ROD dramatically restricts leasing and future development on the 1.57-million-acre Coastal Plain by deliberately departing from the clear and unambiguous language that Murkowski and Sullivan enacted within the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Interior also announced a lease sale for January 9, 2025, while transparently attempting to ensure it fails to attract bidders and raises revenue for the federal government.

“For the past four years, Interior has done everything it can think of to undermine responsible development on the Coastal Plain, ignoring federal law and those who actually live on the North Slope to upend the reasonable program the Trump administration put in place in 2020,” Murkowski said. “The ROD does not reflect statutory requirements, the preferences of most local residents, or the needs of our nation, but it’s a fitting finale for an administration that has routinely allowed Iran, Venezuela, and other adversaries to produce their resources, regardless of the consequences, while attempting to shut everything down in Alaska.”

“The Biden-Harris administration’s eleventh-hour lease sale in ANWR is yet another charade aimed at subverting the will of Congress in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” Sen. Sullivan said. “The Biden Interior Department is proposing a lease sale that closes three-quarters of the 1002 Area—including lands that are projected to have substantial resources beneath them—after having previously cancelled all of the leases lawfully-issued under the first statutorily mandated lease sale. But the most insulting aspect of BLM’s announcement is the agency’s claim to have ‘consulted with Alaska Native Tribes and Corporations’ on this Record of Decision. Having spoken with the leaders of these entities, I can report that nothing is further from the truth. The Biden-Harris administration has never given any weight to the voices of the Alaska Native people in the region who strongly support responsible resource development in ANWR for the benefit of their communities—just like the Biden-Harris administration refused to even meet with Alaska Native leaders when promulgating their illegal NPR-A rule. Cancelling Alaska Native voices continues under the Biden-Harris administration, but don’t hold your breath for the mainstream media to write that story. The good news is we will soon be working with the Trump administration that, unlike Biden-Harris, has a proven track record of responsible oil and gas production and Alaska resource development, and respects the voices of the Iñupiat people of the North Slope.”

In November 2024, Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released a final SEIS for the Coastal Plain oil and gas program selecting Alternative D2 as its “preferred alternative.” BLM described Alternative D2 as the “most restrictive” of all alternatives, as it would arbitrarily place 74 percent of the Coastal Plain off-limits to leasing and thus development. BLM also restricted seismic testing to just 400,000 acres left available for leasing, which will prevent resources across the Coastal Plain from being studied and characterized.

Among other major legal deficiencies, BLM did not meaningfully consult with leaders of Kaktovik, the only community within ANWR, or Alaska Native leaders on the North Slope. Last Friday, the Native Village of Kaktovik (NVK) sent a letter to BLM asserting that the agency’s process has been “a failure of NEPA, our Memorandum of Understanding, your responsibility to us through tribal consultation – all of it a complete sham of a process. We do not want to be associated with this failure and proverbial slap in the face to us, the Kaktovikmiut.”

In 2017, Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which established an oil and gas program for the Coastal Plain of ANWR (also known as the “1002 Area”) and required two area-wide lease sales in the area by December 2024. The 1002 Area is estimated to contain a mean of 7.7 billion barrels of oil that could help refill the three-quarters empty Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. Congress authorized the development of up to 2,000 surface acres within the 1002 Area – just 0.01 percent of ANWR – to bring those barrels to market.

Instead of upholding the law and implementing it as Congress directed, the Biden administration imposed an unlawful pause for the Coastal Plain program, illegally rescinded valid leases issued in early 2021, and deliberately injected uncertainty into the future of leasing and development efforts at every turn.

At the same time, the Biden administration stunningly relaxed sanctions and other production and export restrictions on nations such as Iran and Venezuela, allowing them to increase their production levels and generate tens of billions in new revenues for illicit and corrupt purposes that have degraded global security.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:07:19Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/senate-passes-murkowski-padilla-bill-to-reauthorize-national-earthquake-hazards-reduction-program,"Senate Passes Murkowski, Padilla Bill to Reauthorize National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program",2024-12-06,2024,2024-12,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"Washington, D.C. —U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced that the Senate last night passed their bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) through Fiscal Year 2028 (FY28). The legislation now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives.

The bill would authorize a total of $175.4 million per year from FY24-FY28 across the four federal agencies responsible for long-term earthquake risk reduction under NEHRP: the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

“Alaska faces significant earthquake risks as the most seismically active state— our communities must be prepared,” said Senator Murkowski. “The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act provides crucial funding to federal agencies for the research, development, and implementation of earthquake safety procedures. The earthquake yesterday in Northern California is a sober reminder of how critical these readiness measures are.”

“As yesterday’s devastating Northern California earthquakes remind us, it is never a matter of if, but when the next major earthquake will strike,” said Senator Padilla. “The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program supports crucial tools like the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System, advances scientific understanding of earthquakes, and strengthens earthquake resilience in communities nationwide. With the safety of our communities at stake, we must stay vigilant. After today’s unanimous Senate passage, I will push my House colleagues to pass this bill to reauthorize this critical program as soon as possible.”

“For nearly five decades, NEHRP has been the key to helping Alaskans live in earthquake country. It powers the nation's earthquake and tsunami monitoring. Knowledge from this program is why we are able to construct buildings that don't collapse during tremors. And this latest reauthorization lays the groundwork to soon provide Alaskans with early warnings of earthquakes before the ground even begins to shake,” said Michael West, State Seismologist for the Alaska Earthquake Center. “Senator Murkowski's long-time leadership on earthquake issues has made sure that Alaska's needs are not left behind by Lower 48 priorities.”

“The Senator and I met with Alaskans throughout southcentral Alaska following the catastrophic Cook Inlet earthquake in 2018,” said Bryan Fisher, Director of the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “NEHRP is an essential program for us to protect lives, property, and the environment following an earthquake or tsunami. I want to thank the Senator for her leadership in reauthorizing this program.”

Specifically, the NEHRP Reauthorization Act of 2024 would authorize $10.6 million for FEMA, $5.9 million for NIST, $58 million for NSF, and $100.9 million for USGS per year from FY 2024-2028. This funding would support research, development, and implementation activities related to earthquake safety and risk reduction.

This NEHRP reauthorization includes:

Directing state and local entities to inventory high risk buildings and structures,

Expanding seismic events to include earthquake-caused tsunamis;

Providing more technical assistance to Tribal governments; and

Improving mitigation for earthquake-connected hazards.

Alaska faces substantial earthquake risks as the most seismically-active state, and all Alaskans live with earthquake hazards. According to the Alaska Earthquake Center, over 220,000 earthquakes were reported in Alaska over the last five years, with 26 earthquakes having a magnitude of 6.0 or greater. Notably, the most powerful earthquake to strike North America was the 9.2 1964 Good Friday Earthquake in 1964, which lasted nearly five minutes and left 118 dead, and thousands more without shelter.

The NEHRP Reauthorization Act of 2024 is endorsed by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), BuildStrong America, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), International Code Council (ICC), the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA), the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), and the Seismological Society of America.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:07:19Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/icymi-the-king-cove-road-is-a-matter-of-human-rights,ICYMI: The King Cove Road is a Matter of Human Rights,2024-12-02,2024,2024-12,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"Washington, DC – Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) wrote a longform essay on King Cove, Alaska, for the latest issue of the American Bar Association’s Human Rights magazine. The full piece – which is copied below and available online here – makes the case for a life-saving road to connect King Cove with the all-weather airport in nearby Cold Bay. This simple, one-lane, gravel, non-commercial use road is needed to ensure reliable transportation access to and from the predominantly Aleut community during frequently severe weather conditions. The life-saving road has drawn bipartisan support, most recently from the Biden administration, and is, as Murkowski writes, “a matter of human rights.”

American Bar Association (Human Rights Magazine): Climate Justice Comes in Many Forms

By Senator Lisa Murkowski

My home state is grappling with receding sea ice, thawing permafrost, and accelerating erosion. We are witnessing changes in wildlife migration patterns, devastating declines in salmon and crab populations, and the arrival of invasive species. Cool, rainy summers have kept catastrophic wildfires down over the past few years, but the return of warmer, drier weather would result in millions more acres burned.

While most Alaskans are experiencing climate change in some form, the Alaska Native people who live in remote villages are often on the front lines of its impacts. For outlying communities such as Kivalina, Shishmaref, and Newtok, the threat is existential.

Each Alaska Native community will respond to climate change based on its unique circumstances. Some will have no choice but to move; others may seek protective measures to help avoid relocation. What is important is for these communities to determine their own futures, to the greatest extent possible, and for the rest of us to support them—especially when confronted with the high costs of adaptation and the complexities of federal land ownership.

In the midst of those efforts, we can’t forget that many communities in Alaska already face serious threats from their existing climate, even before worsening change. Foremost among them is King Cove, where the lack of reliable access to a nearby all-weather airport is a danger to public health, a longstanding environmental injustice, and a matter of human rights.

King Cove is located at the end of the Alaska Peninsula, roughly 625 miles southwest of Anchorage. The community is home to about 750 people; most are Aleut and members of the Agdaagux and Belkofski Tribes. The Aleut have stewarded the region for millennia—at least 4,000 years—and are deeply connected to their place in the world.

Today, King Cove has two harbors, two stores, a couple of inns, a school, and a small medical clinic. Its economy is mostly fishing-based, although the local processing plant—which provides over half the municipal tax base—sits idle. The community has invested in renewable energy, with hydropower meeting 80 percent of demand. Posted signs warn of bears, which are frequently sighted, along with foxes, wolves, moose, caribou, and many bird species.

It’s an unmistakably beautiful place, even by Alaska’s high standards. But that’s also where the trouble begins: King Cove is nestled on a small spit between volcanic peaks, with the Bering Sea on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. The prevailing geography makes the weather in the region a major, life-affecting challenge.

It is only possible to reach King Cove by small plane or fishing boat. On any given day, however, high winds, low clouds, heavy rain, or dense fog can shut down travel entirely. King Cove has a gravel airstrip that can accommodate small, fixed-wing aircraft, but it is closed an average of 100 days a year. The seas are no friendlier: During storms, waves frequently reach 12 feet or more.

Travel delays and cancelations are routine for King Cove. Earlier this year, their high school boys’ basketball team won a state championship but was unable to return home for almost a week afterward. It’s not unusual for residents to go a week or more without mail.

King Cove is resilient and has done what it can to adapt. Residents try to stock up on medicine, knowing refills may not arrive on time. Pregnant women must depart for Anchorage or another population center at least six weeks before their due dates. Telehealth has paved the way for more local services with fewer in-person resources.

Still, not everything can be planned for, and nothing can prevent medical emergencies. King Cove’s medical clinic is modern but cannot treat significant injuries and illnesses. When the worst occurs, the clinic often simply seeks to stabilize patients until they can be medevaced to a hospital—the cost of which can be upward of $80,000.

When the weather cooperates, patients can reach Anchorage in a matter of hours. But when conditions are bad, there’s no way out—patients are stranded with their lives on the line.

To resolve this, the people of King Cove have had a simple ask since the 1970s: to build a road to connect them to the nearby community of Cold Bay.

Cold Bay’s origins are much more recent than King Cove. In 1941, concerned about the risk of an invasion on U.S. soil, the military chose it as the location of an airfield. Thousands of American troops were stationed there and built infrastructure, including dozens of miles of roads, to support their wartime operations.

At present, Cold Bay is no longer a military outpost and has only about 50 residents. The community’s primary asset is its airport, which features one of the longest runways in Alaska. Unlike King Cove’s short gravel strip, Cold Bay’s airport can serve larger planes and operates in nearly all weather conditions.

It’s easy to understand why King Cove residents want a road to Cold Bay: Driving there would be far safer, faster, and more reliable than any other mode of transportation. Their relatives helped build Cold Bay’s runway during World War II, and existing roads on each side—one out of King Cove, the other from Cold Bay—have left just 11 short miles to connect.

In most of America, that road link would have been built long ago without a second thought. But in this instance, those 11 miles fall within the 315,000-acre Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, most of which Congress designated as federal wilderness in 1980 through the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA).

Izembek’s designation occurred without consultation of the local Alaska Native people—the legislative record indicates public meetings were held in Anchorage and Cold Bay but not King Cove. Adding insult to injury, elders recall being shocked as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees burned their subsistence cabins within the newly designated refuge shortly after ANILCA’s passage.

The absence of reliable access to emergency medical care has had predictable results in King Cove. A baby was born prematurely on a boat and kept warm in its oven during a rough, multi-hour journey to Cold Bay. An elder with broken bones endured a similar boat trip and was hoisted to Cold Bay’s dock in a crab pot because they were unable to climb its treacherous 20-foot ladder.

Worse still, at least 20 lives have been lost—12 in plane crashes and the others during lengthy medevacs.

Amid generations of unnecessary trauma and death, King Cove has tried just about everything to resolve this situation—even a hovercraft, which failed because it could not operate in extreme weather. They have signed numerous land exchange agreements with the federal government to trade tens of thousands of acres of their Native lands for a small federal land corridor, only to see those agreements opposed by outside environmental groups and tied up in the courts.

The only solution is the most obvious: a short, gravel, one-lane, non-commercial road through a small fraction of the Izembek refuge. Yet, even when bipartisan legislation gave the U.S. Department of the Interior the ability to approve such a road in 2013, they said no, claiming that impacts on migratory birds would be too great. The land exchange under that legislation would have been nearly 300:1 in the federal government’s favor, but it still wasn’t enough.

Since that decision was made, Fish and Wildlife Service employees have continued to drive on military-built roads within Izembek, with no apparent impact on birds or any other wildlife. But King Cove has no such connection, and its residents have endured well over 200 medevacs over the past decade alone. The U.S. Coast Guard carried out more than 30 of those, at great personal risk to their pilots and crews and millions of dollars in costs to taxpayers.

The courage and skill required to make it from King Cove to Cold Bay in severe conditions are incredible—but also unnecessary—and not every victim makes it to care in time. Just a few months ago, a local resident passed away en route to Anchorage after being stranded in King Cove for 27 hours. An ambulance to Cold Bay would have taken about an hour and likely saved their life.

As we grapple with climate change, all of us will need to adjust our thinking about what is appropriate and necessary—from the types of energy we use to highly localized decisions that protect our fellow citizens from harm. What we will learn is that climate justice comes in many forms and, in a place like Alaska, can be driven just as much by the current climate as it is by projected change.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:07:19Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/delegation-celebrates-fccs-alaska-plan-20-to-strengthen-state-broadband-connectivity,Delegation Celebrates FCC’s “Alaska Plan 2.0” to Strengthen State Broadband Connectivity,2024-11-08,2024,2024-11,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska), and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska), celebrated the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announcement of the Alaska Connect Fund (ACF), an extension of the successful Alaska Plan program aimed at expanding and improving broadband connectivity throughout Alaska. The Alaska Plan, which went into effect in 2016, reserved $1.5 billion in funding over ten years for maintenance, extensions, and upgrades for broadband service in communities across the state. Since enactment, the Alaska Plan has delivered new and upgraded broadband service to more than 96,000 Alaskans and enhanced wireless service for 65,000 Alaskans. The ACF extends this project for an additional ten years.

“Whether you’re a commercial fisherman outside of Dutch Harbor, or a subsistence hunter leaving Utqiagvik on your snowmachine, finding cell service in rural Alaska is incredibly important – and also incredibly challenging. No other state has as many remote communities, and with extreme weather and terrain combined with short building seasons, the infrastructure demands for wireless service in Alaska are wholly unique from the rest of the Lower 48,” said Senator Murkowski. “That’s why the FCC’s announcement that the Alaska Connect Fund will be extended for 10 years means so much to our state. Alaska’s telecommunications providers can now be confident as they plan out infrastructure investments that will ensure Alaskans are more and more connected over the coming years. I’m grateful that the FCC has been so receptive to my office’s advocacy about Alaska’s distinctive needs – particularly FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, who took the time to visit and see firsthand the complexities involved with building out Alaska’s broadband infrastructure. My thanks goes to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel for making this extension a priority in a timely manner, Senator Sullivan for his work in this space on the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, as well as Christine O’Connor and the ATA for their partnership in this process.”

“The FCC’s 2016 Alaska Plan has been an important success. Rural Alaska communities are more connected today than ever before, and more investments are being made to bring reliable, high-speed internet access to even more communities across our state,” said Senator Sullivan. “Because of the Alaska Plan’s success, we were able to work with our Alaska carriers and stakeholders to make the case to the FCC to keep the momentum going and renew the plan through the new Alaska Connect Fund. As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, the lack of internet access in so many Alaska communities was a driving force behind my work to improve Alaska’s broadband access. We brought senior federal officials up to see firsthand Alaska’s unique challenges, negotiated Alaska-specific provisions in the bipartisan infrastructure bill, and educated my Senate colleagues on the specific connectivity needs of our state. I want to thank our Alaska carriers who relentlessly made the case to the FCC about the unique challenges they face in meeting the communications needs of all Alaskans, especially in rural Alaska. Our goal has been to connect every Alaska community. We will continue to press forward and relentlessly focus on this goal until all Alaska communities have critical connectivity.”

“Too often, Alaska is decades behind in infrastructure development, especially when it comes to reliable broadband,” said Representative Peltola. “The Alaska Plan has made a huge difference in our state and its extension will continue to connect more and more families to the high speed internet they need for everything from work, to school, to checking river openings.”

“We are incredibly grateful to the FCC, and to our Alaska delegation in Washington—Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Dan Sullivan, and Congresswoman Mary Peltola—for their unwavering commitment to expanding broadband access for Alaska’s rural communities,” said Christine O’Connor, Executive Director of the Alaska Telecom Association. “The Alaska Connect Fund is a crucial step forward in ensuring that every Alaskan has access to reliable, high-speed internet, which is essential for education, healthcare, economic growth, and overall quality of life.”

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:02:12Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/alaska-delegation-celebrates-fccs-alaska-plan-20-to-strengthen-state-broadband-connectivity,Alaska Delegation Celebrates FCC’s “Alaska Plan 2.0” to Strengthen State Broadband Connectivity,2024-11-08,2024,2024-11,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=9,scraper,"ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (both R-Alaska), and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska), celebrated the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announcement of the Alaska Connect Fund (ACF), an extension of the successful Alaska Plan program aimed at expanding and improving broadband connectivity throughout Alaska. The Alaska Plan, which went into effect in 2016, reserved $1.5 billion in funding over ten years for maintenance, extensions, and upgrades for broadband service in communities across the state. Since enactment, the Alaska Plan has delivered new and upgraded broadband service to more than 96,000 Alaskans and enhanced wireless service for 65,000 Alaskans. The ACF extends this project for an additional ten years.

“The FCC’s 2016 Alaska Plan has been an important success. Rural Alaska communities are more connected today than ever before, and more investments are being made to bring reliable, high-speed internet access to even more communities across our state,” said Senator Sullivan.“Because of the Alaska Plan’s success, we were able to work with our Alaska carriers and stakeholders to make the case to the FCC to keep the momentum going and renew the plan through the new Alaska Connect Fund. As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, the lack of internet access in so many Alaska communities was a driving force behind my work to improve Alaska’s broadband access. We brought senior federal officials up to see firsthand Alaska’s unique challenges, negotiated Alaska-specific provisions in the bipartisan infrastructure bill, and educated my Senate colleagues on the specific connectivity needs of our state. I want to thank our Alaska carriers who relentlessly made the case to the FCC about the unique challenges they face in meeting the communications needs of all Alaskans, especially in rural Alaska. Our goal has been to connect every Alaska community. We will continue to press forward and relentlessly focus on this goal until all Alaska communities have critical connectivity.”

“Whether you’re a commercial fisherman outside of Dutch Harbor, or a subsistence hunter leaving Utqiagvik on your snowmachine, finding cell service in rural Alaska is incredibly important – and also incredibly challenging. No other state has as many remote communities, and with extreme weather and terrain combined with short building seasons, the infrastructure demands for wireless service in Alaska are wholly unique from the rest of the Lower 48,” said Senator Murkowski. “That’s why the FCC’s announcement that the Alaska Connect Fund will be extended for 10 years means so much to our state. Alaska’s telecommunications providers can now be confident as they plan out infrastructure investments that will ensure Alaskans are more and more connected over the coming years. I’m grateful that the FCC has been so receptive to my office’s advocacy about Alaska’s distinctive needs – particularly FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, who took the time to visit and see firsthand the complexities involved with building out Alaska’s broadband infrastructure. My thanks goes to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel for making this extension a priority in a timely manner, Senator Sullivan for his work in this space on the Subcommittee on Communications, Media, and Broadband, as well as Christine O’Connor and the ATA for their partnership in this process.”

“Too often, Alaska is decades behind in infrastructure development, especially when it comes to reliable broadband,” said Representative Peltola. “The Alaska Plan has made a huge difference in our state and its extension will continue to connect more and more families to the high speed internet they need for everything from work, to school, to checking river openings.”

“We are incredibly grateful to the FCC, and to our Alaska delegation in Washington—Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Dan Sullivan, and Congresswoman Mary Peltola—for their unwavering commitment to expanding broadband access for Alaska’s rural communities,” said Christine O’Connor, Executive Director of the Alaska Telecom Association. “The Alaska Connect Fund is a crucial step forward in ensuring that every Alaskan has access to reliable, high-speed internet, which is essential for education, healthcare, economic growth, and overall quality of life.”

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:02:12Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/alaska-senators-slam-interiors-unlawful-attempt-to-throttle-responsible-development-on-alaskas-coastal-plain,Alaska Senators Slam Interior’s Unlawful Attempt to Throttle Responsible Development on Alaska’s Coastal Plain,2024-11-07,2024,2024-11,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"Anchorage, AK—U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) today released the following statements after the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced a final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the congressionally-mandated oil and gas program on the Coastal Plain of the non-wilderness Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska.

The final SEIS seeks to restrict leasing and development on the Coastal Plain by dramatically departing from the clear and unambiguous language enacted within the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

“What DOI has released ignores and makes a mockery of federal law and congressional intent for the Coastal Plain. We were crystal clear: DOI is responsible for an oil and gas program on the Coastal Plain, to benefit those who live on the North Slope and throughout Alaska and beyond,” Murkowski said. “Instead, DOI has chosen to blatantly disregard the law, even after Loper Bright, to attempt to kneecap an entirely reasonable program that can strengthen our economy and national security. It is also deeply offensive and inappropriate for DOI to continue to erase the people of the North Slope — particularly Kaktovik — from the record of this program, as if they don’t exist and shouldn’t have their views on development prevail for the future of the Coastal Plain.”

“One more time, the Biden-Harris administration is violating the law, ignoring Alaskans, particularly our indigenous communities, and undermining one of the core strengths of the United States—American energy,” Sen. Sullivan said. “At every turn, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, in alliance with Lower 48 eco-colonialists, have subverted the ANWR oil and gas leasing program mandated by Congress in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. First, the Biden-Harris administration ‘suspended’ leases issued under the Trump administration’s 2021 sale and then unlawfully cancelled them outright. Now, they are once again defying federal law by proposing to close three-quarters of the 1002 Area, including lands that are projected to have substantial resources beneath them. The Biden-Harris administration never intended to faithfully implement this law nor has it given any weight to the voices of the Alaska Native people in the region who strongly support responsible resource development in ANWR for the benefit of their communities. All of the Biden-Harris administration’s talk about listening to indigenous voices is so much empty rhetoric when it comes to Alaska. The good news is we will soon be working with a new administration that, unlike Biden-Harris, is fully committed to responsible oil and gas production and Alaska resource development, and respects the voices of the Inupiat people of the North Slope.”

In its final SEIS, the Bureau of Land Management’s “preferred alternative” — self-described as the “most restrictive” of all alternatives — would administratively place 74 percent of the Coastal Plain, or 1,163,500 acres, off-limits to leasing and thus responsible development. Additionally, BLM is administratively restricting seismic testing to the 400,000 leasable acres left available on the Coastal Plain, which will prevent resources across the Coastal Plain from being studied. Among other deficiencies, BLM did not meaningfully consult with leaders of the village of Kaktovik, the only community within ANWR, or Alaska Native leaders on the North Slope.

In 2017, Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which established an oil and gas program for the Coastal Plain of ANWR (also known as the “1002 Area”) and required two area-wide lease sales in the area by December 2024.

Instead of upholding the law and implementing it as Congress directed, the Biden administration has pursued an unlawful pause in the program, illegally rescinded valid issued leases in the area, and deliberately injected uncertainty into the future of leasing and development efforts.

At the same time, the Biden administration has stunningly relaxed sanctions and other production and export restrictions on countries such as Iran and Venezuela, allowing them to increase their production and generate tens of billions of revenues for illicit and corrupt purposes that degrade global security.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:02:12Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/alaska-senators-slam-interiors-unlawful-attempt-to-throttle-responsible-development-on-alaskas-coastal-plain,Alaska Senators Slam Interior’s Unlawful Attempt to Throttle Responsible Development on Alaska’s Coastal Plain,2024-11-07,2024,2024-11,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) today released the following statements after the Department of the Interior (DOI) announced a final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the congressionally-mandated oil and gas program on the Coastal Plain of the non-wilderness Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska.

The final SEIS seeks to restrict leasing and development on the Coastal Plain by dramatically departing from the clear and unambiguous language enacted within the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

“What DOI has released ignores and makes a mockery of federal law and congressional intent for the Coastal Plain. We were crystal clear: DOI is responsible for an oil and gas program on the Coastal Plain, to benefit those who live on the North Slope and throughout Alaska and beyond,” Murkowski said. “Instead, DOI has chosen to blatantly disregard the law, even after Loper Bright, to attempt to kneecap an entirely reasonable program that can strengthen our economy and national security. It is also deeply offensive and inappropriate for DOI to continue to erase the people of the North Slope — particularly Kaktovik — from the record of this program, as if they don’t exist and shouldn’t have their views on development prevail for the future of the Coastal Plain.”

“One more time, the Biden-Harris administration is violating the law, ignoring Alaskans, particularly our indigenous communities, and undermining one of the core strengths of the United States—American energy,” Sullivan said. “At every turn, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, in alliance with Lower 48 eco-colonialists, have subverted the ANWR oil and gas leasing program mandated by Congress in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. First, the Biden-Harris administration ‘suspended’ leases issued under the Trump administration’s 2021 sale and then unlawfully cancelled them outright. Now, they are once again defying federal law by proposing to close three-quarters of the 1002 Area, including lands that are projected to have substantial resources beneath them. The Biden-Harris administration never intended to faithfully implement this law nor has it given any weight to the voices of the Alaska Native people in the region who strongly support responsible resource development in ANWR for the benefit of their communities. All of the Biden-Harris administration’s talk about listening to indigenous voices is so much empty rhetoric when it comes to Alaska. The good news is we will soon be working with a new administration that, unlike Biden-Harris, is fully committed to responsible oil and gas production and Alaska resource development, and respects the voices of the Inupiat people of the North Slope.”

In its final SEIS, the Bureau of Land Management’s “preferred alternative”—self-described as the “most restrictive” of all alternatives—would administratively place 74 percent of the Coastal Plain, or 1,163,500 acres, off-limits to leasing and thus responsible development. Additionally, BLM is administratively restricting seismic testing to the 400,000 leasable acres left available on the Coastal Plain, which will prevent resources across the Coastal Plain from being studied. Among other deficiencies, BLM did not meaningfully consult with leaders of the village of Kaktovik, the only community within ANWR, or Alaska Native leaders on the North Slope.

In 2017, Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which established an oil and gas program for the Coastal Plain of ANWR (also known as the “1002 Area”) and required two area-wide lease sales in the area by December 2024.

Instead of upholding the law and implementing it as Congress directed, the Biden administration has pursued an unlawful pause in the program, illegally rescinded valid issued leases in the area, and deliberately injected uncertainty into the future of leasing and development efforts.

At the same time, the Biden administration has stunningly relaxed sanctions and other production and export restrictions on countries such as Iran and Venezuela, allowing them to increase their production and generate tens of billions of revenues for illicit and corrupt purposes that degrade global security.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:02:12Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-statement-on-2024-presidential-and-senate-election-results,Sullivan Statement on 2024 Presidential and Senate Election Results,2024-11-06,2024,2024-11,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) released the following statement regarding President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance’s decisive victory in the 2024 presidential election and a switch to a Republican majority in the United States Senate. Results determining majority control in the U.S. House of Representatives continue to be counted.

“I want to congratulate President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance on their historic victory last night and I want to thank the hundreds of thousands of Alaskans who took the time to make their voices heard at the ballot box. I also want to congratulate my new and returning Senate colleagues on their hard-fought victories—returning Republicans to the majority in the U.S. Senate,” Senator Sullivan said. “This election came down to the simple fact that millions of Americans were better off under a Trump presidency than under the last four years of the Biden-Harris administration. For Alaskans, the choice in this election was particularly stark, and in my view, it wasn’t even a close call. President Trump and his administration were an incredible partner to Alaska, listening to our concerns, taking actions to promote economic opportunity and good paying jobs, and putting Alaskans in the driver’s seat of our state’s destiny.

“Under the Biden-Harris administration, with strong help from Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Alaska sustained an unprecedented onslaught of negative, unwarranted federal actions—treatment no other state has ever experienced. With 67 executive orders and actions targeting our state, the Biden-Harris administration has sought to unravel the progress we achieved under the Trump administration by locking up our lands, killing our jobs, and harming our economy, all the while ignoring the voices of Alaskans and even defying federal law.

“As I did eight years ago, I will be working closely with President Trump, his administration, and my Senate colleagues to seize the opportunities before us, advance the interests and priorities of Alaskans, and make America stronger and more prosperous than ever before.

“This was a contentious and often heated campaign with strong, sincere feelings on both sides of the aisle. While we may disagree at times on what policies are best for our country, we should never forget that we are all Americans.”

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T19:02:12Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/news/in-the-news/editorial-alaska-hurting-from-fentanyl,EDITORIAL: Alaska hurting from fentanyl,2024-10-23,2024,2024-10,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"A recent story spoke to the alarming statics regarding Alaska drug overdoses, especially related to fentanyl.

Such opioids killed a record number of Alaskans in 2023 as Alaska’s percentage of drug overdoses increased by 40% — the largest increase of any state for ’23.

Alaska had 123 drug overdose deaths in 2014, 105 in 1018 and 342 in 2023.

To say that Alaska is under attack is an understatement.

But that is how U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan sees it. He has started a statewide fentanyl awareness campaign called “One Pill Can Kill.”

And one will.

Sullivan’s website offers a toolkit designed to help Alaskans fight fentanyl’s abuse.

“This campaign will examine where fentanyl is coming from, where and how it is being sold, the dangers of the drug, how it impacts our Alaska communities, and the resources that are available for treatment, prevention, and reporting criminal activity,” states Sullivan’s site.

Access to the campaign, which is for all Alaskans who wish to join, is available through that site.

The information on the site includes, but is not limited to:

• Fentanyl is the deadliest drug ever for Alaska.

• It is being marketed on social media.

• Drug cartels make fentanyl to appear as if it is candy, Xanax and other pharmaceuticals.

• Six out of every 10 fake pills with fentanyl contain a lethal dose.

We share this information because it is valuable. Every Alaskan in one way or another is affected by fentanyl and other drug-related deaths; every community suffers the effects.

We also chose this topic because it is Red Ribbon Week, a week specifically designated for awareness of illegal drugs and their deadly potential, and Ketchikan has observed it for decades.

Annually, the week pays tribute to a U.S. drug enforcement officer who lost his life in Mexico while fighting illegal drug traffickers.

After the death of Special Agent Enrique Camarena, a California congressman launched Camarena clubs in Camarena’s hometown of Calexico, Calif. Hundreds of club members wore red ribbons and pledged to be drug-free. It led to a nationwide effort to educate youth in particular about the devastating result of drug abuse.

The clubs led to the annual Red Ribbon Week, which begins Oct. 23 — today.

We encourage readers here to look at Sullivan’s website and gather information helpful to reducing the effects of fentanyl and other illegally distributed drugs. Then share the information, especially with children, regardless of whether they are “good” kids or kids already living in a drug environment. Fentanyl makes no distinction.

This is a fight that is won one kid at a time. One individual. Then another, as Alaska strives — and it should actively — to become the state with the lowest number of drug-overdose deaths.

Alaska doesn’t want to be at the top of this list.

By: Editorial Board

Source:",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:55:29Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-house-republicans-urge-biden-harris-admin-to-improve-plastic-management-treaty-at-un,"Sullivan, House Republicans Urge Biden-Harris Admin to Improve Plastic Management Treaty at U.N.",2024-10-23,2024,2024-10,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the Biden-Harris administration to press for improvements to a global plastics treaty being negotiated by United Nations participating countries. Sen. Sullivan expressed concerns that the treaty could be plagued with vague requirements and expensive efforts that do not provide adequate solutions to the pressing issue of plastic waste. The letter was first reported on in an article by Politico’s Jordan Wolman on October 16.

“Since this treaty has no enforcement provisions and relies on the good faith and self-reporting of signatory countries, the treaty needs to be common-sense and future-looking, building on reducing demand for single use plastic, on technical innovation, and on implementing measures that enhance the circularity of plastic,” Sen. Sullivan wrote. “I urge the Biden-Harris administration to focus on securing an agreement that the U.S. can join and one that will result in a lasting solution to end plastic pollution.”

Representative Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) led a similar letter in the House joined by 26 of his Republican colleagues.

Click here to read the full letter.

Senator Sullivan has led on the issue of plastic pollution, specifically in regard to oceans and marine ecosystems, with his Save our Seas (SOS) 2.0 Act, introduced with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and signed into law in December 2020. This legislation has fostered multiple efforts to eliminate plastic pollution and mitigate the impacts on the environment, including:

The Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant Program (SWIFR), authorized by SOS 2.0 and implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has provided $375 million in infrastructure and recycling programs for local communities.

The Save Our Seas Initiative, launched by USAID in 2022, has implemented programs in 25 cities across 10 countries to reduce the flow of ocean plastic pollution. The initiative’s recently-launched CIRCLE Initiative (Catalyzing Inclusive, Resilient and Circular Local Economies) is a public-private partnership that furthers this aim.

The Department of State leads inter-agency efforts to negotiate a 175+ country global treaty on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. The Department also launched the End Plastic Pollution International Collaborative; EPPIC is a public-private partnership built to catalyze governments, NGOs, and businesses to support innovative solutions to the plastic pollution crisis.

The Marine Debris Foundation, a charitable and nonprofit foundation established by SOS 2.0, announced Juneau, Alaska as its headquarters, following strong support by Sen. Sullivan to locate the headquarters in Alaska.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) published a landmark report on the U.S. contribution to global ocean plastic waste; other members of the Interagency Marine Debris Coordinating Committee have published additional reports that further our understanding and galvanize action to combat plastic pollution.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:55:29Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/alaska-congressional-delegation-welcomes-federal-disaster-declaration-for-juneau-floods,Alaska Congressional Delegation Welcomes Federal Disaster Declaration for Juneau Floods,2024-10-18,2024,2024-10,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-AK) and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-AK) welcomed the federal disaster declaration following Juneau’s floods in early August. President Biden’s declaration comes after dogged advocacy from the Alaska delegation along with community leaders to ensure Juneau residents would have federal support to recover from the flooding of Suicide Basin. This declaration paves the way for both individual and public assistance to be distributed to the residents of Juneau.

“I am pleased by the federal disaster declaration to help the Juneau community recover from the flooding of Suicide Basin late this summer,” said Senator Murkowski. “Having seen the wreckage from these floods firsthand, I stand firmly with the people of Juneau. As the community wrestles with the potential of additional flooding, this declaration comes at a critical time for recovery efforts in our state’s capital.”

“The damage to homes and property in the wake of the record-breaking flooding in Juneau this August is extensive,” said Senator Sullivan. “While there was thankfully no loss of life, the Mendenhall Valley community faces an overwhelming recovery process. I appreciate FEMA’s approval of Governor Dunleavy’s request for a federal disaster declaration, which I pushed for several times with FEMA Administrator Criswell. These FEMA funds will allow critical federal funding to supplement the incredible state and local efforts that are already underway. My team and I are also continuing to work with the Army Corps of Engineers for a long-term engineering solution to prevent this kind of destruction of homes and livelihoods in the future. The outburst flooding caused by the Mendenhall Glacier every summer is not sustainable.”

“Relieved to see Juneau’s disaster declaration approved, but there’s so much work left to be done,” Representative Peltola said. “Local efforts led by the city, Tlingit & Haida, and all those who have stepped up will finally get the federal support they need. We're monitoring this process closely to make sure funding gets to Mendenhall Valley without delay.”

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:55:29Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/alaska-congressional-delegation-welcomes-federal-disaster-declaration-for-juneau-floods,Alaska Congressional Delegation Welcomes Federal Disaster Declaration for Juneau Floods,2024-10-18,2024,2024-10,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-AK) and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-AK) welcomed the federal disaster declaration following Juneau’s floods in early August. President Biden’s declaration comes after dogged advocacy from the Alaska delegation along with community leaders to ensure Juneau residents would have federal support to recover from the flooding of Suicide Basin. This declaration paves the way for both individual and public assistance to be distributed to the residents of Juneau.

“I am pleased by the federal disaster declaration to help the Juneau community recover from the flooding of Suicide Basin late this summer,” said Senator Murkowski. “Having seen the wreckage from these floods firsthand, I stand firmly with the people of Juneau. As the community wrestles with the potential of additional flooding, this declaration comes at a critical time for recovery efforts in our state’s capital.”

“The damage to homes and property in the wake of the record-breaking flooding in Juneau this August is extensive,” said Senator Sullivan. “While there was thankfully no loss of life, the Mendenhall Valley community faces an overwhelming recovery process. I appreciate FEMA’s approval of Governor Dunleavy’s request for a federal disaster declaration, which I pushed for several times with FEMA Administrator Criswell. These FEMA funds will allow critical federal funding to supplement the incredible state and local efforts that are already underway. My team and I are also continuing to work with the Army Corps of Engineers for a long-term engineering solution to prevent this kind of destruction of homes and livelihoods in the future. The outburst flooding caused by the Mendenhall Glacier every summer is not sustainable.”

“Relieved to see Juneau’s disaster declaration approved, but there’s so much work left to be done,” Representative Peltola said. “Local efforts led by the city, Tlingit & Haida, and all those who have stepped up will finally get the federal support they need. We're monitoring this process closely to make sure funding gets to Mendenhall Valley without delay.”

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:55:29Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-highlights-work-to-advance-priorities-of-alaska-native-people-at-annual-afn-convention,Sullivan Highlights Work to Advance Priorities of Alaska Native People at Annual AFN Convention,2024-10-18,2024,2024-10,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), addressing the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) annual convention today, spoke about the progress that has been made to advance the interests of Alaska Native people at the federal level in the past year, and highlighted work he is doing with Alaska Native communities to address challenges facing rural Alaska, like the devastating crash of salmon runs in parts of the state, limited access to affordable housing, the youth mental health crisis, and the disturbingly high rates of drug overdose deaths driven by fentanyl.

Senator Sullivan discussed his work with the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC) to secure the renewal of Alaska whaling captains’ quota at the recent International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Peru; a new Alaska Salmon Research Task Force report created by his 2022 legislation; his team’s relentless efforts that led to a comprehensive ban on Russian seafood imports; and his efforts to address the Department of the Interior’s dismal implementation of his 2019 legislation to deliver Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans the land allotments they are due.

Finally, Sen. Sullivan also emphasized the legacy of patriotism of Alaska Native people and the critical ongoing military build-up taking place across Alaska.

Below is a full transcript of Sen. Sullivan’s remarks.

It’s an honor for me to be here today. AFN is certainly one of the highlights of the year for me, and for my wife, Julie, who is here in the audience today. I always look to her for my strength. She’s having a great time with her cousins and buying Christmas gifts for our family and friends.

By the way, we are always amazed by the incredible crafts and artwork on display throughout the convention hall. To all of our skilled artisans, I want you to know I’ve just introduced two new pieces of legislation that I worked with many of you on to protect your rights as Alaska Native artists—and the next generation—to continue the centuries-old practice of using natural materials, like walrus ivory and bird feathers, in your artwork.

That should be a no-brainer and we’re going to try and get a law passed to make sure that happens.

I want to thank AFN leadership: Ana, Joe, and a big congratulations to Ben Mallott. We are excited about Ben’s strong leadership and his great experience with AFN. Ben, we are 100% behind you and think you’re going to do a great job here.

And, of course, I know Julie Kitka has gotten a lot of accolades, and she deserves every single one of them. On the Senate floor back in D.C., I regularly give a speech about a special Alaskan, who we call the “Alaskan of the Week.” I try to get this every week. By the way—[there are] a lot of folks from our Alaska Native community who have been our “Alaskan of the Week.”

So recently I gave a speech about Julie as our “Alaskan of the Week,” about her great service, and in that speech, I usually love to brag about that person, that Alaskan. But Julie Kitka, always humble, stressed that the great successes of AFN throughout her tenure were accomplished because of partnerships with all of you. She actually said when we were writing the speech, “Nothing I did was ever done alone.”

Partnership is such a great leadership model. So, Julie Kitka, one more time—thank you for your great leadership. You've done such a great job.

Alaska Travels

As I always do, my Julie and I spent this past summer traveling to many rural Alaska communities including Saint Paul, Kotzebue, we were up on the Yukon, we were in the Ahtna region, to Nuiqsut and Utqia?vik. As always, we learned so much in our roundtable discussions, especially from our elders.

We saw beautiful dancing. I tried to dance a little bit myself. That's always embarrassing. We ate delicious food, met new friends and reconnected with old ones. So, again, to everybody that we were with—and it was with a lot of folks that summer—thank you for the warm, wonderful hospitality that we experienced literally everywhere we went. It is such a blessing of our Native communities.

And as part of these travels, we were honored to attend Nalukataq in Utqia?vik.

It’s magic when the whole community comes out to celebrate a cultural practice—subsistence whaling in this case—that Inupiat whalers have sustainably conducted for thousands of years.

International Whaling Commission Meeting

And this year, like six years ago, these same whaling captains were able to successfully renew—through very hard work—their quota at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Peru.

That is a big deal and deserves a round of applause. A really big deal. This has been a top priority of mine as your senator. As we know, success is never guaranteed at these International Whaling Commission meetings. The IWC has not always been a friend of our Alaska whaling captains. So before the big IWC meeting that was in Brazil in 2018 and in Peru this year, we all came together and put together a strategy with our whaling captains.

We met with the U.S. State Department and NOAA to ensure the United States, as a country, had a coordinated strategy to make sure our Alaska Native whaling captains were able to get their IWC quota. That was part of the strategy. Both in 2018 and this past year in 2024, I hosted a reception in the U.S. Capitol. Here’s some photos from that.

The goal of this reception was to invite the ambassadors, particularly from the countries that have not been friends of Alaska Native whaling, because we need their votes at this international convention. So if you see here at this convention, at one point, both in 2018 and in 2024, I looked across the reception area and literally every whaling captain had a Latin American ambassador with their arm around him.

This is great lobbying on behalf of the IWC. And it worked! It worked because in Peru, just last month, our Alaska Whaling Eskimo Commission leaders were able to secure the first automatic quota renewal in IWC history. That is a giant triumph for Alaska Natives.

In that regard, I want to do a big shout-out to AEWC Chair John Hopson Jr., the dynamic father-son duo of Crawford Patkotak, vice chair of the AEWC, and Josiah Patkotak, his son, the mayor of the North Slope Borough, and so many others. They all made it happen again. The children of the North Slope will look back at what the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission has achieved in the last 6 years and they will be grateful for decades to come.

Salmon

These whaling quotas are the kind of successes we can achieve when we unite behind a common mission.

It’s more challenging, but this is also the approach I’m taking—working with so many of you—to address our salmon crisis.

As you all know, we’ve had another banner year in terms of the strength certain salmon runs, like the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon run. But in the Yukon and Kuskokwim and other Interior rivers throughout our state, the runs have once again crashed. Representative Peltola talked very passionately about this yesterday, and our congressional delegation has always worked together to focus on these very important issues.

I mentioned this to all of you before, but I'll do it again. Over three decades ago, I was introduced to what salmon means to Native culture and people through my amazing wife Julie and her family's fish camp near Hess Creek on the Yukon River. As a family, we have so many amazing memories and experiences at Julie's family's fish camp, particularly with our three daughters.

And I know so many people have the same memories, learning how to head and gut and strip and smoke salmon on the banks of the Yukon, learning about their culture, about sharing, about family, about working together, about their heritage. When the Kings are running on the Yukon, it's the most spiritual place in the world. When the fish aren't running, and when the smoke houses are empty, it feels like something is very wrong with the universe.

We experienced that feeling at Julie's family's fish camp this summer. We're all worried—desperately worried—that a whole generation of children will miss out on this vital experience. It is soul wrenching.

So here's what I'm working on with all of you and, of course, with our congressional delegation.

Alaskans can agree—we need to identify and address research prioritization gaps with comprehensive data and the best scientific minds, including Indigenous communities, to figure out the causes of these devastating salmon declines.

That’s what my bill—the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act—does. This bill was passed into law. And here's what it does. It brings the best minds in the world—state, federal, university, Indigenous, tribal—to figure out what is happening. It includes a specific working group focused on the Yukon and Kuskokwim.

By the way, it probably doesn't surprise you, but this bill was my wife Julie's idea. And the Task Force report was just recently completed. This was required by the law. It's at my booth and if you want a copy, we would love for you guys to take a look at my booth here at AFN. I want to thank so many in our Alaska Native community who took part in this Task Force and the research and the hard work of this report.

This is what the Task Force recommends as we move forward. They call it “Gravel to Gravel,” “G to G,” which is a strategic approach that coordinates research where individual projects, regardless of whether they are led by state and federal, university, tribal or NGOs, will share information with other projects on what is happening to our salmon.

With this critically important report now completed, my team and I will be working with all of you to build a comprehensive, well-funded salmon research program at the federal level on the goal that we all share: Achieving greater abundance and stability in our salmon stocks all across Alaska.

Now, this won't happen overnight, but you have my commitment that we will continue to work our hearts out on getting our salmon back in our rivers for our children, and our children's children.

We have to get to the bottom of this and address it. I certainly am committed to working with all of you on this.

Another thing I know we can unite on in terms of a goal with regard to fisheries—which we're able to achieve recently—is making sure that Russia can no longer flood America's domestic markets with their cheap, unsustainable fish.

After a long battle with the Biden administration, I was able to finally get them to ban Russian fish from coming into our country. When the Russians tried to circumvent this ban by sending their fish through Communist China, we shut down that loophole too. This will help all of our coastal communities, many of which are Native communities, and our Alaska fishermen.

The Russian oligarchs say they're in a war with Alaska’s fishermen. Well, we're finally fighting back.

This includes banning unsafe and often illegal Russian and Chinese trawlers who are likely contributing to depleting our own salmon runs here at home. I'm now pressing leaders from around the world—from Japan, to Canada, to Europe—to ban these fish.

The world should want Freedom Fish from Alaska, not Communist Fish from China or Russia!

Report on Children

Now I want to turn to an incredibly important theme this year: Our Children, Our Future Ancestors. I really want to thank the commissioners, like Gloria O’Neil and Don Gray, and all of those who worked on “The Way Forward: Report of the Alyce Spotted Bear & Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children.”

To Gloria’s point during that last session, we certainly want to follow up with the work Gloria and others did in that important report. We don't want to let that report go onto a shelf and collect dust. That report was spearheaded by legislation that Senator Murkowski wrote, that I co-sponsored. And, as Gloria and Don said, we know that the statistics are not great. As a matter of fact, they're horrible.

Too many Alaska Native children are experiencing poverty and abuse. Too many are in the juvenile justice system. Too many are experiencing mental health challenges.

There have been many reports throughout the decades on the well-being of Alaska Native people. Gloria mentioned that in her comments just a few minutes ago. 30 years ago, if you look at this report my mother-in-law, Mary Jane Fate, worked on—the 1994 report that was also mandated by federal legislation. When she testified before Congress, she stated:

“Today we find ourselves in a crisis situation. The outrageous school dropouts, high unemployment, hopelessness, and other tragic and sad endings such as the highest rates of suicides and accidents amongst our youth.”

That was 30 years ago. The situation then was dire and still is if you look at the report that Gloria and Don just authored. But here's the thing. We cannot lose hope. This is our youth, and we must recognize that there has been progress in the last 30 years since that last report, particularly significant improvement in education, in life expectancy, and in rates of poverty.

So we must do more working together, and again, I want to thank Gloria and Don for their leadership.

Mental Health

One of the key issues in their report is resiliency. We need that, among all Alaskan kids, among all American kids. In that regard, mental health is key.

As outlined in “The Way Forward” report, 31 percent of Alaska Natives told researchers: “My mental health is poor most of the time or always.” 21 percent of youth in the report said they had been bullied on social media or through texts.

I know social media can be a great positive for many, particularly for those who live in Rural Alaska. But as we’re building out our historic broadband infrastructure in Rural Alaska, we need to understand that there is a very strong correlation between declining mental health and increasing social media use for all young Alaskans and for all young Americans.

I have been very focused on this issue and can report important progress back in D.C. A few months ago, the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act—of which I am an original cosponsor—passed the Senate with over 91 votes. “KOSA,” as we call it, gives parents significantly more control over what their kids are allowed to see online and limits harmful and addictive content that kids are bombarded with online.

This is a good start, but we must do more to protect our children. We can have the strongest economy in the world, the best quality of life in the world, but none of that means anything if so many of our kids are depressed or considering ending their lives because of what they’re consuming online. We have to get started on this important issue.

One Pill Can Kill

Another issue that I’m very focused on that relates to our youth—this is a huge one—is the deadly fentanyl crisis that’s hit our state very hard, especially among our youth.

The new numbers for 2023 just recently came out. Take a look at these slides. These numbers are shocking! The number one cause of overdose deaths in Alaska—particularly among our young people—are fentanyl overdoses, up roughly 45% from just last year. By the way, in other areas across the country these numbers are dropping dramatically. But in our state, they are continuing to surge. To surge!

Alaska Natives account for 33% of drug overdose deaths from fentanyl last year. Our kids need to be educated about this lethal drug. That’s why my team and I, working with schools and organizations across the state, have launched the “One Pill Can Kill” campaign.

What is it? It's educating our youth that even a tiny, tiny bit—look at how small that is on a pencil tip—a tiny bit of fentanyl can be lethal. They need to know the drugs they buy on the streets or from friends, including marijuana, can be laced with fentanyl and can kill you. They need to know that one pill can kill.

I would very much like to partner with AFN and other Native organizations across Alaska on this campaign. You can find information about it on my website and at my booth downstairs. But here’s the bottom line: If we can save even one young Alaskan’s life with this campaign, then it will be worth it.

Housing

Now, as you all know, raising healthy families with healthy children requires safe, affordable housing. Let's face it, in pretty much every part of Alaska, especially Rural Alaska, we don't have that.

Last August, I hosted the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in Alaska. A number of you were there at our roundtable that was focused on the outrageously high cost of housing in rural Alaska.

The Secretary of HUD, she runs a big bureaucracy back in D.C. Unfortunately, we are still waiting for HUD's recommendations on how to reduce the federal red tape that is a part of the problem of the high cost of housing in Rural Alaska. But here's the deal. We shouldn't have to wait. We can do so much of this ourselves.

I’ve seen incredible innovation in housing during all of my travels throughout Rural Alaska. Last summer, Julie and I saw how Native leaders in Huslia and Hughes were building affordable, beautiful housing—just like in this photo—at much more competitive costs.

These great leaders in our state weren't waiting for the D.C. bureaucrats to give them permission to build. I’ll never forget in 2018, when I was in Holy Cross, talking about housing with World War II veteran Luke Demientieff and his son Leonard, a Vietnam veteran. Both are master carpenters. Leonard shared with me some wise words from an elder who had been looking out at the vast expanse of an Alaskan forest. This elder said, “There’s a house in the woods. You just have to go get it. You have to build it.”

In other words, this community wasn’t waiting for the federal government to act. They got a sawmill and they started building. That is the kind of can-do spirit we need as Alaskans to address this housing shortage.

Alaska Native Vietnam Veterans Allotments

I think a number of you know that in my AFN remarks, I like to always talk about—and I certainly don't have to remind all of you—about Alaska Native Veterans incredible patriotic history of military service to our country. Already this morning, I've seen several Alaska Native veterans. If you're a veteran or a family member of a veteran, could you please stand or raise your hand to be recognized by this audience?

You all know this, but it bears repeating: Generation after generation, Alaska Native people have served our country in the military at higher rates than any other ethnic group in America. That is what I call special patriotism, particularly when they were still facing shameful discrimination back home.

Alaska Vietnam veterans really got hit hard. They were serving their country when, let's face it, a lot of Americans were avoiding service. They came home, and because they were Vietnam Vets, many were treated disgracefully.

This happened to my good friend Bill Thomas who said one day he was fishing in Haines, the next day he was in bootcamp at Fort Lewis, and then sent to the jungles of Vietnam.

Nearly two years later, after his combat tour, Bill was flown to California, dazed, the smell of jungle still on his skin, fear still in his gut. On the way to being discharged, he had to drive past a group of protestors, yelling despicable things at him.

On top of that, Bill, like so many other Alaska Native Vietnam veterans missed the deadline to apply for their Native allotment—the one that they were legally entitled to but missed because they were serving their country in a war overseas. His story was not unique.

So working with many of you here—I see Benno Cleveland and others—I was able to pass my Vietnam Veterans Allotment Act in 2019 that righted this injustice. That is now the law. It gave our Alaska Native Vietnam veterans the ability to apply for a Native allotment.

Unfortunately, the implementation of this bill has been dismal, despite Secretary Haaland’s commitment to me on making this a priority of hers.

In the past four years, the Department of Interior has only certified 38 Alaska Native Vietnam-era [Veteran] allotments out of the over 2,000 Alaska Native Vietnam veterans who were eligible for this. That's a disgrace and time is running out.

That’s why I’ve introduced a new bill to extend the Alaska Native Vietnam Veterans Allotment Program for five more years, and importantly, to expand the lands available, particularly in Southeast, where we have such a high number of Vietnam veterans and where it’s been very challenging for our Vietnam veterans to get land close to their home.

Here’s the challenge on my bill, and I'm going to need AFN’s help on this one: Every radical Lower 48 environmental group is going to come out and try to kill my bill. They don’t want Alaska Natives to have their own land and they certainly don’t want to honor our Vietnam veterans’ heroic service. We all need to fight back against them. Our cause is just. Our cause is so very just on this bill.

I'm hoping that AFN and others—I've asked the Alaska Native Brotherhood, the Alaska Native Sisterhood—we can all work together and support my bill and continue to bring justice to our Alaska Native Vietnam veterans.

Vietnam Veterans Resolution

Finally, as it relates to our Vietnam veterans, like Bill Thomas and Benno and so many others, I was recently able to pass a Senate resolution—which, by the way, passed in the Senate unanimously—commending our Vietnam veterans for their courage and sacrifice. The resolution urges the President, on behalf of the Congress, to formally acknowledge the widespread mistreatment of our Vietnam veterans when they came back home.

It offers a long overdue apology, and it calls for increased education in our schools, for our children, to learn about and understand and respect the courage and sacrifice of these heroes during the Vietnam War.

Kake and Angoon

There is another apology that I want to mention. This one also relates to our military. I think many know that I deeply respect our military. Last February, I retired from the Marines Corps after 30 years of service.

But that doesn’t mean our military is perfect. No organization is perfect.

I believe that in instances where our country has fallen short of our ideals and has harmed our own citizens, then an apology can be the right thing to do and it’s an important gesture for reconciliation.

The egregious and unwarranted U.S. military assaults on the Alaska Native people of Kake and Angoon in the late 1800s is such a case.

When Dr. Rosita Worl brought these historic wrongs to my attention, and mentioned the Tlingit people’s decades-long pursuit of recognition and an apology, I told my team in the Senate that we would work tirelessly with Alaska Native leaders to press this issue at the highest levels of the United States Navy and the Pentagon until these communities received an appropriate apology. That’s what we were able to do.

Last month, some of you may have seen it, hopefully some of you were there, the U.S. Navy held a ceremony to present the apology in Kake—an official ceremony. There will be another ceremony in Angoon in a few days. Julie and I will be looking forward to attending.

I am hopeful that these recognition ceremonies will help provide healing and importantly, show our youth that our country is so strong that it can admit its mistakes to become even stronger.

Arctic and National Security

Finally, let me turn to an issue that I have heard about from so many of you in your communities and where I want to compliment our brave Alaska-based military.

We all know it’s becoming an increasingly dangerous world. We are in a new era of authoritarian aggression with dictators in Beijing, Moscow, Iran and North Korea on the march and working together. As Alaskans, we are on the front lines of this new Cold War. We’ve seen this with dramatically increased joint Chinese and Russian patrols in the air and on the seas, near our shores and our skies. You've seen these photos—Chinese bombers, Russian subs, Russian fighters near our aircraft. Very aggressive. Our military here has done a great job of protecting our country, just like Alaska Natives have done over the decades.

Throughout history, our Alaska Native people have courageously served and defended our country. Think about it: the Alaska Territorial Guard, the Eskimo Scouts, the Tlingit code talkers. And of course, as I mentioned earlier, the super high number of Alaska Natives who serve their country in uniform. I'm absolutely confident that with this strong legacy of patriotism and service and a continued build-up of our own military here in Alaska, which I am very focused on, we as a country and as a state will once again prevail over these authoritarian dictatorships.

Internships

So let me end with one final plea. It's related back to the theme of our youth and the theme of this conference. It's just a pitch from my office. We have a very robust internship program. Representative Peltola yesterday mentioned one young Alaska Native leader, Sam Hiratsuka, who started in my office as an intern. He rose in my office, then went to Mary's office, and just two days ago, was the youth speaker at the AFN Elders and Youth Conference. Sam is doing a great job and is showing the next generation of leaders how to lead.

So here's my pitch: We need more interns, Alaska Native interns. I have information at my booth, and I urge all of you to spread the word.

We need our Alaska Native people working on Native issues in all branches of our federal government. It's a great experience for them. They are the future, and we want to encourage that kind of service. With that, to the leadership of AFN, to Julie, and others, thank you again. My Julie and I are very honored to be here.

We always love coming to AFN. Thank you, everybody.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:55:29Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-legislation-protects-alaska-native-artists-cultural-heritage-and-economic-opportunities,Sullivan Legislation Protects Alaska Native Artists’ Cultural Heritage and Economic Opportunities,2024-10-16,2024,2024-10,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) introduced the Alaska’s Right to Ivory Sales and Tradition (ARTIST) Actand the Archie Cavanaugh Migratory Bird Treaty Amendment Act to protect the legal rights of Alaska Native artists using natural materials, such as walrus ivory or migratory bird feathers, in traditional handicrafts, art, ceremonial regalia, and clothing. These bills would clarify that existing laws do not prohibit the use or sale of these materials in Alaska Native handicrafts by Alaska Native artists who are partaking in centuries-old cultural practices.

“Alaska Native artists, who have sustainably used natural materials in traditional art and cultural practices for thousands of years, are negatively impacted by overly broad bans on materials like walrus ivory and bird feathers,” Senator Sullivan said. “The products made with these materials provide not just valuable artistic and cultural expressions, but also vital income for many rural Alaskans. Many of these restrictions have been enacted without consultation from indigenous communities and local lawmakers—and can have devastating consequences. Archie Cavanaugh, a renowned Alaska Native artist, faced jail time and legal challenges for using these materials in his traditional art. This is completely unacceptable. Not only do we need to cut through the confusion and affirm the legal rights of Alaska Native people to use these materials, we need justice for those who have been unfairly targeted for taking part in centuries-old, sustainable cultural practices. My legislation listens to stakeholders and carries out the true intent of our existing laws to allow Alaskan Native artisans to use these resources without the threat of misguided legal repercussions.”

Below are statements from Alaska leaders and stakeholders in support of Sen. Sullivan’s legislation.

Vera Metcalf, Director of the Eskimo Walrus Commission: “The Eskimo Walrus Commission (EWC) strongly supports this bill and thanks Senator Sullivan and his staff for working with us on it. We also greatly appreciate the support from Kawerak, the Indigenous People’s Council on Marine Mammals (IPComm), the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), WWF Arctic Program, and especially our Alaska Native communities. The Pacific walrus remains a significant component of our Indigenous food security and remains a major feature of Alaska Native cultural heritage. Our use of ivory gives full expression to our traditional relationship with the Pacific walrus and our way-of-life. EWC asks Congress to pass this bill to ensure the cultural and economic well-being of Alaska Native communities to thrive.”

Steve MacLean, WWF US Arctic Program managing director: “The creation of handicrafts using legally sourced walrus ivory is a longstanding cultural tradition for Alaska Natives and a vital source of economic opportunity and income for their communities. This bill affirms the enduring rights of Alaska Native artists to continue creating these authentic handicrafts and bring them to market for sale. We know that words matter, particularly those that are written into law in DC and affect the everyday lives of people in places like Alaska. WWF is grateful to the Eskimo Walrus Commission for ensuring that the language in this bill meets the needs of the subsistence community, and we thank Senator Sullivan for his leadership in reintroducing this legislation. We encourage Congress to pass it into law.”

Rosita Worl, President of Sealaska Heritage Institute: “The Archie Cavanaugh Migratory Bird Treaty Amendment Act is a bill that is much about justice as it is about the preservation of Native cultures. The legislation carries the name of the gifted musician and an award-winning Tlingit artist, Archie Cavanaugh. Archie was Tlingit Raven from the G_aanax_teidí clan of the Xíxch’I Hít (Frog House) in Klukwan. On his father's side, he was a Was’ineidí yádi (child of the Was’ineidí clan). He had three Tlingit names: Shaas Táak, given to him by his late great uncle, Harold Donnelly of Sitka, and Shkein and Ldaagoohaa, adopted names given to him by the K_aach.ádi clan in Kake. He was born in Wrangell and raised in Kake.

“It was through his art that Archie suffered a grueling ordeal that we hope will result, through this legislation, in new federal protections for Native artists. In 2012, federal agents fined Archie for including raven and flicker feathers on a hat and headdress he crafted for sale. The agents confiscated the feathers and a rifle previously owned by his father that Archie used to hunt for and feed his family. Archie also faced jail time for using the feathers, which is an ancient art practice.

“When Congress enacts this bill into law, Congress will take the critical step towards restoring our rights to practice traditional arts that require the use of bird feathers, while retaining existing protections for the animals. In our vision, Archie would have someday gained the right to replace the flicker feathers back on his headdress and the raven feathers back on his hat. Sadly, Archie has passed without having that opportunity. But our collective commitment to do right by our Native artists who carry forward our traditions today—and those who will carry forward those traditions tomorrow—remains with us, and that commitment in turn is carried forward by this legislation.”

The full bill texts can be found here and here.

Background:

In September 2020, Sen. Sullivan led a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing on the Empowering Rural Economies Through Alaska Native Sustainable Arts and Handicrafts Act, Sen. Sullivan’s bill to preempt states from banning walrus ivory, whale bone, and other marine mammal products that have been legally carved by Alaska Native people under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).

Sen. Sullivan advocated for Etsy and Facebook to amend their guidelines on handicraft sales to include products or artwork made by Alaska Native artists using sealskin, otter, walrus ivory, and other protected materials.

In September 2017, Sen. Sullivan wrote the National Governors Association and National Conference of State Legislatures with the Alaska congressional delegation to highlight the “potentially devastating and unintended consequences of broadly crafted state ivory bans that are currently in place or under consideration in nearly half of the United States.”

In September 2017, Sen. Sullivan introduced the Allowing Alaska IVORY Act, legislation to preempt states from banning walrus ivory or whale bone products that have been legally carved by Alaska Native people under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:55:29Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/senator-murkowski-joins-senate-resolution-standing-with-israel-on-one-year-anniversary-of-horrific-terrorist-attacks,Senator Murkowski Joins Senate Resolution Standing with Israel on One-Year Anniversary of Horrific Terrorist Attacks,2024-10-07,2024,2024-10,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"Washington, D.C. — On the one-year anniversary of the brutal Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) joined forty-eight of her Senate colleagues condemning the attacks, while supporting a path towards the survival and security of Israel, as well as the safe release of United States hostages from the Gaza Strip.

“Our prayers continue to be with the families and victims of the barbaric terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas one year ago,” said Senator Murkowski. “As on day one, we stand with our ally Israel as they defend their people and their sovereignty. We also continue to pray for those in the region and hope for a resolution that will bring a stop to hostilities, safe return of those taken hostage by Hamas, and an end to the rise in antisemitism here at home that has made Jewish Americans feel threatened. The United States is committed to providing Israel the resources they need to defend themselves and providing humanitarian aid to the innocent civilians caught up in Hamas’ deadly war of terror.”

You can read S.Res.890 below.

“Condemning the brutal Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and supporting an outcome that ensures the forever survival of Israel, the complete denial of the ability of Hamas to reconstitute in the region, and the safe release of United States hostages from the Gaza Strip.

Whereas Hamas is a foreign terrorist organization designated by the Secretary of State under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189), whose founding charter states a commitment to destroying Israel and any nation that would support it, including the United States;

Whereas, on October 7, 2023, Iran-backed Hamas terrorists led an attack on Israel, killing approximately 1,200 individuals, including 40 United States citizens, taking 251 individuals hostage, and launching thousands of rockets toward Israel;

Whereas Israel, like other sovereign states, has a right to defend itself;

Whereas, after a year of continued and growing hostilities by Iranian proxies, Israel has launched operations to defend its people, eradicate Hamas terrorists, and rescue hostages held in the Gaza Strip;

Whereas Iran-backed Hamas has proven that it has no desire for peace in the region and has repeatedly broken negotiated ceasefire agreements and initiated attacks against Israel; and

Whereas, since October 7, 2023, Iran-backed terrorists continue rocket attacks on innocent civilians, disrupting major shipping and trade routes throughout the region, lobbing attacks on United States personnel and bases across the region, and killing and injuring more than 186 troops: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate—

condemns Iran-backed Hamas for its brutal attacks on Israel;

condemns Iran-backed Hamas for killing and taking hostage United States citizens;

condemns Iran-backed Hamas for its use of rape as a weapon of war and for its inhumane treatment, torture, and killing of hostages;

condemns the destructive and antisemitic protests in which property has been damaged, flags have been torn down, burned, and replaced with Hamas flags, and Jewish Americans have felt their safety threatened; and

supports an outcome that will—

ensure the forever survival of Israel;

destroy the ability of Hamas to reconstitute any leadership role in the region; and

(C) safely release and return all United States hostages.”

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:55:29Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-statement-on-anniversary-of-october-7th-terrorist-attacks,Sullivan Statement on Anniversary of October 7th Terrorist Attacks,2024-10-07,2024,2024-10,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"“One year ago today, on October 7th, the people of Israel suffered the worst terrorist attack in their history, a horrendous massacre that took the lives of 1,200 people—many of them innocent civilians in their homes or attending a music festival. Nearly 100 innocent hostages are still being held by Hamas terrorists, including several American citizens, and I reiterate our call for their immediate, unconditional release.

“America mourns with the Israeli people on this difficult anniversary and remains steadfast in support of Israel’s right to exist in peace and security, free from the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Tehran and its proxies.”

Sen. Sullivan, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and all 47 of their Senate Republican colleagues introduced a resolution demonstrating America’s solidarity with the people of Israel on the anniversary of October 7.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:55:29Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-and-colleagues-urge-biden-administration-to-release-liheap-home-heating-aid,Murkowski & Colleagues Urge Biden Administration to Release LIHEAP Home Heating Aid,2024-10-04,2024,2024-10,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"WASHINGTON, D.C. – With colder weather around the corner and Congress continuing its work on appropriations bills, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Jack Reed (D-RI) and are leading a bipartisan call for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to release funds for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as swiftly and at the highest level possible.

“As Congress works to finalize the Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Human Services, we urge you to immediately release the highest amount of Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding available under the Continuing Resolution (PL 118-83),” Murkowski, Collins and Reed wrote.

The Senators say the federal LIHEAP funding is a crucial lifeline that keeps vulnerable citizens safe and warm during winter by helping low-income households and seniors on fixed incomes pay their energy bills. Murkowski helped provide a total of $4.1 billion for LIHEAP in fiscal year 2024, with $4 billion through appropriations and $100 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds. Nationwide, an estimated 5.1 million households received assistance with heating and cooling costs through LIHEAP in FY 2023. In Fiscal Year 2024, Alaskans got $21.3 million from LIHEAP.

LIHEAP is administered by states, federally recognized tribes and tribal organizations, and territories. Eligibility for LIHEAP is based on income, family size, and the availability of resources.

Senior citizens and those receiving Social Security Disability or SSI benefits are encouraged to apply as early as possible, but applications will be open to everyone through spring of 2025 — or until the funding is exhausted.

Full text of the letter follows:

“Dear Secretary Becerra:

As Congress works to finalize the Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Human Services, we urge you to immediately release the highest amount of Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding available under the Continuing Resolution (PL 118-83).

As the main federal program that helps low-income households and seniors with their energy bills, LIHEAP provides critical assistance during the cold winter and hot summer months. October marks the start of the heating season for many states, and with temperatures already dropping, low-income families and seniors are feeling additional strains on their household budgets.

As state agencies activate their LIHEAP programs for the coming winter, it is crucial that they have the resources on hand to help low-income households and seniors as soon as possible. As such, we request that you quickly release LIHEAP funds at the highest level possible, so that low-income households do not have to choose between paying for heat and affording other necessities like food or medicine.

We look forward to working with you on this critical program, and thank you for your attention to our concerns and those of our constituents.”

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:55:29Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/dr-michael-sfraga-officially-sworn-in-as-first-united-states-ambassador-at-large-for-arctic-affairs,Dr. Michael Sfraga Officially Sworn In as First United States Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs,2024-10-02,2024,2024-10,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"Washington, D.C. — In a ceremony yesterday at the Harry S. Truman Federal Building, Dr. Michael Sfraga was sworn in by the U.S. Department of State and officially became the United States’ first Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs. Senator Murkowski, a driving force for the creation of the position and a key advocate of Ambassador Sfraga’s nomination, offered her congratulations following the ceremony.

“Congratulations to Dr. Michael Sfraga, the first United States Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs,” said Senator Murkowski. “Mike will bring to the post a clear-eyed view about the strategic realities of the Arctic, and help position the United States to lead in the region while protecting our national security interests. Between his decades of experience in the region, deep policy expertise, and strong relationships with Arctic leaders, there is no one better suited to be the first person in this role. I am proud to have a fellow Alaskan representing the nation at the highest diplomatic level as ambassador and I look forward to him hitting the ground running.”

“I am humbled and grateful for the trust this administration and Senator Murkowski have placed in me to represent the region that I have dedicated my professional career to,” said Ambassador Sfraga. “As Ambassador, I pledge to strengthen our relationships with our Arctic allies and partners, leverage expansion of Arctic infrastructure to increase commerce and economic growth, and promote U.S. leadership while countering our adversaries’ ambitions in the region.”

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:55:29Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/icymi-senator-murkowski-reiterates-support-for-alaskas-children-and-youth-experiencing-homelessness,ICYMI: Senator Murkowski Reiterates Support for Alaska’s Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness,2024-09-30,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"Washington, DC – Last week, amidst floor activity to pass a continued resolution to fund the federal government, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) submitted a Statement into the Congressional Record underscoring the importance of funds that were secured in 2021 to support Alaska’s children and youth experiencing homelessness. The Senator shared impactful examples of how the funds were used to connect young people to services and resources to ensure success in their education and beyond. She also implored her colleagues to come together to find solutions, and additional resources, to support children and youth experiencing homelessness.

Read Senator Murkowski’s full statement below:

Mr. President, on March 6, 2021, almost a year to the day after communities across America - and Alaska - shut down in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19, this body was voting on the third COVID relief bill - the American Rescue Plan.

Unfortunately, this was a wholly partisan exercise. Rather than advancing a bipartisan consensus effort, one side unilaterally pushed forward the largest spending package Congress had ever advanced, which I was not able to support. However, In the midst of that bogged down, partisan exercise, there was a bright spot of cross-aisle collaboration that brought together Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. In fact, it was one of only three amendments that passed with unanimous support during a contentious process where over 40 votes were taken.

I’m speaking of my amendment with Senators Manchin, Portman, Sinema, Collins, and Sullivan to designate $800 million of the K12 education funds in the bill to be used for identifying, supporting, and educating children and youth experiencing homelessness.

I offered this amendment because the first two COVID relief packages did not include any dedicated funding to support this vulnerable population - who were arguably the most negatively impacted by school closures.

At that time, 2,578 Alaskan children and youth were identified as experiencing homelessness. That number grew to 3,554 in the next school year. Unfortunately, we’re on pace to break records this school year.

Homelessness has far-reaching impacts on young people, affecting both their personal development and education. Living without a stable home means increased stress, insecurity, and trauma, leading to mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.

The tolls of their living situation also affects their physical health, increasing the risk of illness, obesity, diabetes, and hunger. Many youth struggle with regular sleep without a consistent place to rest their head. And many turn to substance abuse to cope with hardships.

For youth in school, homelessness often results in frequent school absences, difficulty concentrating, and lower academic achievement, as the instability of their living conditions makes it hard to focus on learning. The likelihood of dropping out of school rises dramatically, and so does the risk of being involved in the juvenile justice system.

Homeless youth may lack access to essential resources like school supplies, quiet study spaces, and nutritious meals, further widening the achievement gap.

Now I’m probably not breaking any news to those of us in Congress, who have heard too many stories of young people enduring these incredibly trying conditions.

But I’m here today to share some incredible news on this front from the bipartisan work done on this floor to help our youth in crisis.

In my home state of Alaska, we received $2.35 million in these funds, more than eight times its usual allocation.

Mr. President, to see the impact that these funds have had makes my heart sing. What was really incredible was seeing how each district used these funds creatively to meet the unique and specific needs of the kids they serve. By providing districts flexibility in their spending, schools were able to provide everything from school supplies to cell phones to clothing and food.

In the Kenai Peninsula School District, they used funds to help a student access mental health services. This particular student had experienced homelessness and housing instability for the majority of their time in public education.

After falling off the radar of the school, the student became an unaccompanied homeless youth due to parental substance use disorder and incarceration.

These homeless youth funds were a lifeline in providing critical mental health services to support this student, giving them tools for coping, and helped place them on a path to sustained stability at a time when they were experiencing incredible uncertainty and didn’t have someone in their life to help guide them.

In Anchorage, the school district used these funds to provide Wi-Fi hot spots, since the subsidized broadband internet was no longer available.

These funds enabled the purchase of 15 Wi-Fi hot spots for families last school year and 10 more for this year. You can imagine that for families and youth who are moving from place to place - motels, cars, couches - access to reliable internet to complete homework and communicate with teachers is a particular challenge. No other district program is able to support homeless students this way. ASD's Migrant Education, Indigenous Education and English Language Learners departments see this as a big need but one they cannot address.

In addition to hotspots, Anchorage School District’s program was able to provide car repairs.

Now that might seem like a strange way to help those experiencing homelessness, but districts discovered that car repairs made more economic sense than providing cab services for young people trying to attend classes. By providing $200 on car repair costs, the district ultimately saved money on transportation and families had more reliable car services.

Both districts also used funding to bring on additional staff designated to work with homeless students. The Child in Transition Program in the Anchorage School District was able to hire two full-time staff for remote sites and five part-time staff in high schools to support students on campus and connect them to services.

These staffers are connecting students and families with identification efforts, checking in on attendance and grades, monitoring and supporting academic progress, and facilitating referrals with community partners.

In fact, one of these staffers was able to build rapport with a student experiencing homelessness who was interested in applying for a job - but didn’t know how to start the process. By having a dedicated staff member, who they knew and trusted, the support and resources were there for this student to apply for the position and prepare for their interview.

Today, that young person is employed.

These real-life examples highlight the what this funding is actually doing on the ground and the incredible, real world benefits it has in the lives of youth and families experiencing homelessness.

We know that the number one risk factor for adult homelessness is the lack of a high school education or equivalent.

The challenges and hardships that youth experiencing homelessness face can set them on the wrong path, severely limiting future opportunities for employment and healthy lifestyles.

These funds are still directly supporting students so they can attend school and have the resources to successfully complete their education.

This funding is helping young people get out of the homelessness cycle permanently.

I’m proud to stand here with my colleagues to share the impact of this American Rescue Plan provision.

I was disappointed that we were not able to get a clean one-year extension done so that we can continue to hear good stories of the work being done in our communities to identify and support homeless youth.

There were a number of reasons that states and local education agencies were not able to fully spend down their funds – from local education agencies not even being aware of the additional flexible funds, to delayed guidelines from the Department of Education on allowable uses.

So without an extension, some states will be returning funds. And make no mistake – these are funds that are still critically needed in our communities. The youth experiencing homelessness in our states still need our support and we expect to see continued increases in homeless youth.

To be clear, there is more work to be done with homelessness on the rise. I urge my colleagues to work with us to address these issues.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-condemns-reckless-and-unprofessional-russian-fighter-tactics-near-alaska-airspace,Sullivan Condemns “Reckless and Unprofessional” Russian Fighter Tactics Near Alaska Airspace,2024-09-30,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement after the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) released video of a Russian Su-35 aircraft conducting a dangerous maneuver next to an Alaska-based U.S. Air Force fighter during an intercept on September 23 in Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

“The reckless and unprofessional maneuvers of Russian fighter pilots—within just a few feet of our Alaska-based fighters—in Alaska’s ADIZ on September 23 put the lives of our brave Airmen at risk and underscore the escalating aggression we’re witnessing from dictators like Vladimir Putin,” said Sen. Sullivan. “These tactics stand in stark contrast to the skill and discipline of our Alaska-based service members who are on the front lines at all hours in defense of our entire country. I want to commend our Airmen for consistently and professionally executing these complex intercept missions.

“We need to answer force with force and continue building up America’s military presence in Alaska and the Arctic with more infrastructure, like the strategic Arctic port at Nome and reopening the Adak Naval Air Facility, and more military assets.”

On September 17, 2024, Sen. Sullivan praised the deployment of 11th Airborne Division soldiers to the Aleutian Islands in response to increased Russian and Chinese military activity near Alaska. Between September 11 and September 15, Alaska-based forces detected and tracked four separate incursions of Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaska ADIZ and one incursion of Russian naval vessels in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-in-attendance-as-us-navy-formally-apologizes-to-village-of-kake-for-military-bombardment,Murkowski in Attendance as U.S. Navy Formally Apologizes to Village of Kake for Military Bombardment,2024-09-27,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Vice Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, attended and spoke at a ceremony in Kake, Alaska, where the U.S. Navy formally apologized for bombarding the Alaska Native village of Kake, Alaska in 1869.

Senator Murkowski has advocated for this formal apology for many years. She has heard directly from the leadership of the respective villages and clans about the pain and suffering that was inflicted on the Tlingit people by this bombardment and how, generations later, it continues to affect the community. This formal apology is long overdue but marks the start of healing for the community.

“It was incredible to be present at this ceremony to witness the United States military’s historic apology for the devastating 1869 bombardment of Kake. I have heard for many years how the people of Kake have not been able to heal from the trauma of the Navy’s attack. Families have shared the stories of the destruction, which led to deaths among children and elders. These families have had to live with that sadness and unresolved trauma for too long,” said Senator Murkowski. “One of the cultural values the people of Kake carry is spiritual and cultural balance. When trying to find that balance, apologies need to be made, to say ‘I am sorry, we failed you.’ While far overdue, it is appropriate now that our military offered this apology to the people of Kake for their loss. I commend the clan leaders in Kake for their humble acceptance of the Navy’s apology, and hope that this acknowledgment will promote healing from the intergenerational trauma caused by the United States government’s mistakes. It was my great honor to have worked alongside the community of Kake to advocate for this historic event.”

Senator Murkowski was previously adopted into the Deisheetaan clan by the late Selena Everson. During the ceremony, Senator Murkowski delivered remarks with fellow Deisheetaan clan members at her side, after inviting them to join her at the podium. Senator Murkowski delivered her remarks wrapped in a peace blanket lent to her by Joe Zuboff via Sealaska Heritage Institute’s President, Dr. Rosita Worl.

For video of Senator Murkowski’s full remarks, click here.

Excerpts from Senator Murkowski’s remarks

“This is an historic moment. This is a moment in time, as we have heard, that has been coming for generations.”

“I was reminded by Liz Medicine Crow that the children in the schools here are the 7th generation to hear, understand, and grieve what happened with the bombardment of 1869. Seven generations of loss.”

“I was gifted the name Aan shaawátk’I. which means Lady of the Land. It is a tribute and an honor that I carry deeply with me. It is a responsibility that I have to not only the Deisheetaan, but to all of Alaska’s peoples.”

“The blanket I wear at this moment that Dr. Worl has honored me with wearing for this time is a peace blanket.”

“I became involved in these discussions – I heard about this story – years ago. Years ago, I’d learned there had been an effort for an apology, which had to work its way up not only through the military leadership, but then needed to be signed off by the Secretary of the Navy and by the President. And that it made its way so far up in the Clinton Administration, but was ultimately rejected. That was before I had heard of these stories, but this effort is one that should not die, that could not die, that must be remedied.”

“I want to acknowledge Dr. Worl for not only convening so many, but [also for her] very, very direct reach out to our military leadership. It was in 2019 that she reintroduced the story to General Tom Bussiere who was head of the Alaska Command at the time. And General Bussiere said this wrong must be righted. I will work with you. But as happens, Generals come and they go. And General Bussiere worked hard but it was not accomplished.”

“I was asked in my role as a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee for help from the U.S. Navy on an issue thousands of miles from here, in Nevada, where they were looking to convey property to allow for an extension of a military facility. They said what they were going to do was ensure that the Native people who had been harmed by the military’s actions would receive recognition and would receive a level, a show of apology. And I said ‘I will work with you on that issue in Nevada, but you must understand that the people of Kake have a raw and an open scar that has been left for generations. That the people of Angoon have a raw and open scar that has been left for generations. And the people of Wrangell. So, help us to ensure that these wrongs are corrected.”

“It was humbling to be in Juneau for Celebration this year. To be part of the lengthy discussions with our military liaisons, some of whom are in this room this afternoon. And our Native leaders and elders from Kake, from Angoon, and from Wrangell, and to finally be to that point where the answer is ‘yes, an apology is necessary. Let’s talk about when.’ And now that ‘when’ is here for the people of Kake. And, so, to be able to announce at Celebration was a truly humbling moment.”

“It is my hope that we can move together, forward, with respect and understanding for each other’s cultures, for each other’s world views, and that with these words of apology, respect is finally afforded to the people of Kake.”

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-cortez-masto-introduce-legislation-to-identify-factors-influencing-health-outcomes,"Sullivan, Cortez Masto Introduce Legislation to Identify Factors Influencing Health Outcomes",2024-09-26,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced the Utilizing National Data, Effectively Reforming Standards and Tools, to Address Negative Determinants of Health (UNDERSTAND Health) Act to establish a clear definition of social determinants of health. This legislation would support the work that many Alaskans and Nevadans are already doing to address socioeconomic conditions that impact a person’s health to keep Congress informed on future health policy.

“Studies have made it increasingly clear that Americans living in areas with limited access to health care, nutritious food, and quality housing can face lasting detrimental consequences for their physical health. Alaska is disproportionately impacted by this challenge, with dozens of communities off the road system that lack these basic amenities of life,” said Sen. Sullivan. “The more information we have on how these conditions impact long-term health, the better we can treat and address health conditions before they become serious. The UNDERSTAND Act will make it easier for health care providers to collect and utilize this data to ultimately improve the health of Alaskans.”

“The critical role stable access to food, housing, education, employment, and transportation plays in Americans’ health has been overlooked for too long,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “This bipartisan bill will help us better understand how these factors impact our physical and mental health so we can address challenges head on and improve the health of patients and communities across Nevada.”

Below are statements from stakeholders supporting the UNDERSTAND Act.

“The All Alaska Pediatric Partnership (A2P2) believes all Alaska’s children deserve to thrive and have equitable access to health care and related services,” said Carmen Wenger, Acting Executive Director of A2P2. “This requires using data-driven approaches to address the social drivers of health that are foundational to wellbeing. The UNDERSTAND Act provides a standardized way to discern and respond to these needs, while also allowing local knowledge to inform practice and to support advancing the high standards of care we value for children and families in Alaska.”

“As President & CEO of the Alaska Children's Trust, I know that addressing the root causes of child abuse and neglect means tackling the social determinants of health—factors like housing, food security, and access to transportation—that have a profound impact on the well-being of children and families,” said Trevor Storrs. “The UNDERSTAND Act helps us move closer to root causes by standardizing how we collect and use this data, allowing us to more effectively target resources and interventions.”

“Ensuring access to quality healthcare for Alaskans is our top priority at the Alaska Hospital & Healthcare Association (AHHA),” said Jared Kosin, President and CEO of AHHA. “We know that social drivers of health, such as safe housing, transportation, and food security, contribute to overall health. Standardizing and understanding these drivers is vital to effective healthcare delivery and access to services for Alaskans. We thank Senator Sullivan for prioritizing this issue and working to address unmet needs.”

In addition to the Alaska Pediatric Partnership, the Alaska Children’s Trust, and the Alaska Hospital & Healthcare Association, this bill is endorsed by Aligning for Health, the National Alliance to Impact the Social Determinants of Health (NASDOH), American Art Therapy Association, American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work, American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists, American Association on Health and Disability, American Counseling Association, American Dance Therapy Association, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Group Psychotherapy Association, American Mental Health Counselors Association, American Occupational Therapy Association, American Psychoanalytic Association, Anxiety and Depression Association of America, Association for Ambulatory Behavioral Healthcare, Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, Centerstone, Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Cities Thrive Coalition, Clinical Social Work Association, Council on Social Work Education, Crisis Text Line, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action, Education Development Center, Fountain House, Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice, Huntington’s Disease Society of America, International OCD Foundation, International Society for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses, The Jewish Federations of North America, The Kennedy Forum, Legal Action Center, Mental Health America, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Alliance to Advance Adolescent Health, National Alliance to End Homelessness, National Association for Children’s Behavioral Health, National Association for Rural Mental Health, National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors, National Association of Social Workers, National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, National Board for Certified Counselors, National Council for Mental Wellbeing, National Eating Disorders Association, National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health, National Health Care for the Homeless Council, National League for Nursing, National Register of Health Service Psychologists, National Women’s Shelter Network, NHMH - No Health Without Mental Health, Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, Schizophrenia and Psychosis Action Alliance, School Based Health Alliance, SMART Recovery, The Trevor Project, and Treatment Communities of America.

Letters of support from these organizations can be found here.

The full text of the bill can be found here. A one pager is available here.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-hirono-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-hold-judiciary-accountable-for-workplace-misconduct,"Murkowski, Hirono Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Hold Judiciary Accountable for Workplace Misconduct",2024-09-25,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee introduced the bicameral, bipartisan Judiciary Accountability Act of 2024 (JAA). The legislation would ensure the more than 30,000 employees of the federal judiciary have strong statutory rights and protections against discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, and other forms of workplace misconduct and will guide further conversations with stakeholders and experts about a legislative solution to protect the rights of judiciary employees. U.S. Representatives Hank Johnson (D-GA), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and Norma Torres (D-CA) introduced a House companion bill.

“The Judiciary Accountability Act expands federal laws that prohibit workplace harassment and discrimination to employees of the judiciary, putting them on par with executive branch, congressional, and private sector employees who have long-had these protections,” said Senator Murkowski. “This legislation not only helps safeguard employees from mistreatment at work, but also establishes a review system to foster accountability when those rights are violated. I appreciate the opportunity to lead this bipartisan legislation with Senator Hirono to cultivate transparency and a positive working environment within the judicial branch.”

“No one is above the law, but most federal judiciary employees lack essential workplace protections, preventing them from obtaining justice when they face discrimination and harassment,” said Senator Hirono. “Employees of the federal judiciary dedicate their careers to providing justice, and they deserve justice when they face misconduct in the workplace. Yet these employees are among the only ones in the United States who lack the right to sue when they face discrimination or harassment. The Judiciary Accountability Act will help to protect the 30,000 federal judiciary employees by extending basic anti-discrimination protections to cover them, giving them access to federal court to vindicate those rights, and helping to ensure more accountability in the federal courts.”

The foundational federal statutes—such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964—generally do not apply to the federal judiciary, making it one of the only employers in the entire country–public or private–whose employees are not protected by federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination and retaliation. The federal judiciary has faced sustained criticism for its approach to preventing, investigating, and remedying sexual harassment and discrimination by judges and others in the judicial branch.

This year, back-to-back reports were released—one from the from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the other from the Federal Judicial Center and National Academy of Public Administration—underscoring that although the Judiciary has taken steps to implement an internal dispute resolution process, that process can be disjoined and confusing. Moreover, no part of that process provides judiciary employees a path to vindicate their rights in court.

The Judiciary Accountability Act will:

• Give judicial branch employees the same anti-discrimination rights and remedies private sector and government employees have had for decades. Today, most judicial branch employees are not protected by the federal civil rights statutes that prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, age, and disability. The Judiciary Accountability Act would correct that injustice.

• Protect judicial branch employees from retaliation against them by providing them with the right to sue for relief if they are retaliated against. Unlike other federal employees, most judicial branch employees currently have no statutory protection against retaliation. At a House Judiciary Committee hearing in 2020, multiple witnesses testified that they and others were afraid to come forward about the sexual harassment they suffered or witnessed.

• Establish a comprehensive workplace misconduct prevention program overseen by an improved and expanded Office of Judicial Integrity. The Office’s Board of Directors would include members experienced in investigating and enforcing civil rights laws against workplace discrimination, as well as experience assisting victims of discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment and sexual assault. The Office would administer a nationwide, confidential reporting system and a comprehensive training program addressing workplace behavior and bystander intervention, among other duties.

• Require regular assessments of workplace culture to determine the effectiveness of judicial branch policies designed to prevent and remedy harassment and discrimination.

• Make clear that discrimination and retaliation constitute judicial misconduct and ensure that the judicial misconduct laws apply to all federal judges, regardless of whether they subsequently resign, retire, or pass away.

The full text of the legislation is available here.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/senator-murkowski-welcomes-historic-confirmation-for-united-states-ambassador-at-large-for-arctic-affairs,Senator Murkowski Welcomes Historic Confirmation for United States Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs,2024-09-24,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), co-chair of the Senate Arctic Caucus, welcomed the historic confirmation of the United States’ first Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs, Dr. Michael Sfraga. Senator Murkowski was the chief advocate for the creation of the position, which the State Department initiated in 2022. The Senate confirmed Dr. Sfraga’s nomination today.

“Finally, we have officially joined the rest of the Arctic nations at the table after the Senate confirmed the United States’ first Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs. The need for this leadership in the Arctic has become even more urgent as we saw last night the fifth publicly reported incursion by Russian military aircraft in Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone in the last two weeks,” said Senator Murkowski. “Our new Ambassador will not only help America push back against our adversaries heightened aggression in the Arctic, but will be a critical resource in advocating for economic expansion in this increasingly vital region, committing to do everything in his power to protect American economic and security interests in the Arctic. I congratulate Dr. Michael Sfraga on his confirmation and look forward to the progress he will usher in.”

Prior to today’s vote, Senator Murkowski spoke on the Senate floor regarding the importance of confirming Dr. Sfraga. A video of her remarks can also be found here.

Read the full speech below:

“Mr. President, I have come to the Floor to speak to the nomination of Dr. Mike Sfraga, an Alaskan, to be our nation’s very first Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs.

As the person who recommended Dr. Sfraga, I’ve come to the Floor to reiterate my strong support for his nomination, and to urge the Senate to ensure we are no longer the only Arctic nation that does not have an Arctic ambassador.

I want to speak to two specific considerations: why we need to focus on the Arctic, and why Dr. Sfraga is the right person for this important role.

First, the Arctic. I won’t detail the entire history; I would just ask you to think about the past couple months alone.

On July 24, Russian and Chinese bombers flew a joint patrol for the first time off the coast of Alaska. While the Russians regularly fly into our Air Defense Identification Zone, our “ADIZ” – I don’t ever recall hearing of the Chinese flying into the area, let alone on a joint mission.

The day after Russia and China’s joint exercise, I would have told you that this escalation was the most disturbing thing we’d see this year. But unfortunately, our adversaries quickly found a way to top that – upping the ante even further.

On September 10, Russia began its massive, weeklong, worldwide Ocean-24 exercise with hundreds of warships, more than a hundred aircraft, and nearly 100,000 troops. The exercise, the largest since the fall of the Soviet Union, also saw Chinese participation. Between its start and end, NORAD and the Air Forces stationed in Alaska detected, tracked, and intercepted four different Russian incursions into the Alaska ADIZ.

In previous years, we’ve come to expect six or seven incursions a year. So think about that: in just five days, our air defenses were tested almost as much as they tend to be tested in any given year. We are now way ahead on publicly-reported intercepts this year—up to 10, with three months left.

There has also been an unprecedented level of naval activity off the coast of Alaska. During that same Russian exercise, the U.S. Coast Guard detected four Russian naval vessels 50 miles to the northwest of Point Hope in Alaska. The vessels moved to avoid sea ice in the area during their exercise—which is accepted under international law–but that brought them 50 miles into the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone.

Hearing that, I can’t help but think back to when Russian warships chased Alaska fishermen out of an area within our EEZ back in August 2020. And these are hardly isolated incidents. Last August, the Coast Guard detected and shadowed a Russian intelligence ship operating off the Aleutians. This past July, the Coast Guard detected and shadowed a Chinese Surface Action Group within our EEZ in the Bering Sea.

I could also remind the Senate of the Chinese surveillance balloons that transited above Alaska and the Arctic last year.

I could remind the Senate of a lot more events and incidents that warrant greater attention, policy, and resources for the Arctic.

What I hope we can agree is that this an unprecedented time for the region. Normally we think of the Arctic as “High North, Low Tension.” But right now, it’s “High North, Rising Tension.” And one thing that is absolutely missing is a Senate-confirmed diplomat, who will spend his or her time focused on Arctic issues, working with our allies, and engaging our adversaries.

The United States is alone in having inadequate diplomatic representation in the Arctic. It’s not that no one at State Department is thinking about the region; it’s that no one, at a high level, is specifically tasked with and responsible for and empowered to lead the way.

So, we need an Arctic Ambassador. When we established this position in August 2022, I hoped it would mark a more serious effort to lead and maintain a rules-based order in the region. But it’s been two years, and only now are we able to confirm a highly capable, well-qualified individual to actually do that work.

Which brings me to Dr. Sfraga. He was nominated in February 2023. His nomination was favorably reported by the Foreign Relations Committee in March 2024. And today, we have the chance to confirm him.

I would contend that there is no one better suited to be the first person in this role than Dr. Sfraga. For all of the questions that some have raised about him, I would argue that we know exactly what we are getting.

Dr. Sfraga has dedicated himself to a career of service to the Arctic and our nation.

He is an accomplished geographer, researcher, and teacher, with a PhD from the University of Alaska.

He helped establish the University of the Arctic, and co-created and co-led the State Department’s Fulbright Arctic Initiative.

He established the Polar Institute at the Wilson Center, which has become the “Arctic Public Square” for high-level conversations about the Far North.

And, he Chairs the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, which advises Congress and the President on international Arctic research.

Dr. Sfraga has decades of experience, deep expertise, and strong relationships with Arctic leaders. Our allies support him, our Arctic partners support him, Alaskans support him, and I support him. He is clear-eyed about the strategic realities of the Arctic and the intentions of our adversaries. He understands how to position the United States to lead in the Arctic and to protect our national security interests. His vast experience means he knows how to handle Russia and China – across the interagency process and with allies and partners – through a position of strength.

Some have argued that Dr. Sfraga’s past interactions with regional players disqualify him from serving in this role. But remember: he’s an Alaskan. We share a maritime border with Russia. We used to have regular nonstop air service to Russia. That’s our part of the world, and when relations were better, it wasn’t uncommon for Alaskans to visit and work with and know people who lived there.

Dr. Sfraga has been criticized for attending international forums, but remember: he was hardly the only American or U.S. government official in attendance at these events. He’s just the only one being criticized for it, even though his participation helped give us a voice at those events.

I also find it fascinating that some have criticized Dr. Sfraga’s past language as advocating for a “competition-free” Arctic. I can tell you: that is how we spoke about the region for a long time. We strived to establish a rules-based order that would protect our people and maintain low tensions. Even former President Trump called for a “competition-free” Arctic.

The criticisms that Dr. Sfraga has faced are a great way to ensure that the United States never has an Arctic ambassador – or that we ultimately confirm an individual who has never been there, knows little about it, and won’t do anything to protect or advance our strategic interests.

To me, that would be a loss. The Arctic is no longer an isolated, distant region. It is a place of strategic importance, economic potential, and growing competition. The United States must be prepared to lead – and that starts with representation. Personnel is policy, and Dr. Sfraga is ready to take on this important role.

I urge the Senate to see through the attacks on Dr. Sfraga. There is nothing in his past or in his file that is disqualifying. We know exactly what we are getting; he has been a public figure, sharing his views of the Arctic, for years.

I thank those who have already offered their support for Dr. Sfraga, and would encourage the rest of my colleagues to be happy that we aren’t confirming yet another judge—but instead, a qualified Alaskan who can lead on Arctic matters from day one, at a time when that matters more than it has in decades.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting yes to confirm Dr. Sfraga and yield the Floor.”

Background: Senator Murkowski is an internationally recognized leader on Arctic issues and is dedicated to strengthening America’s position as an Arctic nation. In October 2021, she and Senator Angus King (I-ME) introduced the Arctic Diplomacy Act to establish an Assistant Secretary of State for Arctic Affairs.

Following Senator Murkowski’s persistent advocacy, the State Department announced in August 2022 that “the President plans to elevate the Arctic Coordinator position by appointing an Ambassador-at-Large for the Arctic Region, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate. The Ambassador-at-Large for the Arctic Region will advance U.S. policy in the Arctic, engage with counterparts in Arctic and non-Arctic nations as well as Indigenous groups, and work closely with domestic stakeholders, including state, local, and Tribal governments, businesses, academic institutions, non-profit organizations, other federal government agencies and Congress.”

Dr. Mike Sfraga is the first nominee for the new Ambassador-At-Large position. His official biography from the U.S. Arctic Research Commission appears below.

“Dr. Michael Sfraga was the founding director of the Polar Institute and served as the director of the Global Risk and Resilience Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC. He currently serves as chair and distinguished fellow in the Polar Institute, where his scholarship and public speaking focus on Arctic policy.

“An Alaskan and a geographer by training, his work focuses on the changing geography of the Arctic and Antarctic landscapes, Arctic policy, and the impacts and implications of a changing climate on political, social, economic, environmental, and security regimes in the Arctic.

“Sfraga served as distinguished co-lead scholar for the U.S. Department of State’s inaugural Fulbright Arctic Initiative from 2015 to 2017, a complementary program to the U.S. Chairmanship of the Arctic Council; he held the same position from 2017 to 2019. He served as chair of the 2020 Committee of Visitors Review of the Section for Arctic Science (ARC), Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, and currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Council of the Finnish Institute for International Affairs. Sfraga previously served in several academic, administrative, and executive positions at the University of Alaska, including vice chancellor, associate vice president, faculty member, department chair, and associate dean. Sfraga earned the first PhD in geography and northern studies from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.”

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-biden-downplays-failed-iran-policies-and-global-chaos-in-final-un-speech,Sullivan: Biden Downplays Failed Iran Policies & Global Chaos in Final UN Speech,2024-09-24,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"President mentions climate change three times more than Iran in remarks

WASHINGTON—In an interview this morning with Harris Faulkner on Fox News Channel, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), the Republican Senate representative to the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, condemned the misguided foreign policy priorities highlighted in President Biden’s final speech to the UN on Tuesday. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed last weekend, Sen. Sullivan urged President Biden to use the speech as an opportunity to course correct on the administration’s failed appeasement policies toward Iran, which have emboldened the terrorist regime and its proxies and spread chaos throughout the world.

“President Biden mentioned climate change six times and Iran just twice in his speech to the UN. If that's not indicative of the Biden-Harris administration’s priorities, I don't know what is,” said Sen. Sullivan. “What we've seen is chaos throughout the world. This is his last foreign policy speech. Americans and people around the world need to ask this question: Are Americans and our allies safer today than we were four years ago? The answer is absolutely not. One of the biggest areas in which this has been true, and is a failure of this administration, is the appeasement of Iran. Iran is the agent of chaos everywhere—and this administration has appeased Iran in every sphere.”

Senator Sullivan has frequently criticized the Biden-Harris administration’s weakness exhibited toward Iran and pushed for a return to Trump-era sanctions aimed at re-establishing deterrence against Iran and its terrorist proxies.

Click here or the image above to watch Sen. Sullivan’s interview.

SULLIVAN: The Biden-Harris Administration has Appeased Iran in Every Sphere

HARRIS FAULKNER: We don't know what Kamala Harris' foreign policy is going to be. We just saw the last speech by the sitting president, and it was not strong considering the breaking news right now. There is a war now across that line between Lebanon and Israel. If this is what we get under President Biden, what in the world would we get under Vice President Kamala Harris if she wins the White House?

SENATOR SULLIVAN: It's such an important question. You just saw the speech, right? Biden mentions climate change six times and Iran twice. If that's not indicative of this administration’s priorities—Biden-Harris—I don't know what is. What we've seen is chaos throughout the world. This is his last foreign policy speech. I think Americans and people around the world need to ask this question: Is America and our allies safer today than we was four years ago? The answer is absolutely not. And one of the biggest areas in which that has been true, and a failure of this administration, is the appeasement of Iran—that Iran is the agent of chaos everywhere. Your reporting right now is just showing that. They have appeased Iran in every sphere.

As you mentioned, I think with Kamala Harris, it would be way worse. You have to compare the record of the Trump administration with regard to Iran where we reestablished deterrence, put them in a box, crushed them economically, killed their terrorist leaders, and launched a peace initiative with the Abraham Accords. It’s such a contrast in terms of records.

…

SULLIVAN: Trump-Era Sanctions Against Iran are the Most Effective Tools in Re-Establishing Deterrence

FAULKNER: All right. I want to get to two things. First of all, Major General Ryder told us yesterday, and then filled in the blanks a little bit, saying, “Well, it's a small number that they're sending to the Middle East to shore up the 40,000 who are there.” Well, that's anything less than 40,000. What is happening—you're on Armed Services—what is happening that you can tell us that's next for the United States in that region? And keeping in mind we have to back Israel.

SULLIVAN: We 100 percent have to back Israel. One of the things that's been so frustrating with this administration is that some of the most effective tools that we have in terms of backing Israel and in re-establishing deterrence with regard to Iran, aren't necessarily military tools. Let me give you the best example. The Trump administration undertook maximum sanctions against the Iranian oil and gas industry.

By the end of the Trump administration, Iran's economy was in free-fall. They were exporting only about 200,000 barrels a day. They had about $4 billion in foreign reserves, which was nothing. The Biden-Harris administration comes in, day one, they stop enforcing these sanctions. What does that do? Iran is exporting almost 3 million barrels a day, has close to $100 billion in foreign reserves. What are they doing with that? They're funding and equipping and training Hezbollah, the Houthis, Hamas.

So a lot of this appeasement has been just reversing what the Trump administration did so well and you’re seeing the chaos all over the Middle East. Biden and Harris should at least reimpose these sanctions.

SULLIVAN: Russian-Chinese Incursions into Alaska are a Sign of Weakness of Biden-Harris Administration

FAULKNER: You broke some news with me in the hallway as we were coming to set. I want to just take a moment. Russia. We cannot take our eyes off Russia. You said a fourth incursion. What's happening in Alaska?

SULLIVAN: It’s actually 5. In the last two weeks, we've had five Russian bear bomber incursions into our ADIZ—our airspace. Our great men and women in the military have gone up and intercepted these aircraft. By the way, Harris, just about a month and a half ago, we had a joint Russian Chinese bear bomber incursion into the Alaska airspace. Strategic bombers with fighters. We had to go turn them around.

But, again, this is showing the weakness of the Biden-Harris administration. This level of aggressiveness from the two biggest adversaries in my part of the world, Alaska, the Arctic, the North Pacific, is unprecedented. They've never done these kind of joint patrols. They're doing it with regard to the Navy too in Alaska waters. We have a lot going on in terms of aggressiveness of our adversaries. The best way to address that is to regrow our military. This administration won't do that.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-congratulates-alaska-whalers-on-quota-renewal-at-international-meeting-in-peru,Sullivan Congratulates Alaska Whalers on Quota Renewal at International Meeting in Peru,2024-09-24,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) today applauded the efforts of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC) and many others for their efforts at the 69th International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Lima, Peru to renew Alaska’s subsistence whaling quota for six more years. The measure passed yesterday by consensus.

“Today, we celebrate the preservation of subsistence whaling, a cultural practice our Alaska whalers have sustainably conducted for thousands of years,” said Sen. Sullivan. “This quota renewal is the result of hard work from the AEWC, represented in Peru by Chairman John Hopson Jr., Vice Chair Crawford Patkotak, and North Slope Borough Mayor Josiah Patkotak, and many others. Prior to the IWC meeting, John, Crawford, Josiah, other members of the AEWC and I met with senior executive branch officials and more than 20 different embassy representatives in the Capitol. This event was a pivotal opportunity to educate our global partners and our own federal government about our whalers’ priorities. Alaska and America couldn’t ask for better ambassadors than our whaling captains. I want to thank everyone involved who made this success happen, including a dedicated member of my staff, Mary Eileen Manning, who attended the Commission meeting in Peru, the U.S. Commissioner, and the entire U.S. delegation to the IWC. Congratulations to all of our whaling communities throughout the North Slope and the Bering Straits region!”

The 2024 renewal built upon the successful 2018 renewal, when the U.S. delegation secured a streamlined quota renewal commitment.

Background:

As the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Oceans, Fisheries, Climate Change and Manufacturing Subcommittee—which has jurisdiction over our nation’s oceans, fisheries, and marine mammals, including whales—Senator Sullivan has relentlessly championed the efforts of Alaska Native whalers to continue the subsistence harvest of whales.

In September 2024, the Alaska delegation sent a letter to embassies of IWC member countries, again reiterating the importance of subsistence whaling.

In the lead up to the 2024 IWC meeting in Peru, Senator Sullivan hosted representatives from the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission, the North Slope Borough, and the Biden administration in a strategy meeting to educate global partners and the federal government about Alaska whalers’ priorities.

Following the July 2024 meeting in Washington D.C., Senator Sullivan hosted a reception in the Capitol on the significance of subsistence whaling to the cultures and livelihoods of thousands of Alaska Native people. Speakers at the reception included Sen. Sullivan, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), North Slope Borough Mayor Josiah Patkotak, AEWC Vice Chairman Crawford Patkotak, AEWC Chairman John Hopson, Jr., AEWC Secretary Herbert Kinneeveauk III, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Director Janet Coit, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Mahlet Mesfin.

In September 2018 at the 67th IWC meeting in Brazil, the AEWC secured a renewal of its subsistence whaling quota for seven more years and, for the first time, the automatic renewal of its whaling quota as long as harvests remain sustainable. The measure passed by a vote of 58 to 7.

In the lead up to the 2018 IWC meeting in Brazil, Sen. Sullivan kept in close communication with senior leadership at the U.S. State Department and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and sent his legislative director to the IWC meetings in Brazil to serve on the U.S. delegation.

In August 2018, the Alaska delegation sent a letter to embassies of IWC member countries, reiterating their commitment to subsistence whaling.

In July 2018, Senator Sullivan convened a strategy meeting in the Capitol with AEWC, the State Department, and NOAA to ensure continued coordination and foster direct high-level engagement. Afterward, Sen. Sullivan led a reception, hosted by the Alaska congressional delegation, for ambassadors and diplomatic officials of IWC member embassies.

In April 2018, Senator Sullivan, alongside Senator Murkowski, introduced and passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee the Whaling Convention Amendments Act of 2018—which authorized the Secretary of Commerce to preserve the bowhead whale subsistence harvest and Alaska Native food security under U.S. law if the IWC had failed to act on the bowhead whale quota during their meetings in Brazil.

Subsistence Whaling and IWC Background:

Worldwide whale stocks are managed through the International Whaling Commission, a group of 88 countries that have ratified the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. The Whaling Convention Act of 1949 is the relevant U.S. implementing legislation.

The convention allows for the harvest of certain whale species for nations that certify either a cultural or subsistence need for their aboriginal population. Russia, Denmark (for Greenland), the United States, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are those nations who currently practice Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling (ASW).

The subsistence harvest in Alaska is sustainable and non-commercial. The IWC has consistently certified that the biological status of Alaska’s bowheads is sustainable.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/alaska-congressional-delegation-welcomes-277-million-in-fishery-disaster-funding-for-alaska,Alaska Congressional Delegation Welcomes $277 Million in Fishery Disaster Funding for Alaska,2024-09-23,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-AK) and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-AK) welcomed the announcement of $277 million in funding for Alaska fishery disasters from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Funding for a number of salmon and crab fisheries from 2020-2023 will be transmitted to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission for distribution to fishermen, their crews, seafood processors, and communities impacted by these fishery disasters.

“There is no question that fisheries and coastal communities in Alaska need help as they navigate catastrophic fishery collapses,” Senator Murkowski said. “Although I am grateful our fishermen and communities will finally see some relief, for many it might be too little too late. After years of waiting, some have already moved onto other professions, and in some cases have even left the state. I will continue working with my colleagues to pass legislation to streamline the process so these regulatory delays are a thing of the past. I am hopeful this assistance will help Alaska’s hardworking fishermen recover from a devastating few years so they can get back on the water and return to their active role in this critical industry.”

“I’m glad to see this significant batch of federal relief dollars finally being distributed to our hard-working fishermen and coastal communities,” said Senator Sullivan. “These Alaskans should never have had to wait this long to see this relief processed—a frustration I raised with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and NOAA Fisheries Director Janet Coit on numerous occasions in recent months. The Commerce Department must address the serious disruptions caused by their new financial management system and other bureaucratic hurdles. I have put forward legislation with Senator Rick Scott to enact timelines on the executive branch’s approval process for these disasters to ensure our fishermen are receiving the relief dollars they are due in a timely fashion. We need this funding to expeditiously reach Alaskans so that they can weather these disasters over the long-term and continue to responsibly harvest the freshest, most sustainable seafood in the world.”

“Our fishermen and fishing families have suffered enough the last few years – when disaster strikes, it only sets us back further,” said Rep. Peltola. “This funding is critical in helping our fisheries recover and support the communities all over Alaska, and beyond, that rely on their seafood product output.”",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/senator-murkowski-introduces-arctic-research-and-policy-amendments-act-of-2024,Senator Murkowski Introduces Arctic Research and Policy Amendments Act of 2024,2024-09-23,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the Arctic Research and Policy Amendments Act of 2024, updating the landmark Arctic Research and Policy Act (ARPA) of 1984. Senator Murkowski celebrated the 40th anniversary of the original ARPA with a significant event at the White House last week.

“The Arctic Research and Policy Amendments Act of 2024 builds upon the strong foundation of the original APRA of 1984. As the geographic and political landscape of the Arctic evolves, the way we approach, research, and analyze the region should as well,” said Senator Murkowski. “My father arrived to the Senate in 1980 and realized that our country was paying very little attention to the Arctic and its potential. He set out to change that with the introduction of ARPA, establishing a framework for Arctic research and collaboration. He succeeded in that endeavor 40 years ago, and it is a legacy I am proud to continue. The United States should be a leader in the ‘Age of the Arctic,’ and the Arctic Research and Policy Amendments Act of 2024 will further us in that direction.”

The Arctic Research and Policy Amendments Act of 2024 proposes the following updates to the original ARPA of 1984:

Broaden ARPA’s scope to include the Arctic’s increasing role in national and homeland defense.

Strengthen climate and environmental research to provide sustained funding for research on the Arctic’s impact on global systems.

Establish an annual award for excellence in Arctic research.

Expand U.S. Arctic Research Commission to include an Alaskan who is appointed the Governor of Alaska.

Last week, Senator Murkowski gave remarks on the Senate floor commemorating the 40th anniversary of the original ARPA.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/icymi-sullivan-urges-biden-to-stand-up-to-iran-at-unga,ICYMI: Sullivan Urges Biden to Stand Up to Iran at UNGA,2024-09-23,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"WASHINGTON—In an opinion published in the Wall Street Journal over the weekend, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), condemned the Biden-Harris administration for abandoning the Trump administration’s policies towards Iran, resulting in a more powerful Iran and a more dangerous world. Senator Sullivan urged President Biden to course correct this week during what will likely be the President’s last major foreign policy speech. Tomorrow, President Biden is set to address the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

“It’s hard to deny that the world is more dangerous today than when he [Biden] became president,” Sen. Sullivan writes in the Wall Street Journal. “There are many reasons for this, but the single most important course correction Mr. Biden could make is on his Middle East policy. In his speech he should call on the U.N. to condemn and impose sanctions on the Iranian terrorist regime for acting as the architect of chaos throughout the Middle East and Ukraine. Mr. Biden should also denounce the antisemitism that has pervaded the U.N. for decades and call out the organization for insufficiently condemning Hamas’s massacre of 1,200 Israelis. He should demand that the U.N. declare Iran-backed Hamas a terrorist organization. He also needs to denounce the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, some of whose employees participated in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks. Unfortunately, none of this is likely to happen. Appeasing Iran has been a hallmark of the Biden-Harris administration, and as a result the terrorist leadership has become richer, more powerful and more menacing.”

Senator Sullivan has frequently warned of the Biden-Harris administration’s weakness on Middle East policy and pushed for a return to Trump-era sanctions aimed at re-establishing deterrence against Iran and its terrorist proxies. His latest op-ed in the Wall Street Journal details many of those efforts. Click here or below to read the full opinion.

Opinion: Biden’s Last Opportunity to Stand Up to Iran

By: U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan

September 20, 2024

On Monday I will go to New York with a group of senators to meet with foreign leaders at the United Nations General Assembly. President Biden will likely give his last major foreign-policy speech on Tuesday, a final opportunity to correct course. It’s hard to deny that the world is more dangerous today than when he became president. There are many reasons for this, but the single most important course correction Mr. Biden could make is on his Middle East policy.

In his speech he should call on the U.N. to condemn and impose sanctions on the Iranian terrorist regime for acting as the architect of chaos throughout the Middle East and Ukraine.

. . .

Before Mr. Biden took office, under the Trump administration’s sanctions, Iran’s oil exports in 2020 were reduced to about 200,000 barrels a day from 2.7 million and its foreign reserves to roughly $4 billion from $122.5 billion. The Trump administration negotiated the Abraham Accords, the Middle East’s first peace agreement in 26 years, which could put the region on a path to widespread peace.

The Biden-Harris administration chose not to enforce the Trump-era sanctions. As a result, Iran has been enriched with about $100 billion in oil revenue, with which Tehran funds, trains and equips the Houthis, Hamas and Hezbollah.

In a meeting with Mr. Biden last year, I raised the issue of reinstating Trump-era sanctions against Iran. He supported the idea and told me to work with Jake Sullivan, his national security adviser. It hasn’t happened.

…

The Houthis, with intelligence from Iranian navy spy ships, have launched dozens of drones and missiles to sink U.S. Navy and commercial ships in the Red Sea. Senior military officials operating in the Middle East requested permission to sink these Iranian spy ships but were denied by senior administration officials. They argued that such actions would be “escalatory.” This is a case study in self-deterrence.

There is a precedent for the U.S. to sink Iranian warships that target our Navy. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan authorized Operation Praying Mantis in retaliation after Iran nearly sank a U.S. Navy ship in the Persian Gulf. By the end of the operation, our military sank several Iranian ships and destroyed two Iranian oil platforms. Tehran got the message.

The most outrageous example of appeasement has been the Biden-Harris administration’s relative silence on the Iranian regime’s atrocious human-rights record, particularly against women. When Iran’s “morality police” murdered 22-year-old Mahsa Amini two years ago for not properly wearing her hijab, tens of thousands of Iranians, mostly women, took to the streets. More than 22,000 people have been arrested and more than 530 put to death. I wrote Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging him to meet with Masih Alinejad, one of the courageous leaders of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. He refuses to do so.

. . .

The administration’s policy toward Iran has dangerous repercussions across the globe. When U.N. member nations refused to reinstate the multilateral sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missiles, the White House didn’t protest. Now Iran is sending missiles to Russia to use against Ukraine.

The Biden-Harris administration’s appeasement has squandered America’s progress against Iran. The Trump administration punished the regime with maximum sanctions, killed Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani, and spearheaded the Abraham Accords. History has shown time and again that appeasement doesn’t work and invites more aggression. We should learn from history.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-grassley-and-colleagues-hold-biden-harris-admin-accountable-for-abuses-in-unaccompanied-migrant-children-program,"Sullivan, Grassley, & Colleagues Hold Biden-Harris Admin Accountable for Abuses in Unaccompanied Migrant Children Program",2024-09-23,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) joined his Republican colleagues, led by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), in sending a letter urging President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to work with Congress to root out abuses in their administration’s unaccompanied migrant children program and stop the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’s cover-up of the crisis. HHS has failed to comply with two out of three Department of Homeland Security (DHS) subpoenas and other information requests issued amid its investigation into more than 100 suspicious sponsors.

More than 500,000 unaccompanied migrant children have crossed the southwest border under the Biden-Harris administration, while cartel trafficking activity surged an estimated 2,500 percent. Amid this crisis, the lawmakers note that the Biden-Harris administration limited background checks for sponsors of unaccompanied children, cut back on familial DNA testing at the border and decreased information sharing with law enforcement.

The lawmakers are urging Biden and Harris to “make changes to [their] policies and procedures” in order to “end this public safety crisis.” They are specifically calling on the Biden-Harris administration to share information with law enforcement and Congress, fully cooperate with DHS’s child exploitation investigation and thoroughly respond to all congressional oversight requests, which they have so far refused to do.

“[The Biden-Harris HHS] must stop its cover-up and cooperate with law enforcement and Congress to end this crisis and protect unaccompanied children and the American people,” the lawmakers concluded.

Read the full letter HERE.

Joining Sens. Sullivan and Grassley on the letter are Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), along with Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Roger Marshall (R-Kans.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.).

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/senator-murkowski-presents-chief-reverend-dr-trimble-gilbert-with-nations-highest-honor-in-folk-and-traditional-arts,Senator Murkowski presents Chief Reverend Dr. Trimble Gilbert with nation’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts,2024-09-20,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"Washington, DC – This week, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) was honored to present Chief Reverend Dr. Trimble Gilbert the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) National Heritage Fellowship in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Chief Gilbert is a traditional chief from Arctic Village in Alaska, and is a master Gwich’in Athabascan fiddler and renowned culture bearer. The fellowship is the nation’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts. Ten recipients from around the country were presented with this prestigious honor by the Chair of the NEA, Maria Jackson at the Library of Congress.

In January of this year, Senator Murkowski traveled to Arctic Village to personally deliver the news to Chief Gilbert that he was being honored and present him with the certificate of recognition.

“To see this luminary, this master who hails from tiny Arctic Village in northern Alaska receive this recognition on a national stage, was truly special,” said Senator Murkowski. “Chief Reverend Dr. Gilbert taught himself the fiddle by watching, listening, and then adding his own heritage and culture to create a style that is truly unique and Alaskan. He has made it his life’s mission to share his craft, his culture and his wisdom with his people and you can see the effect it has in Arctic Village through their vibrant community events. Alaskans know the treasure they have in this extraordinary elder - and now the whole country knows of Chief Gilbert’s gift as well.”

Upon acceptance of the award in Washington D.C., Chief Gilbert shared his motivation for fiddling and hosting fiddle dances as a pathway to sobriety and individual and community wellness.

“One of the reasons we do that [fiddle dancing], is because we love each other and life is very important to us, and we don’t want to suffer with alcohol… We’ve been using our traditional way of life for thousands of years, and sharing is the number one in our country…Alcohol is a tough situation, but we stand together and try to help each other for the future generations.”

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/news/in-the-news/op-ed-bidens-last-opportunity-to-stand-up-to-iran,OP-ED: Biden’s Last Opportunity to Stand Up to Iran,2024-09-20,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,,0,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/alaska-congressional-delegation-welcomes-277-million-in-fishery-disaster-funding-for-alaska,Alaska Congressional Delegation Welcomes $277 Million in Fishery Disaster Funding for Alaska,2024-09-20,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska) welcomed the announcement of $277 million in funding for Alaska fishery disasters from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Funding for a number of salmon and crab fisheries from 2020-2023 will be transmitted to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission for distribution to fishermen, their crews, seafood processors, and communities impacted by these fishery disasters.

“There is no question that fisheries and coastal communities in Alaska need help as they navigate catastrophic fishery collapses,” Senator Murkowski said. “Although I am grateful our fishermen and communities will finally see some relief, for many it might be too little too late. After years of waiting, some have already moved onto other professions, and in some cases have even left the state. I will continue working with my colleagues to pass legislation to streamline the process so these regulatory delays are a thing of the past. I am hopeful this assistance will help Alaska’s hardworking fishermen recover from a devastating few years so they can get back on the water and return to their active role in this critical industry.”

“I’m glad to see this significant batch of federal relief dollars finally being distributed to our hard-working fishermen and coastal communities,” said Senator Sullivan. “These Alaskans should never have had to wait this long to see this relief processed—a frustration I raised with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and NOAA Fisheries Director Janet Coit on numerous occasions in recent months. The Commerce Department must address the serious disruptions caused by their new financial management system and other bureaucratic hurdles. I have put forward legislation with Senator Rick Scott to enact timelines on the executive branch’s approval process for these disasters to ensure our fishermen are receiving the relief dollars they are due in a timely fashion. We need this funding to expeditiously reach Alaskans so that they can weather these disasters over the long-term and continue to responsibly harvest the freshest, most sustainable seafood in the world.”

“Our fishermen and fishing families have suffered enough the last few years – when disaster strikes, it only sets us back further,” said Rep. Peltola. “This funding is critical in helping our fisheries recover and support the communities all over Alaska, and beyond, that rely on their seafood product output.”

Background:

On November 15, 2022, the Alaska delegation sent a letter to Secretary Raimondo in support of Governor Dunleavy’s 2020-2023 fishery disasters declarations.

On November 17, 2022, Senators Murkowski and Sullivan, along with Senators Cantwell and Murray (both D-Wash.), sent a letter to Secretary Raimondo requesting a federal disaster for several crab fisheries.

On December 16, 2022, the Department of Commerce determined that fishery disasters have occurred in numerous Alaska fisheries, allowing this funding to be distributed to fishermen and their crews, seafood processors, and research initiatives in regions that experienced fishery disasters.

On May 15, 2024, Senator Murkowski pressed Secretary Raimondo during a Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations to share an update regarding fisheries disaster funding.

On May 23, 2024, Senator Sullivan organized and Senator Murkowski and Representative Peltola participated in an Alaska Seafood Industry Roundtable with Secretary Raimondo at the U.S. Department of Commerce to facilitate dialogue between state industry leaders and the Department.

On September 4, 2024, Sens. Murkowski and Sullivan joined Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and several colleagues in sending a letter to the Department of Commerce (DOC) demanding answers regarding the implementation of the DOC’s new financial management system that has delayed financial relief for fishery disasters.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-and-kaine-introduce-bipartisan-resolution-to-recognize-blue-star-welcome-week,Sullivan & Kaine Introduce Bipartisan Resolution to Recognize “Blue Star Welcome Week”,2024-09-20,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), members of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), announced the introduction of a bipartisan resolution to designate September 21-29, 2024, as “Blue Star Welcome Week.” Blue Star Welcome Week is a nationwide campaign to build a better sense of belonging and community for military families, many of whom face frequent moves and transfers.

“Alaska’s military members and their families sacrifice so much on behalf of our state and our country,” said Sen. Sullivan. “Frequent moves can put strain on families trying to establish ties in the communities in which they serve. Blue Star Welcome Week is an opportunity to reach out and connect with our brave men and women in uniform and their loved ones who serve our country to make them feel welcomed and supported by their fellow Americans.”

“Many servicemembers and their families are stationed in Virginia, and I’m proud that the Commonwealth has welcomed them into our communities,” said Sen. Kaine. “Blue Star Welcome Week is an opportunity to thank military families for their sacrifices, connect with our neighbors, and help military families feel at home in their new communities.”

Full text of the resolution is available here.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-democrats-block-greater-accountability-at-va-after-historic-15-billion-shortfall,Senate Democrats Block Greater Accountability at VA After Historic $15 Billion Shortfall,2024-09-19,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (SVAC), today attempted to restore accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by passing his Protecting Regular Order (PRO) for Veterans Act as an amendment to a VA supplemental funding package, but it was blocked by Senate Democrats. Following the recent announcement from the VA that the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) is experiencing a historic budget shortfall of $15 billion, $3 billion of which the VBA needed immediately, Sen. Sullivan’s legislation would have instituted a three-year requirement for the VA to submit quarterly, in-person budget reports to Congress to encourage greater oversight and financial accountability. The bill also included a provision to withhold bonuses for senior VA and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) personnel if there are future financial shortfalls.

Click here or the image above to watch Sen. Sullivan’s floor speech.

“Just six weeks ago, the VA informed Congress that it needs $3 billion ASAP or veterans may not get their benefits,” Sen. Sullivan said. “This shocking screw-up is unfortunately something we see all the time from the VA—last-minute requests for money, and up to $11 million in illegal bonuses paid out to VA officials who don’t deserve it. Congress is becoming numb to these kinds of shortfalls and scandals. I will say, this is not the case for rank-and-file VA employees, like those in Alaska, the vast majority of whom do a great job. The problem seems to be here in D.C. Several of my SVAC colleagues and I demanded an immediate hearing on this unprecedented shortfall when we first learned about it. The chairman failed to do that. He waited until yesterday to hold the hearing. The Secretary didn’t even show up to come testify. Maybe the Secretary was teleworking.

“While I support covering this shortfall to safeguard the hard-earned benefits of our courageous veterans, we also need accountability from the VA. I put forward legislation that requires two things: It institutes a three-year requirement for the Secretary of the VA to submit quarterly in-person budget reports to Congress to encourage greater oversight and financial accountability, and, in the event of any future financial shortfalls, it would withhold bonuses for senior VA and OMB personnel who worked on that budget. That’s it. Those are good reforms. But remarkably, one of my Senate colleagues is going to come down here and object.”

Sen. Sullivan’s legislation was cosponsored by Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.).

See below for the full transcript of Senator Sullivan’s remarks.

Mr. President, I want to compliment my good friend from Montana, Senator Daines, who was on the floor just now talking about government accountability, and that’s what I am going to talk about–government accountability. We need much more of it, and we need much more of it, Mr. President, in the Veterans’ Administration.

So today, Mr. President, what I’m going to be doing is I’m going to ask for unanimous consent on my bill, the PRO Vets Act. We all need to move forward both on funding the VA – and I’m going to talk about this shortfall – but also on having some reforms to the VA, and they’re very simple, Mr. President. I’ll be really disappointed if any of my colleagues come down here and block my unanimous consent request. That’s just me asking all my senate colleagues to pass this bill right now.

But when you hear about it, Mr. President, you’ll say, why wouldn’t we pass that? Holy cow! The VA needs a little accountability, actually a lot of accountability. But here’s what’s going on–a little context of my legislation, which, by the way, Mr. President, right now already has 15 cosponsors. We just put this together two weeks ago given the crisis at the VA, and it’s got 15 cosponsors.

So, just six weeks ago, Mr. President, Congress was officially informed, and many of us were surprised – and by the way, I sit on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee – our Committee was informed that the VA was experiencing a $15 billion shortfall. My state has more veterans than any state in the country. That’s a very important constituency and they wouldn’t get their benefits unless we act really quick.

So, Mr. President, the House acted two nights ago, and we’re going to get this money done. We’ll get it done. We want to make sure our veterans have their benefits. But in exchange, we’re asking, hey, what’s going on over at the VA?

We see this all the time, mismanagement, last-minute requests for money, illegal bonuses–up to $11 million just a couple months ago paid out to people in the VA who don’t deserve it. So my bill is going to bring accountability to the VA. Of course, the VA is a vital institution for our veterans and our country – with some more oversight and accountability.

This bill is not complicated at all. It’s basically two things. We’re going to fund this short-term $3 billion amount of money the VA says it needs ASAP, even though they didn’t inform us until six weeks ago. By the way the total amount that they need in terms of how they screwed up the budget is $15 billion, Mr. President. That’s a lot of money.

So my bill requires two things. It institutes a three-year requirement for the Secretary of the VA to submit quarterly in-person budget reports to Congress to encourage greater oversight and financial accountability. That’s pretty simple. And that the Secretary should come to us quarterly with these budget estimates and brief our committee, the VA Committee, in person. Easy. And for any future financial shortfalls, which we’re experiencing right now, it would result in the withholding of bonuses for senior VA and OMB personnel who worked on that budget.

That’s it. That’s it, Mr. President. Most people would say, hey, that’s pretty good reform. It’s not too much. But, remarkably, I think one of my senate colleagues is going to come down here and object.

So we’re going to throw $3 billion at the VA and we just have simple reforms in this bill. The Secretary has to come quarterly to the committee and say, here’s our quarterly estimates. And oh, by the way, if you are part of the team at the senior level that screwed up the budget, you don’t get a bonus. What’s wrong with that? Maybe my colleagues won’t object. That’s it. That’s the bill, because we’re going to give the VA, again, additional money that they didn’t plan for.

So, Mr. President, this is not the first time this has happened, as a matter of fact. I have been on the VA Committee going on ten years. I really like the Committee, as I mentioned. Veterans in America and veterans in Alaska are so important. The VA in D.C. often screws up the budget, often comes up with scandals.

Heck, just a couple months ago, $11 million went out to senior VA officials for bonuses that they didn’t deserve. In a hearing yesterday, I asked, has anyone been held responsible for that? Anyone held responsible for this budget oversight? No.

So is, as I mentioned, Mr. President, there’s been a lot of these kind of scandals, some you might remember, like the VA secret waiting list that the Phoenix Veterans’ Affairs health training system. CNN described the secret list as part of an elaborate scheme designed by Veterans’ Affairs managers in Phoenix to hide 1,400 to 1,600 sick veterans who were forced to wait months to see a doctor. And 40 of them died waiting. Pretty scandalous.

A VA hospital in Colorado had a budget overrun in 2016 where Congress had to do what we’re doing right now, jump in immediately at the last minute. That hospital was three times over what they budgeted, but we again acted, providing hundreds of millions of dollars at the last minute because of VA mismanagement.

And here’s the thing, Mr. President – the Congress, even the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, is becoming numb to these kinds of shortfalls and these kind of dysfunctional approaches to management for our veterans. Let me be clear, I work with the VA in Alaska all the time. The people on the ground helping our veterans–the vast, vast majority do a great job.

The problem seems to be here in D.C. with this giant bureaucracy. Last week the Inspector General – President Biden’s Inspector General–for the VA, in front of the House, testified along the following lines about a report they just had in terms of an investigation of the VA, they said, “Our staff – [ the Inspector General’s staff] – routinely finds breakdowns in processes, infrastructure, governance, leadership, and other failings that erode the foundational elements of accountability at the VA.”

Last week, the inspector general of the VA said that. These breakdowns impede the VA’s efforts to make certain that patients receive timely, quality health care and that veterans and other eligible beneficiaries are afforded the services they are owed. So here is the Biden administration’s I.G., Inspector General, saying we’ve got big problems at the VA. Now we’re seeing it with another cost overrun.

Like I said, a $15 billion budget shortfall for the VA right now. We only heard about it six weeks ago. And I with several members of the VA Committee six weeks ago, as soon as we heard about this, we sent a letter to the chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee at the end of July saying we need an immediate hearing right now. Let’s do it right now, and have the Secretary testify in person to tell us what the heck is going on–what are you doing over there?

The chairman didn’t do that. He waited until yesterday to hold the hearing. The Secretary didn’t show up to come testify. We heard all kinds of things from the witnesses from the VA, but what we didn’t hear, Mr. President, is anything about accountability. We did hear this, by the way. I think most Americans, most Alaskans, would find this stunning.

The VA has a new rule. We went through a pandemic four years ago. People were doing remote work. Guess what? Most of the federal government is still doing remote work. Most federal employees still work in their pajamas next to a computer at home. The VA’s new rule is that you’re required to come in to the office twice in a pay period. Excuse me? What?

So most VA workers in D.C. work at home in their pajamas. Can you believe that, America? We’ve got these big beautiful federal buildings here and nobody comes into them. Come on. Maybe the Secretary was teleworking yesterday, part of his rule that you only have to come in twice a month to work.

So we need accountability. We need accountability. Now as usual, the VA and other bureaucrats are saying, hey, this is actually a good thing that we’ve got a $15 billion shortfall. This is a good thing because more veterans are getting benefits. Well, listen, Mr. President, I voted for the bill that is helping our veterans with regard to burn pits. I voted for all that legislation. It is good that we’re getting veterans to have more benefits that they’ve earned, but that doesn’t excuse the VA’s mismanagement of its budget.

The idea that Congress, if it’s going to appropriate more money at the last minute – which is what we’re going to do, and I’m supporting that – that we apply accountability.

Here’s what the legislative director for the VFW supplied in written testimony to the House last week. Quote, “Since news of the funding shortfall became public, the communications on the matter from the VA has been inappropriately positive.”

So this is the VFW saying, hey, VA, don’t spin this. It’s positive because the VA is delivering more benefits than ever, as if the VA’s calculation that now threatens the delivery of all compensation, pension, and education benefits is somehow a positive thing.

So the VFW is looking straight at the VA saying, don’t spin this. $15 billion shortfall you just told us about, we’ve got to rush to fund it or veterans across America are going to lose their benefits? That’s not positive. No matter how they spin it, it’s not positive. It’s called mismanagement.

So, again, Mr. President, all I’m asking for as part of the money that we are going to appropriate on an emergency basis for the VA, is to simply pass my PRO Vets Act. And, again, here’s all it does. The Secretary of the VA has to come in quarterly to the committee, in person, out of your pajamas, and tell us what the budget is so we don’t have this again. And if you are part of the VA or OMB team that put forward a budget, that the VA went over, you don’t get a bonus. That is very reasonable, Mr. President, and I hope my colleagues here will support it.

…

Mr. President, this is about what the Inspector General just testified to the House on last week, about systemic problems of accountability at the VA. And to be honest, if you're on the committee, you know that more than anybody because we see it all the time. So I'm disappointed that simple reforms, accountability, the Secretary coming in quarterly in person -- not teleworking like 99% of the VA currently does and shouldn't do, by the way -- telling the Congress where they are on the budget so you're not going to have another overrun. And if you made the mistake and there is a big budget overrun, you don't get a bonus. Very simple.

I'm really disappointed that we can't make basic, simple accountability reforms when we're once again at the last minute scrambling to make sure, due to the VA's mismanagement, Congress is coming in with additional money to make sure our veterans get their benefits. That's not the way to run a really important federal bureaucracy and organization like we have with the VA, and I'm disappointed that my bill is not being passed right now in addition to getting the additional funding to the VA for our veterans.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-effort-leads-to-long-overdue-recognition-and-navy-ceremonies-for-historic-wrongs-against-alaska-native-peoples-in-angoon-kake,"Sullivan Effort Leads to Long Overdue Recognition and Navy Ceremonies for Historic Wrongs Against Alaska Native Peoples in Angoon, Kake",2024-09-19,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), welcomed the U.S. Navy’s announcement regarding its intent to apologize to the Alaska Native people of Kake and Angoon, Alaska for the unwarranted bombardment of their historic villages in February 1869 and October 1882, respectively. Sen. Sullivan and his team worked extensively in coordination with Southeast leaders to secure the apologies. Ceremonies are scheduled to take place on September 21st in Kake and on October 26th in Angoon.

“In general, I do not support apology tours. The United States is certainly not a perfect nation, however, in my view, we are the most exceptional nation in the world. The United States has done more to liberate men, women and children across the globe from tyranny and oppression than any other nation in history,” said Sen. Sullivan. “However, in instances where our country has fallen short of our ideals and, in the worst cases, targeted our own citizens, I believe an apology is appropriate. The egregious and unwarranted assault against the Alaska Native people of Kake and Angoon in the late 1800s is such a case.

“It also must be pointed out that—in spite of the mistreatment our Native communities faced over the decades, like the horrific bombardment of Kake and Angoon—Alaska Native people historically have responded with extraordinary humility, dignity and patriotism, serving at higher rates in the U.S. military than any other ethnic group in our country.

“When Dr. Rosita Worl brought these historic wrongs to my attention, and the Tlingit people’s decades-long pursuit of recognition and an apology for the incidents with no appropriate progress, my team and I told her we were strongly committed to getting a resolution done. We’ve worked relentlessly for the past two years with Alaska Native leaders to press this issue at the highest levels of the Navy and the Pentagon—including the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy.

“Yesterday, I had a call with U.S. Navy Secretary Del Toro who briefed me on the Navy’s plans to hold appropriate ceremonies this weekend in Kake and in Angoon in late October. This is long overdue, but I am hopeful that these recognition ceremonies will help provide healing and greater peace for the descendants of these communities. I want to commend Dr. Rosita Worl, Navy Region Northwest, Alaskan Command, Kake and Angoon community leaders, and my military policy team for their tireless work on this important issue. My team and I will also continue our work with the U.S. Army on recognition of the tragic situation that occurred with the Native people of Wrangell in the late 1860s.”

In February 1869, the USS Saginaw took several Kake tribal chiefs hostage and subsequently bombed and set fire to abandoned villages at Fossil Bluffs, Hamilton Bay, Retaliation Point on Security Bay, and a village known as the “Town Where No One Sleeps.” The destruction of food stores and shelter led to a significant loss of life for the Kake people. In October 1882, the U.S. Navy shelled the village of Angoon and subsequently set fire to homes, destroying the entire village. Six Tlingit children were killed by suffocation from the smoke, and many more Tlingit people died after losing food, supplies and shelter needed to survive.

Below is additional background on Sen. Sullivan’s work to secure the Navy’s apology to the communities of Kake and Angoon, which includes:

In 2023, the Sealaska Heritage Institute sent a letter to the Alaska congressional delegation requesting help to secure the Navy’s apology for the historic bombardment of Kake and Angoon.

In August 2023, Sen. Sullivan’s defense fellow held a series of meetings with Southeast tribal leaders on the issue.

On November 27, 2023, Sen. Sullivan sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin calling on the DOD to recognize the historic wrongs and apologize to the communities.

On February 13, 2024, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment William LaPlante sent a letter to Sen. Sullivan’s team regarding the pursuit of an apology. Sen. Sullivan’s defense fellow, after speaking with Dr. Worl and other community leaders in Angoon and Kake, subsequently pressed the DOD for a concrete recognition plan.

On May 7, 2024, Sen. Sullivan’s defense fellow was briefed by Mr. Karnig Ohannessian, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Environment & Mission Readiness, on the Navy’s commitment to fund and host ceremonies.

On July 23, 2024, Sen. Sullivan’s defense fellow again contacted Navy officials for an update on the planned ceremonies.

On August 23, 2024, Sen. Sullivan’s defense fellow and other members of his staff were briefed by Mr. Ohannessian, who indicated the Navy Secretary had approved funds to pay for the ceremonies.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-introduces-bill-to-hold-va-accountable-for-financial-shortfall,Sullivan Introduces Bill to Hold VA Accountable for Financial Shortfall,2024-09-18,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=10,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, introduced the Protecting Regular Order (PRO) for Veterans Act to hold the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) accountable for a Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) budget shortfall of $3 billion. This bill institutes a three-year requirement for the VA to submit quarterly in-person budget reports to Congress to encourage greater oversight and financial accountability. Additional financial shortfalls would result in the withholding of bonuses for senior VA and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) personnel.

“Telling Congress we have to provide $3 billion to the VA in a matter of days or our constituents won't get their benefits—without any accountability or reforms—is a shocking failure in leadership and management,” Sen. Sullivan said. “It is incumbent upon the Secretary to appear before the committee and answer questions, but remarkably, he declined to do so. This is not a great victory as some are spinning it. The VA has a duty to provide congressional oversight committees with high-quality, in-person briefings explaining these shortfalls in the future—earlier than just a month in advance. In light of this budgetary fiasco and the millions of dollars’ worth of bonuses improperly distributed to VA executives, I’ve put forward commonsense legislation to require the VA to abide by a basic level of accountability and oversight.

“Let me be clear: We will fund this shortfall. Our veterans deserve and rely upon their hard-earned benefits. But, going forward, our veterans also expect a much higher standard of accountability from VA leaders. I expect the Secretary and other VA leaders to come to the table with clear answers as to how these deficiencies keep happening and how they are going to prevent them in the future.”

Sen. Sullivan’s legislation is cosponsored by Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.)

Click here for the full bill text.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/alaska-delegation-reiterates-strong-opposition-to-npr-a-special-areas-process,Alaska Delegation Reiterates Strong Opposition to NPR-A ‘Special Areas’ Process,2024-09-17,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-AK) and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-AK) reiterated their opposition to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) latest efforts to further restrict resource development across the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). In a letter sent Monday, the delegation voiced strong opposition to BLM’s request for information (RFI), the precursor to an arbitrary, deliberately opaque process to expand and create new Special Areas in the NPR-A.

BLM issued the RFI earlier this year, just after unilaterally restricting leasing and development on more than half the surface acreage of the 23-million-acre petroleum reserve. The agency continues to refuse to properly consult with and reflect opposition from Alaska Native communities on the North Slope in decisions that affect their lands and interests.

“We write to reiterate our strong opposition to (RFI), “Special Areas Within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska” published in the Federal Register by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on July 17, 2024. As discussed in prior letters to BLM, the administration’s decision to impose restrictions on a variety of activities across the (NPR-A) is unprecedented and unlawful. As such, we urge BLM to abandon any effort to unilaterally expand Special Areas in the NPR-A,” the delegation wrote.

“BLM must recognize that the management regime it now envisions for the NPR-A blatantly conflicts with federal law, particularly in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Loper Bright. Congress has directed BLM to carry out an ‘expeditious program of competitive leasing of oil and gas’ in Alaska’s petroleum reserve, yet BLM has arbitrarily reinterpreted the statute to focus on an expeditious program of new administrative barriers that will restrict or prohibit responsible resource development. In this case, BLM unilaterally wrote a rule that restricts access to more than half of the surface acreage of the NPR-A and is now using the authorities granted to itself under that rule to justify further processes that will inevitably result in further restrictions. It is simply not believable for BLM to claim that it is meeting congressional intent, given that no new lease sale has been carried out in the NPR-A since 2019. The agency instead continues to depart from the law to reduce access across the petroleum reserve, with the RFI process for Special Areas serving as the latest effort to convert millions of acres within a federal petroleum reserve into de facto federal wilderness.”

“BLM’s actions are simply not a reasonable interpretation of federal law, let alone the best interpretation of federal law, as the agency has dramatically upended its management mission in the NPR-A from one led by responsible resource development to one defined by relentless conservation. We therefore request that BLM immediately abandon the RFI process. BLM should have allowed the courts to review and make a decision on the multiple challenges to the final rule before issuing the RFI and used the next IAP process to decide the future of Special Areas within the NPR-A. The process by which BLM is undertaking the RFI is not transparent, will hide relevant information from policymakers and the public, and any decisions based on it will be unilaterally made behind closed doors without a true public process.”

The NPR-A Working Group, which provides the forum for North Slope communities to provide meaningful, regular input to BLM’s on-going management decisions and proposed activities in NPR-A, as well as the Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat, a nonprofit that serves as a unifying voice for communities on the North Slope of Alaska, passed resolutions opposing BLM’s RFI. The City of Utqia?vik, City of Atqasuk, Nunamiut Corporation, Atqasuk Corporation, Native Village of Atqasuk, and the North Slope Regional Trilateral (Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope, North Slope Borough, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation) all submitted letters and comments opposing BLM’s RFI process and protesting the expansion and creation of new Special Areas in the NPR-A.

To read the delegation’s full letter, click here.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/alaska-delegation-reiterates-strong-opposition-to-npr-a-special-areas-process,Alaska Delegation Reiterates Strong Opposition to NPR-A ‘Special Areas’ Process,2024-09-17,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska) reiterated their opposition to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) latest efforts to further restrict resource development across the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). In a letter sent Monday, the delegation voiced strong opposition to BLM’s request for information (RFI), the precursor to an arbitrary, deliberately opaque process to expand and create new Special Areas in the NPR-A.

BLM issued the RFI earlier this year, just after unilaterally restricting leasing and development on more than half the surface acreage of the 23-million-acre petroleum reserve. The agency continues to refuse to properly consult with and reflect opposition from Alaska Native communities on the North Slope in decisions that affect their lands and interests.

“We write to reiterate our strong opposition to (RFI), “Special Areas Within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska” published in theFederal Register by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on July 17, 2024. As discussed in prior letters to BLM, the administration’s decision to impose restrictions on a variety of activities across the (NPR-A) is unprecedented and unlawful. As such, we urge BLM to abandon any effort to unilaterally expand Special Areas in the NPR-A,” the delegation wrote.

“BLM must recognize that the management regime it now envisions for the NPR-A blatantly conflicts with federal law, particularly in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Loper Bright. Congress has directed BLM to carry out an ‘expeditious program of competitive leasing of oil and gas’ in Alaska’s petroleum reserve, yet BLM has arbitrarily reinterpreted the statute to focus on an expeditious program of new administrative barriers that will restrict or prohibit responsible resource development. In this case, BLM unilaterally wrote a rule that restricts access to more than half of the surface acreage of the NPR-A and is now using the authorities granted to itself under that rule to justify further processes that will inevitably result in further restrictions. It is simply not believable for BLM to claim that it is meeting congressional intent, given that no new lease sale has been carried out in the NPR-A since 2019. The agency instead continues to depart from the law to reduce access across the petroleum reserve, with the RFI process for Special Areas serving as the latest effort to convert millions of acres within a federal petroleum reserve into de facto federal wilderness.”

“BLM’s actions are simply not a reasonable interpretation of federal law, let alone the best interpretation of federal law, as the agency has dramatically upended its management mission in the NPR-A from one led by responsible resource development to one defined by relentless conservation. We therefore request that BLM immediately abandon the RFI process. BLM should have allowed the courts to review and make a decision on the multiple challenges to the final rule before issuing the RFI and used the next IAP process to decide the future of Special Areas within the NPR-A. The process by which BLM is undertaking the RFI is not transparent, will hide relevant information from policymakers and the public, and any decisions based on it will be unilaterally made behind closed doors without a true public process.”

The NPR-A Working Group, which provides the forum for North Slope communities to provide meaningful, regular input to BLM’s on-going management decisions and proposed activities in NPR-A, as well as the Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat, a nonprofit that serves as a unifying voice for communities on the North Slope of Alaska, passed resolutions opposing BLM’s RFI. The City of Utqia?vik, City of Atqasuk, Nunamiut Corporation, Atqasuk Corporation, Native Village of Atqasuk, and the North Slope Regional Trilateral (Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope, North Slope Borough, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation) all submitted letters opposing BLM’s RFI process and protesting the expansion and creation of new Special Areas in the NPR-A.

To read the delegation’s full letter, click here.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-statement-after-us-military-responds-to-russian-chinese-activity-near-alaska,Sullivan Statement After U.S. Military Responds to Russian-Chinese Activity Near Alaska,2024-09-17,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), released the following statement after the U.S. Army’s 11th Airborne Division announced the deployment of more than 100 soldiers to the Aleutian Islands in response to increased Russian and Chinese activity near Alaska. The U.S. military has also deployed a guided missile destroyer and a Coast Guard cutter to the western region of Alaska. On September 10, Russia and China began the Ocean-24 military exercises in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans—Russia’s largest joint naval and air drill since the Cold War. In the past week, Alaska-based forces detected and tracked four separate incursions of Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and one incursion of Russian naval vessels in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which are believed to be part of the joint exercises. Similar Russia-China exercises occurrednear Alaska in July as well which led to the first-ever air incursion into the Alaska ADIZ by a joint Russian-Chinese bomber task force.

“As the world becomes more dangerous, Alaska continues to be on the frontlines of authoritarian aggression,” Senator Sullivan said. “Coordinated activity off Alaska’s shores by the Russians and Chinese is increasing: On five separate occasions in the past seven days, Russian military incursions into our ADIZ or EEZ have occurred – both naval and air. In the past two years, we’ve seen joint Russian-Chinese air and naval exercises off our shores and a Chinese spy balloon floating over our communities. These escalating incidents demonstrate the critical role the Arctic plays in great power competition between the U.S., Russia, and China.

“Authoritarian regimes are testing the United States. Dictators like Vladimir Putin see through a lens of either strength or weakness, which is why I’ve long encouraged our senior military leaders to be ready and to respond with strength. While I was pleased with our military’s response which included sending troops to the Aleutians as well as a guided missile destroyer and Coast Guard Cutter, these actions should have more of a permanent basis – like reopening the Navy base at Adak, Alaska, which I have been pressing to be done for years.

“Congress and the President should do more to deter further aggression. Chuck Schumer needs to hold a vote on the National Defense Authorization Act that was voted out of the Senate Armed Services Committee in June. In addition to rejecting the proposed Biden-Harris cuts on our military forces, the legislation authorizes an additional $790 million to help continue to build out our military in Alaska. We must continue to send a strong message to Xi Jinping and Putin that the United States will not hesitate to protect and defend our vital interests in Alaska and beyond.”

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/senator-murkowski-announces-2024-us-capitol-christmas-tree-essay-contest-for-alaska-fourth-graders,Senator Murkowski Announces 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Essay Contest for Alaska Fourth Graders,2024-09-16,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), announced an essay contest for fourth graders in Alaska to celebrate the 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, known as the “The People’s Tree,” coming from Alaska’s Tongass National Forest.

“The time-honored tradition of the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree is something I look forward to every holiday season, particularly when it comes from Alaska,” said Senator Murkowski. “I look forward to selecting one young Alaskan to flip the switch and turn on the lights for the National Christmas tree when it arrives from the Tongass National Forest and graces the West Lawn of the Capitol.”

Fourth grade students are invited to write no more than 250 words on what they would like the country to know about Alaska’s Christmas tree this year, and why it is so special. Senator Murkowski will select one student’s submission, and invite them and their family on an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, DC in early December to play an integral role in the tree-lighting ceremony alongside members of Congress and the public, as well as enjoy Christmas festivities throughout the District. Read Anna DeVolld’s winning submission from 2015 here.

Additional information for the essay contest:

Handwritten

No more than 250 words

Submission must include parent or guardian contact information, and can be scanned and emailed to: CCT_EssayContest@murkowski.senate.gov, or mailed to Anchorage office at: 510 L St. Suite 600, Anchorage, AK, 99501

Submissions must be received, or postmarked by, October 4th, 2024

A video of Senator Murkowski’s announcement can be watched here.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/alaska-congressional-delegation-lauds-continued-investment-in-alaska-ferries,Alaska Congressional Delegation Lauds Continued Investment in Alaska Ferries,2024-09-13,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"Alaska Congressional Delegation Lauds Continued Investment in Alaska Ferries

Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-AK) and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-AK) today announced the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) substantial award of $177 million in federal grants for the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS). This award was made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and aims to bolster operations and capital projects to improve essential ferry service for Alaska.

“Today’s announcement is yet more good news for Alaskans as we continue to receive significant federal investment for our marine highway system,” Senator Murkowski said. “My top priority when negotiating the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was federal support to revitalize and restore our beloved Blue Canoes. Growing up using the ferry system in Southeast, I know how integral AMHS is for Alaskans in our coastal communities as well as throughout the state. Our coastal communities deserve to be connected year-round with consistent and reliable service. I thank the FTA for recognizing this critical need and urge the State to maximize these investments, so this vital transportation system can reach its full potential.”

“The vast majority of our communities have no connection to the road system, which makes the Alaska Marine Highway System as essential in parts of our state as roads and bridges are in most of the country,” said. Sen. Sullivan. “The 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law that the Alaska congressional delegation helped write is delivering another $177 million to bolster the reliability and safety of this vital system that thousands of Alaskans rely upon. I want to again commend Senator Murkowski for her success in prioritizing Alaska’s ferry system in that important legislation. This announcement is in addition to a January 2023 award of more than $285 million allocated by the same program. Through my seats on the Commerce and EPW Committees, I will continue to fight for significant investments in Alaska’s maritime infrastructure and vessels, and ensure that the federal government fulfills its responsibility to support the transportation needs of our great state.”

“Today is a great day for Alaska’s Marine Highway System, which is the backbone for many coastal Alaskans’ way of life,” said Representative Peltola. “This grant award is an immense step in the right direction toward improving Alaska's transportation system and helping to foster strong, resilient, and healthy communities.”

Background

The three awards, under the FTA’s Ferry Service for Rural Communities Program, include $106.4 million for the replacement of the M/V Tustumena, $66 million to support sustainable operations for rural communities, and $5 million for the deployment of systemwide WiFi.

To date, Senator Murkowski and the congressional delegation have secured over $700 million for the Alaska Marine Highway System through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This marine highway system is a key part of Alaska’s transportation system, families and communities enabling commerce and helping our military.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/alaska-congressional-delegation-lauds-continued-investment-in-alaska-ferries,Alaska Congressional Delegation Lauds Continued Investment in Alaska Ferries,2024-09-13,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska) today announced the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) substantial award of $177 million in federal grants for the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS). This award was made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), and aims to bolster operations and capital projects to improve essential ferry service for Alaska.

“Today’s announcement is yet more good news for Alaskans as we continue to receive significant federal investment for our marine highway system,” Senator Murkowski said. “My top priority when negotiating the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was federal support to revitalize and restore our beloved Blue Canoes. Growing up using the ferry system in Southeast, I know how integral AMHS is for Alaskans in our coastal communities as well as throughout the state. Our coastal communities deserve to be connected year-round with consistent and reliable service. I thank the FTA for recognizing this critical need and urge the State to maximize these investments, so this vital transportation system can reach its full potential.”

“The vast majority of our communities have no connection to the road system, which makes the Alaska Marine Highway System as essential in parts of our state as roads and bridges are in most of the country,” said Senator Sullivan. “The 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law that the Alaska congressional delegation helped write is delivering another $177 million to bolster the reliability and safety of this vital system that thousands of Alaskans rely upon. I want to again commend Senator Murkowski for her success in prioritizing Alaska’s ferry system in that important legislation. This announcement is in addition to a January 2023 award of more than $285 million allocated by the same program. Through my seats on the Commerce and EPW Committees, I will continue to fight for significant investments in Alaska’s maritime infrastructure and vessels, and ensure that the federal government fulfills its responsibility to support the transportation needs of our great state.”

“Today is a great day for Alaska’s Marine Highway System, which is the backbone for many coastal Alaskans’ way of life,” said Representative Peltola. “This grant award is an immense step in the right direction toward improving Alaska's transportation system and helping to foster strong, resilient, and healthy communities.”

Background

The three awards, under the FTA’s Ferry Service for Rural Communities Program, include $106.4 million for the replacement of the M/V Tustumena, $66 million to support sustainable operations for rural communities, and $5 million for the deployment of systemwide WiFi.

To date, Senator Murkowski and the congressional delegation have secured over $700 million for the Alaska Marine Highway System through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This marine highway system is a key part of Alaska’s transportation system, families and communities enabling commerce and helping our military.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-cruz-and-colleagues-demand-admin-accountability-over-botched-software-project-disrupting-fishery-disaster-aid-weather-forecasting,"Sullivan, Cruz & Colleagues Demand Admin Accountability Over Botched Software Project Disrupting Fishery Disaster Aid, Weather Forecasting",2024-09-11,2024,2024-09,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, joined Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and several of his colleagues in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) demanding answers regarding the implementation of the DOC’s new financial management system. This financial management system has disrupted National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) weather forecast operations, delayed financial relief for fishery disasters, particularly in Alaska’s small coastal communities, threatened the availability of safety information for aviators and mariners, and left agency employees without reimbursement for official travel expenses.

NOAA was the first agency to implement the DOC’s new $341 million “Business Application Solution (BAS)” program built by Accenture Federal Services. Designed to modernize financial and business management applications, the software’s implementation has resulted in significant system failures, delays, and cost overruns.

“The first rollout, at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in October 2023, has caused a backlog of thousands of unpaid invoices reportedly resulting in a loss of both alerts in tornado prone areas and vital weather information for pilots,” the senators wrote. “Even a short-term interruption in vital weather information and alert systems is an unacceptable tradeoff for transitioning to a new financial management system. In addition to these disruptions, there have been unnecessary delays in Fishery Disaster allocations. There are currently seven separate unfunded fishery disaster requests for salmon fisheries alone. This delay has been particularly catastrophic for small communities, like St. Paul Island, Alaska, where the collapse of crab fisheries has had enormous economic impacts. We are concerned what other adverse effects may result if the Department continues to roll out the new system without changes.”

“It is our understanding the Department has been aware of the need for improved transition management for some time,” the senators continued. “One year after the Department awarded the contract for the new system—known as the Business Application Solution (BAS)—the DOC Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued a Management Alert, stating that DOC needed to develop key inputs and align with known best practices. The Department failed to heed this warning as two subsequent OIG audit reports pointed, again, to a failure to implement basic management controls.

“OIG’s most recent report also found that changes in the BAS system to fix the issues experienced by NOAA will likely result in significant cost increases.”

This inquiry seeks to understand the magnitude of the issues NOAA has been plagued with, the impacts on U.S. citizens, and when the problems will be rectified.

Joining Sens. Sullivan and Cruz in sending this letter are Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Katie Britt (R-Ala.).

The full text of the letter is available here.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:46:43Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-to-press-for-ak-lng-project-in-tokyo-seoul,"Sullivan to Press for AK LNG Project in Tokyo, Seoul",2024-08-28,2024,2024-08,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"Senator sees AK LNG as a solution to Alaska’s looming energy needs

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today embarks on a trip to Seoul and Tokyo to meet with senior government and business leaders as part of a bipartisan Senate delegation. Sen. Sullivan has been a strong advocate for deepening the trilateral cooperation among the three nations, highlighting the central role liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Alaska can play in advancing each nation’s energy security. The Alaska LNG Project will be capable of providing more than three billion cubic feet of low-cost, low-emission natural gas to Alaskans and to allied nations around the world each day.

“The Alaska LNG Project provides an important opportunity to meet the long-term energy needs of America’s Indo-Pacific allies, and even more importantly, to meet the in-state energy needs of Alaskans for decades to come,” said Sen. Sullivan. “I am embarking on my fourth trip to Japan and Korea in the past two years to try to spur momentum on this critical energy project, particularly as our allies in Japan and Korea must get off of Russian oil and gas. I have been relentlessly focused on aligning the interests of key stakeholders, investors, producers, engineering firms, and government leaders in the U.S., Japan, and Korea. On the federal side, we have made significant progress—securing all 35 necessary federal permits, including a FERC export license, and a roughly $30 billion federal loan guarantee backing the project, and establishing Alaska LNG Task Forces in our embassies in Tokyo and Seoul. I am hopeful that, given the looming energy needs facing Alaska, that all leaders in our state—private sector, labor, resource development, energy sector, and elected officials—can work together in making sure that the long-term solutions to Alaska’s energy challenges—particularly in Southcentral—come from Alaska’s own rich energy resources and workers, not from importing much more expensive gas from Canada or Mexico.”

In Japan, Sen. Sullivan will be meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida; Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ken Saito; Foreign Minister Y?ko Kamikawa; Defense Minister Minoru Kihara; National Security Advisor Takeo Akiba; and senior executives from the Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC), NEC Corporation, JERA Co., Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC), and INPEX Corp. In South Korea, Sen. Sullivan will be meeting with President Yoon Suk Yeol; Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun; Foreign Affairs Minister Cho Tae-yul; Commander of U.S. Forces Korea General Paul LaCamera; and senior executives from Samsung, Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS), SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group, and LG.

Sen. Sullivan is joined on the Senate delegation visit by Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), and Katie Britt (R-Ala.).

Below is a timeline of Sen. Sullivan’s recent work on deepening the energy security ties between the U.S. and America’s Japanese and Korean allies.

In February 2024, Sen. Sullivan and seven of his Senate colleagues introduced a Senate resolution recognizing the importance of trilateral cooperation among the United States, Japan, and South Korea.

On October 8, 2023, Sen. Sullivan penned an op-ed in the Anchorage Daily News urging Alaskans to unite in advancing the Alaska LNG Project as a critical solution to Alaska’s energy needs.

In June 2023, Sen. Sullivan visited South Korea and Japan, where he met with senior government and private sector officials about the Alaska LNG Project. Similar to his October 2022 visit to Tokyo, Sen. Sullivan convened an Alaska LNG Summit of U.S. and Korean energy and policy leaders with the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. Following the visit, the U.S. Embassy in Seoul established an Alaska LNG Task Force.

On May 18, 2023, Sen. Sullivan introduced the Indo-Pacific Strategic Energy Initiative Act, legislation to promote the financing and development of new energy infrastructure projects in the Indo-Pacific region—with a focus on natural gas—in order to end U.S. allies’ dependance on Russian natural gas in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In May 2023, Sen. Sullivan spoke at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference about the Alaska LNG Project and opportunities to deliver clean-burning, low-cost gas to Alaskans and to America’s Indo-Pacific allies.

In May 2023, Sen. Sullivan, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) welcomed a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upholding the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) approval of the Alaska LNG Project.

On March 6, 2023, Sen. Sullivan led a letter with his Senate colleagues to U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel urging the Biden administration to publicly support the export of abundant U.S. natural gas to America’s allies in Europe and Asia, particularly Japan, which has prioritized energy security in its term leading the G7.

On December 16, 2022, Sen. Sullivan welcomed a new national security strategy and related documents released by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that focuses on deepening Japan and the U.S.’s national security cooperation.

In October 2022, Sen. Sullivan visited Japan and South Korea to advocate for the Alaska LNG Project. In Tokyo, Sen. Sullivan and Ambassador Emanuel convened an Alaska LNG Summit of U.S. and Japanese energy and policy leaders. Prior to the summit, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo established an Alaska LNG Task Force.

In June 2022, Sen. Sullivan and Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-Alaska) met with Japanese companies, utilities, and government ministries about the Alaska LNG Project.

In August 2021, Sens. Murkowski and Sullivan secured a provision in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act making the Alaska LNG Project eligible for a federal loan guarantee of roughly $30 billion that is indexed to inflation.

In August 2020, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued a final, unconditional order authorizing the Alaska LNG Project to export LNG.

In May 2020, FERC granted the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) authorization to construct and operate the Alaska LNG Project.

Between 2014 and 2022, the Alaska LNG Project secured all of its necessary federal permits and authorizations.

The Alaska LNG Project is projected to create up to 10,000 construction and 1,000 operations jobs.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:41:32Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/08/26/2024/alaska-congressional-delegation-secures-exemption-sparing-alaska-air-national-guard-from-planned-leveling-cuts,Alaska Congressional Delegation Secures Exemption Sparing Alaska Air National Guard from Planned Leveling Cuts,2024-08-23,2024,2024-08,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska), and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska), today welcomed news that the Alaska Air National Guard (ANG) has been granted an indefinite exemption from the Air National Guard’s “Fulltime Leveling” (FTL) initiative that would have impacted or eliminated nearly 80 Active Guard Reserve positions in Alaska. Major General Duke A. Pirak, acting director of the Air National Guard, delivered the news in a letter to Senator Sullivan on Tuesday. In numerous meetings, calls and letters, the Alaska congressional delegation strongly pressed Guard leaders to exempt Alaska from the planned cuts, highlighting the many unique missions of the Alaska ANG that are critically important to U.S. homeland defense, including missile warning, aerial refueling, and combat rescue.

“In February, I sat down and had good, open conversation with 20 of the 80 Alaska Guardsmen who were set to lose their jobs as a result of bureaucratic and political maneuvering by the Air National Guard. In a spontaneous moment of vulnerability, several of the Guardsmen in attendance presented me their unit patches and asked that I not forget them while back in DC, patches that remain on my desk to this day. I made a commitment right then to fight for them, for the Alaska Guard, and for the homeland defense mission that we Alaskans are so proud to execute,” said Sen. Murkowski. “Over the last six months, I have worked tirelessly to reverse these dangerous and ill-informed cuts, advocating directly with top military leadership in the National Guard and across all services. I was able to secure last minute language in the FY24 Defense Appropriations bill to ensure accountability, as well as funding in the FY25 Defense Appropriations to pay for 649 additional positions for the ANG. This announcement of a permanent exemption of the Alaska Guard from the full-time leveling actions is significant for our Air Guard Members and their families, and fulfills the commitment I made to them months ago. This will fully restore the 80 Active Guard Reserve positions to Eielson AFB, Clear SFS, and JBER. The recent encroachment of Chinese and Russian bombers off the coast of Alaska made clear the United States cannot afford to cut corners when it comes to our homeland defense mission. Our ability to respond that day was made possible by the professionalism exhibited by the many Airmen involved, and the seamless integration of our active duty, guard, and reserve forces. The ANG’s recent decision is a win not only for Alaska, but for the United States of America.”

“The exceptional men and women of the Alaska Air National Guard—and the families who support them—can rest a bit easier today now that we’ve successfully removed the threat of cuts from D.C. that would’ve negatively impacted their unique mission and their ability to defend our nation,” said Sen. Sullivan. “In my most recent conversations with National Guard Bureau senior leaders, including in Maj. Gen. Pirak’s nomination interview three weeks ago, I demanded that they conduct a thorough analysis of the proposed manning adjustments in Alaska. I commend Maj. Gen. Pirak and his team for doing just that, and for recognizing the detrimental toll these cuts would have on our Alaska-based forces and our national security readiness. More than any other state in the country, Alaska’s National Guard is fully integrated into some of the nation’s most important 24-7 missions with the Joint Force protecting our country. Alaska’s Air National Guardsmen can now continue to focus on fulfilling their wide array of critical missions: responding to state emergencies, conducting combat search-and-rescue missions, executing air and missile defense missions, supporting space domain awareness, and serving as a critical link in the defense of the American homeland. My team and I stand ready to continue to push back against and stop any policies that negatively impact our world-class Active Duty, Guard and Reserve forces in Alaska.”

“This is huge news for our state and our national security,” said Rep. Peltola. “Cutting Alaska’s Air National Guard would have damaged our country’s ability to project power in the Far North, reduced vital search and rescue capabilities, and pushed Alaskans who want to serve out of service to their state and their country. I was proud to work alongside our senators and the Alaska National Guard to protect these critical positions.”

Timeline

In January 2024, the Air National Guard launched its “Fulltime Leveling” (FTL) initiative that would implement manpower changes nationwide beginning on October 1, 2024.

In February 2024, Sen. Murkowski met with Air National Guard members to hear about the impact of the proposed cuts to their livelihoods.

On February 29, 2024, the Alaska congressional delegation held a phone call with senior National Guard Bureau leaders, who committed to conducting a detailed analysis of the impacts of the FTL initiative on critical missions in Alaska.

On March 18, 2024, Maj. Gen. Pirak was nominated to be the director of the Air National Guard and a promotion to the rank of lieutenant general. His nomination and promotion are pending.

On April 18, 2024, the Air National Guard announced it would delay the implementation of FTL actions in Alaska until at least September 30, 2025.

In June 2024, Sen. Sullivan worked with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) to secure a provision in the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would provide a minimum one-year stay on the Air National Guard Program Element Code (PEC)-leveling for any state that requests it, and require the Guard to provide the relevant congressional committees with thorough explanations and analysis for any suggested changes to unit status.

In July 2024, Sen. Sullivan secured 649 Air National Guard positions in the Senate’s FY 2025 NDAA, and later that month, Sen. Murkowski secured funding to pay for the positions in the draft FY 2025 Defense Appropriations bill.

On August 1, 2024, Sen. Sullivan placed a hold on the promotion of Maj. Gen. Pirak to the rank of lieutenant general until Alaska is granted an exemption from the FTL initiative. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Sullivan uses targeted holds when needed to resolve major policy issues that would negatively impact military service members and U.S. national security.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:41:32Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/alaska-congressional-delegation-secures-exemption-sparing-alaska-air-national-guard-from-planned-leveling-cuts,Alaska Congressional Delegation Secures Exemption Sparing Alaska Air National Guard from Planned Leveling Cuts,2024-08-23,2024,2024-08,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska), and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska), today welcomed news that the Alaska Air National Guard (ANG) has been granted an indefinite exemption from the Air National Guard’s “Fulltime Leveling” (FTL) initiative that would have impacted or eliminated nearly 80 Active Guard Reserve positions in Alaska. Major General Duke A. Pirak, acting director of the Air National Guard, delivered the news in a letter to Senator Sullivan on Tuesday. In numerous meetings, calls and letters, the Alaska congressional delegation strongly pressed Guard leaders to exempt Alaska from the planned cuts, highlighting the many unique missions of the Alaska ANG that are critically important to U.S. homeland defense, including missile warning, aerial refueling, and combat rescue.

“In February, I sat down and had good, open conversation with 20 of the 80 Alaska Guardsmen who were set to lose their jobs as a result of bureaucratic and political maneuvering by the Air National Guard. In a spontaneous moment of vulnerability, several of the Guardsmen in attendance presented me their unit patches and asked that I not forget them while back in DC, patches that remain on my desk to this day. I made a commitment right then to fight for them, for the Alaska Guard, and for the homeland defense mission that we Alaskans are so proud to execute,” said Sen. Murkowski. “Over the last six months, I have worked tirelessly to reverse these dangerous and ill-informed cuts, advocating directly with top military leadership in the National Guard and across all services. I was able to secure last minute language in the FY24 Defense Appropriations bill to ensure accountability, as well as funding in the FY25 Defense Appropriations to pay for 649 additional positions for the ANG. This announcement of a permanent exemption of the Alaska Guard from the full-time leveling actions is significant for our Air Guard Members and their families, and fulfills the commitment I made to them months ago. This will fully restore the 80 Active Guard Reserve positions to Eielson AFB, Clear SFS, and JBER. The recent encroachment of Chinese and Russian bombers off the coast of Alaska made clear the United States cannot afford to cut corners when it comes to our homeland defense mission. Our ability to respond that day was made possible by the professionalism exhibited by the many Airmen involved, and the seamless integration of our active duty, guard, and reserve forces. The ANG’s recent decision is a win not only for Alaska, but for the United States of America.”

“The exceptional men and women of the Alaska Air National Guard—and the families who support them—can rest a bit easier today now that we’ve successfully removed the threat of cuts from D.C. that would’ve negatively impacted their unique mission and their ability to defend our nation,” said Sen. Sullivan. “In my most recent conversations with National Guard Bureau senior leaders, including in Maj. Gen. Pirak’s nomination interview three weeks ago, I demanded that they conduct a thorough analysis of the proposed manning adjustments in Alaska. I commend Maj. Gen. Pirak and his team for doing just that, and for recognizing the detrimental toll these cuts would have on our Alaska-based forces and our national security readiness. More than any other state in the country, Alaska’s National Guard is fully integrated into some of the nation’s most important 24-7 missions with the Joint Force protecting our country. Alaska’s Air National Guardsmen can now continue to focus on fulfilling their wide array of critical missions: responding to state emergencies, conducting combat search-and-rescue missions, executing air and missile defense missions, supporting space domain awareness, and serving as a critical link in the defense of the American homeland. My team and I stand ready to continue to push back against and stop any policies that negatively impact our world-class Active Duty, Guard and Reserve forces in Alaska.”

“This is huge news for our state and our national security,” said Rep. Peltola. “Cutting Alaska’s Air National Guard would have damaged our country’s ability to project power in the Far North, reduced vital search and rescue capabilities, and pushed Alaskans who want to serve out of service to their state and their country. I was proud to work alongside our senators and the Alaska National Guard to protect these critical positions.”

Timeline

In January 2024, the Air National Guard launched its “Fulltime Leveling” (FTL) initiative that would implement manpower changes nationwide beginning on October 1, 2024.

In February 2024, Sen. Murkowski met with Air National Guard members to hear about the impact of the proposed cuts to their livelihoods.

On February 29, 2024, the Alaska congressional delegation held a phone call with senior National Guard Bureau leaders, who committed to conducting a detailed analysis of the impacts of the FTL initiative on critical missions in Alaska.

On March 18, 2024, Maj. Gen. Pirak was nominated to be the director of the Air National Guard and a promotion to the rank of lieutenant general. His nomination and promotion are pending.

In June 2024, Sen. Sullivan worked with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) to secure a provision in the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would provide a minimum one-year stay on the Air National Guard Program Element Code (PEC)-leveling for any state that requests it, and require the Guard to provide the relevant congressional committees with thorough explanations and analysis for any suggested changes to unit status.

On August 1, 2024, Sen. Sullivan placed a hold on the promotion of Maj. Gen. Pirak to the rank of lieutenant general until Alaska is granted an exemption from the FTL initiative. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Sullivan uses targeted holds when needed to resolve major policy issues that would negatively impact military service members and U.S. national security.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:41:32Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/alaska-congressional-delegation-secures-exemption-sparing-alaska-air-national-guard-from-planned-leveling-cuts,Alaska Congressional Delegation Secures Exemption Sparing Alaska Air National Guard from Planned Leveling Cuts,2024-08-23,2024,2024-08,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (both R-Alaska), and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska), today welcomed news that the Alaska Air National Guard (ANG) has been granted an indefinite exemption from the Air National Guard’s “Fulltime Leveling” (FTL) initiative that would have impacted or eliminated nearly 80 Active Guard Reserve positions in Alaska. Major General Duke A. Pirak, acting director of the Air National Guard, delivered the news in a letter to Senator Sullivan on Tuesday. In numerous meetings, calls and letters, the Alaska congressional delegation strongly pressed Guard leaders to exempt Alaska from the planned cuts, highlighting the many unique missions of the Alaska ANG that are critically important to U.S. homeland defense, including missile warning, aerial refueling, and combat rescue.

“The exceptional men and women of the Alaska Air National Guard—and the families who support them—can rest a bit easier today now that we’ve successfully removed the threat of cuts from D.C. that would’ve negatively impacted their unique mission and their ability to defend our nation,” said Sen. Sullivan. “In my most recent conversations with National Guard Bureau senior leaders, including in Maj. Gen. Pirak’s nomination interview three weeks ago, I demanded that they conduct a thorough analysis of the proposed manning adjustments in Alaska. I commend Maj. Gen. Pirak and his team for doing just that, and for recognizing the detrimental toll these cuts would have on our Alaska-based forces and our national security readiness. More than any other state in the country, Alaska’s National Guard is fully integrated into some of the nation’s most important 24-7 missions with the Joint Force protecting our country. Alaska’s Air National Guardsmen can now continue to focus on fulfilling their wide array of critical missions: responding to state emergencies, conducting combat search-and-rescue missions, executing air and missile defense missions, supporting space domain awareness, and serving as a critical link in the defense of the American homeland. My team and I stand ready to continue to push back against and stop any policies that negatively impact our world-class Active Duty, Guard and Reserve forces in Alaska.”

“In February, I sat down and had good, open conversation with 20 of the 80 Alaska Guardsmen who were set to lose their jobs as a result of bureaucratic and political maneuvering by the Air National Guard. In a spontaneous moment of vulnerability, several of the Guardsmen in attendance presented me their unit patches and asked that I not forget them while back in DC, patches that remain on my desk to this day. I made a commitment right then to fight for them, for the Alaska Guard, and for the homeland defense mission that we Alaskans are so proud to execute,” said Sen. Murkowski. “Over the last six months, I have worked tirelessly to reverse these dangerous and ill-informed cuts, advocating directly with top military leadership in the National Guard and across all services. I was able to secure last minute language in the FY24 Defense Appropriations bill to ensure accountability, as well as funding in the FY25 Defense Appropriations to pay for 649 additional positions for the ANG. This announcement of a permanent exemption of the Alaska Guard from the full-time leveling actions is significant for our Air Guard Members and their families, and fulfills the commitment I made to them months ago. This will fully restore the 80 Active Guard Reserve positions to Eielson AFB, Clear SFS, and JBER. The recent encroachment of Chinese and Russian bombers off the coast of Alaska made clear the United States cannot afford to cut corners when it comes to our homeland defense mission. Our ability to respond that day was made possible by the professionalism exhibited by the many Airmen involved, and the seamless integration of our active duty, guard, and reserve forces. The ANG’s recent decision is a win not only for Alaska, but for the United States of America.”

“This is huge news for our state and our national security,” said Rep. Peltola. “Cutting Alaska’s Air National Guard would have damaged our country’s ability to project power in the Far North, reduced vital search and rescue capabilities, and pushed Alaskans who want to serve out of service to their state and their country. I was proud to work alongside our senators and the Alaska National Guard to protect these critical positions.”

Timeline

In January 2024, the Air National Guard launched its “Fulltime Leveling” (FTL) initiative that would implement manpower changes nationwide beginning on October 1, 2024.

In February 2024, Sen. Murkowski met with Air National Guard members to hear about the impact of the proposed cuts to their livelihoods.

On February 29, 2024, the Alaska congressional delegation held a phone call with senior National Guard Bureau leaders, who committed to conducting a detailed analysis of the impacts of the FTL initiative on critical missions in Alaska.

On March 18, 2024, Maj. Gen. Pirak was nominated to be the director of the Air National Guard and a promotion to the rank of lieutenant general. His nomination and promotion are pending.

On April 18, 2024, the Air National Guard announced it would delay the implementation of FTL actions in Alaska until at least September 30, 2025.

In June 2024, Sen. Sullivan worked with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) to secure a provision in the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would provide a minimum one-year stay on the Air National Guard Program Element Code (PEC)-leveling for any state that requests it, and require the Guard to provide the relevant congressional committees with thorough explanations and analysis for any suggested changes to unit status.

In July 2024, Sen. Sullivan secured 649 Air National Guard positions in the Senate’s FY 2025 NDAA, and later that month, Sen. Murkowski secured funding to pay for the positions in the draft FY 2025 Defense Appropriations bill.

On August 1, 2024, Sen. Sullivan placed a hold on the promotion of Maj. Gen. Pirak to the rank of lieutenant general until Alaska is granted an exemption from the FTL initiative. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Sullivan uses targeted holds when needed to resolve major policy issues that would negatively impact military service members and U.S. national security.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:41:32Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/laska-delegation-celebrates-ninth-circuit-ruling-defending-southeast-troll-salmon-fishery,Alaska Delegation Celebrates Ninth Circuit Ruling Defending Southeast Troll Salmon Fishery,2024-08-19,2024,2024-08,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska), and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska), today celebrated a ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in favor of Southeast Alaska troll fishermen whose ability to fish has been challenged in a lawsuit brought forward by the Washington-based Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC), which attempted to shut down the fishery due to unfounded allegations regarding fishery impacts. This ruling is a welcome legal victory for the Southeast fishermen at the Ninth Circuit. The Alaska congressional delegation has filed two amicus briefs with the Ninth Circuit in support of the fishermen, one in June 2023 urging the court to grant a stay so that the fishermen could proceed with their summer season, and a second in October 2023 on the merits of the case.

“Although we’re not home yet, the most important thing right now is that Southeast Alaska’s troll fishery can continue,” said Sen. Murkowski. “This is a critical industry for Southeast Alaska that has minimal impact on the ecosystem, and the congressional delegation, state, tribal groups, and local environmental groups are all united in their advocacy to allow the fishery to resume. I look forward to the National Marine Fisheries Service’s new biological opinion, which I’m hopeful will help put this issue to rest for good.”

“Today, we secured a major victory at the Ninth Circuit for the hundreds of hard-working Alaskans who rely on the Southeast Alaska troll salmon fishery to feed their families and support their communities,” said Sen. Sullivan. “The court ruled against the radical Washington environmental group on the merits of their outrageous lawsuit, which claimed that our small boat, hook-and-line troll Southeast salmon fishery hundreds of miles away is having more of an impact on the viability of Puget Sound orca whales than the toxins, pollution, noise, and vessel traffic in their own back yard. It was a ridiculous claim, and the court thankfully recognized it as such. My team and I have been working shoulder-to-shoulder with our fishermen, Southeast communities and tribes, and the State of Alaska on this important battle since this lawsuit was filed in 2020. This ruling gives our Southeast fishermen greater peace of mind, and also demonstrates that, when Alaskans unite and speak with one voice, there is so much we can accomplish in defense of our economy, our unique cultures, and our people.”

“We're not in the clear yet, but this is a big sigh of relief for our fisherman, our fishing families, and our Alaskan economy,” said Rep. Peltola. “Trolling is low-impact, and advocacy groups from the state level all the way to environmentalists agree. Let's protect our troll fishermen and industry for good.”

The plaintiff in the case, WFC, argued that the Southeast Alaska salmon harvest is a primary contributor to the population decline of Southern resident killer whales hundreds of miles to the south in Puget Sound. WFC is the same organization that is petitioning to list King salmon in the Gulf of Alaska as “threatened or endangered” under the Endangered Species Act.

In their amicus brief, the congressional delegation noted that Congress allocated millions of dollars in recent years to support the survival of Southern Resident killer whales.

The State of Alaska and the Alaska Trollers Association are interveners in the lawsuit.

Timeline:

On December 13, 2022, a Seattle-based magistrate judge ruled largely in favor of the WFC, an extreme environmental group challenging the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in the case. The ruling was subsequently appealed to the U.S. District Court in Seattle, Washington.

On March 2, 2023, the Alaska House of Representatives passed a resolution urging state and federal agencies to defend the Southeast troll fishermen in court. The Alaska fishermen have also received resolutions of support from the City of Wrangell, the City of Sitka, and the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, among many others.

On March 6, 2023, the Alaska congressional delegation filed an amicus brief with the District Court supporting the Southeast Alaska troll fishermen.

On May 3, 2023, the Alaska congressional delegation condemned a ruling by the District Court in favor of the lawsuit filed by WFC that would effectively shut down the Southeast Alaska small boat troll salmon fishery. The District Court ruling was subsequently appealed to the Ninth Circuit.

On June 2, 2023, the Alaska congressional delegation filed an amicus brief urging the Ninth Circuit to grant a stay, arguing the shutdown of the summer fishing season would be catastrophic to Southeast coastal communities and hard-working Alaska fishermen.

On June 21, 2023, the Ninth Circuit granted a stay allowing Southeast Alaska troll fishermen to proceed with their July 1 season opener, in spite of an ongoing WFC-filed lawsuit.

On October 6, 2023, the Alaska congressional delegation filed an amicus brief with the Ninth Circuit in support of the Southeast fishermen on the merits of the case.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:41:32Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/alaska-delegation-renews-call-for-protective-actionson-transboundary-mining,"Alaska Delegation Renews Call for Protective Actions
on Transboundary Mining",2024-08-16,2024,2024-08,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"Juneau, AK – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-AK) and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-AK) this week sent a letter to President Joe Biden expressing their continued concern over transboundary mining in British Columbia (B.C.) just upstream of several Southeast Alaska rivers. The delegation has repeatedly urged the Biden administration to help protect Alaska’s communities and marine resources from potential impacts and renewed their call for action after the recent heap leach pad failure at the Eagle Gold Mine in the Yukon.

Excerpts from the Delegation’s Letter:

“Under three different presidents, our delegation has pushed for the Department of State to secure binding protections and financial assurances for the transboundary Taku, Stikine, and Unuk rivers that flow from B.C. into Southeast Alaska and the Tongass National Forest. Without unified action from the executive branch, Canadian mining activity in this region will increasingly endanger U.S. communities and resources, such as salmon, without any mechanism for recourse or compensation.”

“We realize that the copper and critical minerals that come from Canadian mines are a key part of U.S. and allied national security and an important part of resource development. However, there is no need to sacrifice environmental protections in order to safeguard our security and power our communities.”

“Eagle Mine has only been operating for five years, and, by all indications the heap pad leach failure was caused by poor design and negligence. We are now only beginning to understand the true scale of the environmental impacts, and each update is more discouraging than the last.”

“We request the administration publicly and immediately support two calls for action: 1) Canada cleans up its abandoned Tulsequah Chief mine, which has been polluting international waters for more than 66 years; and (2) Canada, the U.S. government, the transboundary U.S. states and Canadian provinces/territories, Indigenous groups, and communities establish an international framework to prevent and resolve disputes in these transboundary waters, most likely under the International Joint Commission (IJC) and the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909.”

The full text of the letter is available here.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:41:32Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-convenes-stakeholders-in-yakutat-to-address-systemic-weather-system-failures-in-rural-alaska,Murkowski Convenes Stakeholders in Yakutat to Address Systemic Weather System Failures in Rural Alaska,2024-08-16,2024,2024-08,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"Yakutat, AK – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) convened a summit featuring representatives from government agencies and companies responsible for maintaining the Automated Surface Observing Systems (ASOS) in Yakutat to collaborate on better practices to reduce travel delays and bolster safety in Alaska aviation.

Participants included Director of the National Weather Service (NWS) Ken Graham, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Director of Congressional Affairs John Sokich, NWS’s Alaska Region Director Michael Couch, the Federal Aviation Administration’s Regional Administrator Mike O’Hare, and a host of local and state officials, and aviation industry heads.

NWS has faced persistent struggles at the Yakutat Airport ASOS station due to power and connectivity outages, as well as a lack of redundancy. When the ASOS goes dark, the Yakutat airport can be closed down for long stretches of time. While acute in Yakutat, these problems are indicative of travel statewide, particularly in rural Alaska. With multiple federal agencies overseeing the system’s management, Senator Murkowski brought the stakeholders together to collaborate on short and long-term solutions that will bring greater reliability and safety to Alaskans traveling by air.

“Earlier this year, I experienced what many rural Alaskans are all-too-familiar with – a long delay that forced me to redo my travel plans after Yakutat’s ASOS suddenly went down,” Senator Murkowski said. “As I learned more about the tangled management responsibilities of multiple federal agencies overseeing Alaska's aviation weather reporting systems, it became obvious there have to be system improvements and greater communication between all stakeholders. This summit allowed us to drill down to the core of the issue and work on solutions. This conversation is just the beginning in ensuring that all agencies and stakeholders are working together to ensure safer and more reliable air travel not only in Yakutat, but across the state.”

During the roundtable discussion, several steps to address the issue at Yakutat were identified, including having a community resident become the local weather observer as a part of the Non-Federal Weather Observation (NF-OBS) Program; expanding remote repair capabilities as connectivity improves when Cordova-Tel’s microwave network comes online in October; establishing battery backup and power conditioning systems; and moving forward with a project to consolidate Yakutat’s three ASOS system components in one location with a singular backup power supply. The group also discussed improving collaboration across agencies, and policy changes necessary to address the persistent weather sensing issues experienced not just in Yakutat, but across Alaska.

Background:

Yakutat Airport is a focal point for statewide weather observation challenges critical to the Don Young Alaska Aviation Safety Initiative (DYAASI) and improvements in aviation safety. Earlier this year, the 2024 FAA Reauthorizationestablished the DYAASI, to include specific weather reporting priorities, including:

Setting 2030 deadlines for the installation of certified weather technology (AWOS/VWOS).

Holding the FAA Administrator responsible for the reliability of certified weather systems in Alaska and requiring within two years a “weather system reliability and restoration plan for Alaska” to include telecommunications connection reliability and the available maintenance parts and staff.

Creating a process and requirement to deploy additional weather cameras, while requiring consultation with government and airspace users for deployment location.

In addition to Senator Murkowski, summit participants included:

Ken Graham, Director, National Weather Service

John Sokich, Director of Congressional Affairs, NOAA

Michael Couch, Chief, Data Acquisition, Facilities & Electronics Branch, NOAA Alaska Region

Scott Lindsey, Director Alaska Region, National Weather Service

Mike O’Hare, Regional Administrator, FAA Alaskan Region

Tom Waldron, Director of Technical Operations, FAA Western Service Area

Troy LaRue, Division Operations Manager, Statewide Aviation, Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities

Andy Mills, Special Assistant to the Commissioner, Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities

Lynae Craig, Alaska Airlines

Bridget Thompson, Alaska Airlines, Director of Station Operations for Southeast Alaska

Will Day, Executive Director, Alaska Air Carriers Association

Dan Knesek, Vice President of Commercial, Grant Aviation

Wilfred “Boyuck” Ryan, President, Ryan Air

Bill Stamm, CEO, Alaska Village Electric Cooperative

Jeremiah Beckett, CEO, Cordova Telecom

Stephen Phillips, CTO. Cordova Telecom

Sarah Kathrein, Project Manager, Yakutat Fiber Deployment

Cindy Bremner, Mayor of Yakutat

Casey Mapes, Fire Chief (Candidate for Weather Observer)

Shawn Uschmann, AT&T

Doug LaMarche, AT&T

Mark Carlson, ACS",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:41:32Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/alaska-delegation-celebrates-ninth-circuit-ruling-defending-southeast-troll-salmon-fishery,Alaska Delegation Celebrates Ninth Circuit Ruling Defending Southeast Troll Salmon Fishery,2024-08-16,2024,2024-08,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (both R-Alaska), and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska), today celebrated a ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in favor of Southeast Alaska troll fishermen whose ability to fish has been challenged in a lawsuit brought forward by the Washington-based Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC), which attempted to shut down the fishery due to unfounded allegations regarding fishery impacts. This ruling is a welcome legal victory for the Southeast fishermen at the Ninth Circuit. The Alaska congressional delegation has filed two amicus briefs with the Ninth Circuit in support of the fishermen, one in June 2023 urging the court to grant a stay so that the fishermen could proceed with their summer season, and a second in October 2023 on the merits of the case.

“Today, we secured a major victory at the Ninth Circuit for the hundreds of hard-working Alaskans who rely on the Southeast Alaska troll salmon fishery to feed their families and support their communities,” said Sen. Sullivan. “The court ruled against the radical Washington environmental group on the merits of their outrageous lawsuit, which claimed that our small boat, hook-and-line troll Southeast salmon fishery hundreds of miles away is having more of an impact on the viability of Puget Sound orca whales than the toxins, pollution, noise, and vessel traffic in their own back yard. It was a ridiculous claim, and the court thankfully recognized it as such. My team and I have been working shoulder-to-shoulder with our fishermen, Southeast communities and tribes, and the State of Alaska on this important battle since this lawsuit was filed in 2020. This ruling gives our Southeast fishermen greater peace of mind, and also demonstrates that, when Alaskans unite and speak with one voice, there is so much we can accomplish in defense of our economy, our unique cultures, and our people.”

“Although we’re not home yet, the most important thing right now is that Southeast Alaska’s troll fishery can continue,” said Sen. Murkowski. “This is a critical industry for Southeast Alaska that has minimal impact on the ecosystem, and the congressional delegation, state, tribal groups, and local environmental groups are all united in their advocacy to allow the fishery to resume. I look forward to the National Marine Fisheries Service’s new biological opinion, which I’m hopeful will help put this issue to rest for good.”

“We're not in the clear yet, but this is a big sigh of relief for our fisherman, our fishing families, and our Alaskan economy,” said Rep. Peltola. “Trolling is low-impact, and advocacy groups from the state level all the way to environmentalists agree. Let's protect our troll fishermen and industry for good.”

The plaintiff in the case, WFC, argued that the Southeast Alaska salmon harvest is a primary contributor to the population decline of Southern resident killer whales hundreds of miles to the south in Puget Sound. WFC is the same organization that is petitioning to list King salmon in the Gulf of Alaska as “threatened or endangered” under the Endangered Species Act.

In their amicus brief, the congressional delegation noted that Congress allocated millions of dollars in recent years to support the survival of Southern Resident killer whales.

The State of Alaska and the Alaska Trollers Association are interveners in the lawsuit.

Timeline:

On December 13, 2022, a Seattle-based magistrate judge ruled largely in favor of the WFC, an extreme environmental group challenging the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in the case. The ruling was subsequently appealed to the U.S. District Court in Seattle, Washington.

On March 2, 2023, the Alaska House of Representatives passed a resolution urging state and federal agencies to defend the Southeast troll fishermen in court. The Alaska fishermen have also received resolutions of support from the City of Wrangell, the City of Sitka, and the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, among many others.

On March 6, 2023, the Alaska congressional delegation filed an amicus brief with the District Court supporting the Southeast Alaska troll fishermen.

On May 3, 2023, the Alaska congressional delegation condemned a ruling by the District Court in favor of the lawsuit filed by WFC that would effectively shut down the Southeast Alaska small boat troll salmon fishery. The District Court ruling was subsequently appealed to the Ninth Circuit.

On June 2, 2023, the Alaska congressional delegation filed an amicus brief urging the Ninth Circuit to grant a stay, arguing the shutdown of the summer fishing season would be catastrophic to Southeast coastal communities and hard-working Alaska fishermen.

On June 21, 2023, the Ninth Circuit granted a stay allowing Southeast Alaska troll fishermen to proceed with their July 1 season opener, in spite of an ongoing WFC-filed lawsuit.

On October 6, 2023, the Alaska congressional delegation filed an amicus brief with the Ninth Circuit in support of the Southeast fishermen on the merits of the case.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:41:32Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/alaska-delegation-renews-call-for-protective-actionson-transboundary-mining,Alaska Delegation Renews Call for Protective Actions on Transboundary Mining,2024-08-16,2024,2024-08,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"JUNEAU, ALASKA – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska) this week sent a letter to President Joe Biden expressing their continued concern over transboundary mining in British Columbia (B.C.) just upstream of several Southeast Alaska rivers. The delegation has repeatedly urged the Biden administration to help protect Alaska’s communities and marine resources from potential impacts and renewed their call for action after the recent heap leach pad failure at the Eagle Gold Mine in the Yukon.

Excerpts from the Delegation’s Letter:

“Under three different presidents, our delegation has pushed for the Department of State to secure binding protections and financial assurances for the transboundary Taku, Stikine, and Unuk rivers that flow from B.C. into Southeast Alaska and the Tongass National Forest. Without unified action from the executive branch, Canadian mining activity in this region will increasingly endanger U.S. communities and resources, such as salmon, without any mechanism for recourse or compensation.”

“We realize that the copper and critical minerals that come from Canadian mines are a key part of U.S. and allied national security and an important part of resource development. However, there is no need to sacrifice environmental protections in order to safeguard our security and power our communities.”

“Eagle Mine has only been operating for five years, and, by all indications the heap pad leach failure was caused by poor design and negligence. We are now only beginning to understand the true scale of the environmental impacts, and each update is more discouraging than the last.”

“We request the administration publicly and immediately support two calls for action: 1) Canada cleans up its abandoned Tulsequah Chief mine, which has been polluting international waters for more than 66 years; and (2) Canada, the U.S. government, the transboundary U.S. states and Canadian provinces/territories, Indigenous groups, and communities establish an international framework to prevent and resolve disputes in these transboundary waters, most likely under the International Joint Commission (IJC) and the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909.”

The full text of the letter is available here.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:41:32Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-sullivan-welcome-official-coast-guard-announcement-icebreaker-will-be-homeported-in-juneau,"Murkowski, Sullivan Welcome Official Coast Guard Announcement: Icebreaker Will Be Homeported in Juneau",2024-08-14,2024,2024-08,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) today applauded the official announcement by the Coast Guard (USCG) that a commercial icebreaker will be homeported in Juneau. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda L. Fagan, who is currently traveling with the senators in Alaska, had previously committed to the senators that the icebreaker would be homeported in Juneau. However, until now, the decision had not been made final.

In March, Sullivan and Murkowski successfully secured $125 million to purchase the icebreaker in the FY 2024 Homeland Security Appropriations Act after years of advocacy. The United States currently has only one operational heavy icebreaker, the Polar Star, which is on its second life extension. Our one medium icebreaker, the Healy, recently underwent an operational fire and was forced to cancel an Arctic mission. Russia has 55 icebreakers and they are building more.

“This announcement is a long-awaited landmark for Alaska and our nation’s icebreaker fleet, reflecting the simple fact that icebreakers belong in Alaska,” Senator Murkowski said. “Since 2016, I have overseen nearly $2 billion in investment to build out our icebreaking capacity, including the appropriation of $125 million to purchase this vessel and over $1.8 billion for the Polar Security Cutter program, in an effort to bring the United States’ fleet up to par with Arctic and even non-Arctic nations. Homeporting this commercial icebreaker in Juneau is also an acknowledgment of the importance of Alaska’s strategic role in America’s defense, especially as China and Russia increase their presence in the Arctic and encroach upon our borders. My thanks go to Admiral Fagan and the U.S. Coast Guard for working with our congressional delegation to get us to today’s announcement.

Federal appropriations to purchase the ship is just the first step, however. In addition to outfitting the Aivuq to meet Coast Guard specification, more must be done on shoreside infrastructure, housing, and preparing for more Coast Guard families in Juneau and I stand ready to help facilitate that along with the rest of the delegation. As I repeat often, we are an Arctic nation because of Alaska and we require the assets and manpower to fully and competently carry out our mission in the Arctic.”

“This is an exciting day for Juneau, for Alaska, and for America. I want to commend Admiral Fagan for making this important announcement in our state, among Alaskans, and for keeping her commitment to homeport an icebreaker in Juneau,” said Senator Sullivan. “The need to build up our icebreaking capacity could not be more urgent: Just days ago, the Healy had to abort its summer Arctic patrol due to a fire, and the 50-year-old Polar Star remains out of commission undergoing its own repairs. Our national security interests in the Arctic have also never been more critical, demonstrated by the joint Russian and Chinese naval and air task forces that have operated off Alaska’s coastline these past two years. Since coming to the Senate, I’ve been working relentlessly to wake up our federal government to the strategic importance of this region. The sea change we’ve achieved since 2015 is unprecedented: serious Arctic security strategies from the Department of Defense (DOD) and each of the military services, a new DOD Arctic Security Studies Center at JBER, a new Department of Homeland Security Arctic Domain Awareness Center at UAA, America’s first deep-water Arctic port in Nome, a massive increase in Coast Guard vessels and infrastructure throughout Alaska that I secured working with the previous commandant, and now, an icebreaker will officially be coming to Juneau. We have a lot more work to do, but this is an important milestone and I know that the entire community of Juneau is working hard to prepare for it.”

Background:

The United States’ only operational heavy icebreaker, the Polar Star, is currently undergoing repairs in California. America’s one medium icebreaker, the Healy, recently suffered an engine fire and is in process of returning to port for repairs. Russia has 55 icebreakers and is in the process of building more. By 2025, China, which has no sovereignty over any Arctic waters, is set to surpass the United States’ icebreaker fleet. The Alaska congressional delegation has long since recognized this as a competitive disadvantage in the Arctic and advocated for additional resources to bolster the USCG icebreaker fleet.

The Coast Guard section of the FY 2024 Homeland Security Appropriations Act allocated $125 million to purchase the icebreaker, so that the medium icebreaker would be available for use by the USCG. This funding is a result of over four years of advocacy by both Senators and engagement over the span of two administrations with senior leaders in the USCG, Department of Homeland Security, National Security Council, Office of Management & Budget, and colleagues in the House of Representatives and Senate. Specific authorization for the acquisition of the vessel and expedited procurement authority for the vessel as part of the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022. That bill also authorized the conveyance of 2.4 acres of waterfront property from NOAA to the Coast Guard to facilitate the icebreaker homeporting in Juneau. That transfer was completed on February 7, 2024. Sen. Sullivan also put a hold on certain USCG promotions until the Coast Guard produced a long-promised study on the homeporting of an icebreaker in Alaska—which ultimately recommended Juneau as the preferred homeporting location.

In this year’s budget process, Senator Murkowski further worked to minimize harmful cuts to the Polar Security Cutter (PSC) Program. This program is vital to recapitalizing the USCG’s icebreaker fleet with new assets capable of bolstering essential U.S. national security interests and our presence in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Since FY 2017, Senator Murkowski has overseen $1.88 billion towards the PSC Program.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:41:32Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-murkowski-welcome-official-coast-guard-announcement-icebreaker-will-be-homeported-in-juneau,"Sullivan, Murkowski Welcome Official Coast Guard Announcement: Icebreaker Will Be Homeported in Juneau",2024-08-14,2024,2024-08,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (both R-Alaska) today applauded the official announcement by the Coast Guard (USCG) that a commercial icebreaker will be homeported in Juneau. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda L. Fagan, who is currently traveling with the senators in Alaska, had previously committed to the senators that the icebreaker would be homeported in Juneau. However, until now, the decision had not been made final.

In March, Sullivan and Murkowski successfully secured $125 million to purchase the icebreaker in the FY 2024 Homeland Security Appropriations Act after years of advocacy.

“This is an exciting day for Juneau, for Alaska, and for America. I want to commend Admiral Fagan for making this important announcement in our state, among Alaskans, and for keeping her commitment to homeport an icebreaker in Juneau,” said Senator Sullivan. “The need to build up our icebreaking capacity could not be more urgent: Just days ago, the Healy had to abort its summer Arctic patrol due to a fire, and the 50-year-old Polar Star remains out of commission undergoing its own repairs. Our national security interests in the Arctic have also never been more critical, demonstrated by the joint Russian and Chinese naval and air task forces that have operated off Alaska’s coastline these past two years. Since coming to the Senate, I’ve been working relentlessly to wake up our federal government to the strategic importance of this region. The sea change we’ve achieved since 2015 is unprecedented: serious Arctic security strategies from the Department of Defense (DOD) and each of the military services, a new DOD Arctic Security Studies Center at JBER, a new Department of Homeland Security Arctic Domain Awareness Center at UAA, America’s first deep-water Arctic port in Nome, a massive increase in Coast Guard vessels and infrastructure throughout Alaska that I secured working with the previous commandant, and now, an icebreaker will officially be coming to Juneau. We have a lot more work to do, but this is an important milestone and I know that the entire community of Juneau is working hard to prepare for it.”

“This announcement is a long-awaited landmark for Alaska and our nation’s icebreaker fleet, reflecting the simple fact that icebreakers belong in Alaska,” Senator Murkowski said. “Since 2016, I have overseen nearly $2 billion in investment to build out our icebreaking capacity, including the appropriation of $125 million to purchase this vessel and over $1.8 billion for the Polar Security Cutter program, in an effort to bring the United States’ fleet up to par with Arctic and even non-Arctic nations. Homeporting this commercial icebreaker in Juneau is also an acknowledgment of the importance of Alaska’s strategic role in America’s defense, especially as China and Russia increase their presence in the Arctic and encroach upon our borders. My thanks go to Admiral Fagan and the U.S. Coast Guard for working with our congressional delegation to get us to today’s announcement. Federal appropriations to purchase the ship is just the first step, however. In addition to outfitting the Aivuq to meet Coast Guard specification, more must be done on shoreside infrastructure, housing, and preparing for more Coast Guard families in Juneau and I stand ready to help facilitate that along with the rest of the delegation. As I repeat often, we are an Arctic nation because of Alaska and we require the assets and manpower to fully and competently carry out our mission in the Arctic.”

Background:

The United States’ only operational heavy icebreaker, the Polar Star, which is on its second life extension, is currently undergoing repairs in California. America’s one medium icebreaker, the Healy, recently suffered an engine fire and is in the process of returning to port for repairs. Russia has 55 icebreakers and is in the process of building more. By 2025, China, which has no sovereignty over any Arctic waters, is set to surpass the United States’ icebreaker fleet. The Alaska congressional delegation has long since recognized this as a competitive disadvantage in the Arctic and advocated for additional resources to bolster the USCG icebreaker fleet.

The Coast Guard section of the FY 2024 Homeland Security Appropriations Act allocated $125 million to purchase the icebreaker, so that the medium icebreaker would be available for use by the USCG. This funding is a result of over four years of advocacy by both Senators and engagement over the span of two administrations with senior leaders in the USCG, Department of Homeland Security, National Security Council, Office of Management & Budget, and colleagues in the House of Representatives and Senate.

Senator Sullivan provided specific authorization for the acquisition of the vessel as part of the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022. That bill also authorized the conveyance of 2.4 acres of waterfront property from NOAA to the Coast Guard to facilitate the icebreaker homeporting in Juneau. That transfer was completed on February 7, 2024. Senator Sullivan also put a hold on certain USCG promotions until the Coast Guard produced a long-promised study on the homeporting of an icebreaker in Alaska—which ultimately recommended Juneau as the preferred homeporting location.

In this year’s budget process, Senator Murkowski further worked to minimize harmful cuts to the Polar Security Cutter (PSC) Program. This program is vital to recapitalizing the USCG’s icebreaker fleet with new assets capable of bolstering essential U.S. national security interests and our presence in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Since FY 2017, Senator Murkowski has overseen $1.88 billion towards the PSC Program.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:41:32Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-recognizes-julie-kitka-longtime-president-of-the-alaska-federation-of-natives-as-alaskan-of-the-week,"Sullivan Recognizes Julie Kitka, Longtime President of the Alaska Federation of Natives, as “Alaskan of the Week”",2024-08-05,2024,2024-08,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) spoke recently on the Senate floor in recognition of Julie Kitka, who served as President of the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) for more than three decades until recently stepping down from that position. Sen. Sullivan recognized Kitka’s leadership at the helm of the largest statewide Native organization in Alaska, representing 140,000 people and nearly 200 tribes and village corporations. Kitka was first hired by AFN in 1984 as a bookkeeper, a short 6 years before she was elected President in 1990. She would go on to lead AFN through critical economic, legislative, and educational partnerships that continue to guide the organization into the future. Kitka was recognized as part of Sen. Sullivan’s series, “Alaskan of the Week.”

Tribute to Julie Kitka

Mr. President, you know what time of the week it is, and I think our pages are learning. But it is a special time of the week here in the Senate because it is Thursday, and Thursday is when I usually come out and talk about the Alaskan of the Week.

Now, look, the press—where are they? I am not sure they are around right now, but they love this speech. They call it probably the most important speech of the week in the Senate, regardless of what is going on. The Presiding Officer is a big fan and the pages are because I like to tell stories about what my constituents are doing back home to earn them this very prestigious title—very prestigious, by the way—the Alaskan of the Week.

I like to begin this speech, as you know, talking a little bit about what is going on back home in Alaska.

Here in the Senate, we are all getting ready to go on a recess work period, we call it. We are all going to be going home, seeing our constituents. Speaking of things in Alaska, I just happened to host our Senate lunch. On the Republican side of the Senate on Thursdays, one of the Senators hosts lunch every Thursday. Today was my day to host, which is kind of exciting.

I am not going to brag, but I think a lot of the Senators like it when Senator Murkowski or I host because we bring in great salmon, halibut. So we had a feast for lunch today. My wife Julie was here, which was really special.

We brought in peonies. A lot of people don’t know Alaska is now becoming a huge peonies flower producer. I didn’t even know what a peony was a couple of years ago, but now we are big into that. So if you saw these peonies all over the Senate today, they were from Alaska.

What I like to do at the lunch is talk a little bit about Alaska. I have this fact sheet with these great facts about Alaska. And during the lunch, we have a video cam going, literally a live feed video of what is happening in Alaska in the Katmai National Park, Brooks Falls. That is the real famous place in Alaska where all the big brown bears gather by the falls because the salmon are trying to jump up through the falls, and the brown bears are literally catching them in their mouths and eating them right there. So that is a live feed in the lunch that we just had, dozens of bears. It is awesome.

If you are interested in watching it, just go on Brooks Falls, live feed. It is awesome to watch. So there is a lot going on in our to State.

It is kind of dangerous right now. One of the things that I showed to my colleagues is this slide. It is going to be hard to see, but this is a slide of Russian and Chinese strategic bombers— not good. That is a Bear bomber, Russian. That is a Chinese bomber. It is the first time in history they were working together to push into our airspace, Alaska airspace—Russian-Chinese strategic bombers coming into Alaska airspace. Our brave military men and women in Alaska jumped them. Over 10 fighters, fully armed to the teeth, said: Hey, China, Russia, get out of our airspace. Go back to your countries.

So up in Alaska, we are on the frontlines of a lot of this great power competition. These authoritarians are on the march pushing. We are not going to let them push in our State. So there is a lot going on. And I was talking about that at lunch.

By the way, I was talking about this, too: My wife Julie and I were recently up in Utqiagvik, Barrow. That is the highest point of North America. These are too hard to tell, but we were able to see some polar bears, beautiful polar bears in the wild. We took some photos—magnificent, beautiful animals. So there is just a lot going on.

I always like to make the pitch to people watching here in the Senate or on TV: Come up to Alaska. You will have the greatest trip in the world. It is an incredible place, a lot of fun. Especially now, it is beautiful. You would just love it.

So a lot happening there, as I was talking about to my colleagues at lunch today. But I want to talk about the people.

Today, we have a really great Alaskan of the Week who I know super well. I just want to talk about what a great job she has done. Her name is Julie Kitka. She has been, for over three decades, the president of a really important organization in Alaska called the Alaska Federation of Natives—the Alaska Federation of Natives, AFN, as we call it, in Alaska.

I also want to give a shout-out to Ben Mallott. He is actually related to my wife. He is going to be the next president of AFN.

So great job, Ben.

He has already been working at AFN for a long time. But what we really want to talk about is Julie Kitka’s legacy and what she has done to help literally tens of thousands of people in our State.

Now, I have talked about this a lot in my speeches here, but the history of Alaska is very epic. But one of the big elements of our history is who owns our lands, who manages our lands. Sometimes it is a fight, sometimes it is cooperation, but it is a really important issue.

One of the largest, most important parts of that history, after America purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867, was what rights to the lands would the Native people have? By the way, it was their lands to begin with, right? So what kind of rights do the Native people of Alaska have to lands?

This question has been going on since the purchase in 1867 of Alaska from Russia.

And believe it or not, Madam President, this issue is still in limbo into the late 1960s, when the Alaskan Native people from across the State organized and formed the Alaska Federation of Natives—AFN, as we call it—to push for the rights to their lands.

This fight got turbocharged in the late 1960s when oil was discovered on Alaska’s North Slope during a crisis in terms of a worldwide shortage of oil. And the Congress was like: We need to produce energy in Alaska, and we need to produce energy fast.

Well, wait a minute. The Native people are saying: Hey, these are our lands. What about the settlement?

So Congress came together and passed a lot of really important legislation relating to these issues in Alaska. One was called the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Act, the TAPS Act; but the most important was in 1971, and it was called the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act—ANCSA, as we call it back home.

This is the largest and certainly the most innovative indigenous land settlement in U.S. history, probably in the history of the world, to be honest. It is no exaggeration to say that: 44 million acres of land going from the Feds and the State to the Native people to own it—fee simple, by the way. Very innovative. Very different from what happened in the lower 48 with Indian reservations, a very different system. Congress did that.

And it created AFN, the Alaska Federation of Natives. Actually, if you look at the AFN symbol, it has kind of a three-ring symbol that has Aleut, Eskimo, Indian—the symbol of everybody working together. And, trust me, in Alaska, the history of different groups wasn’t always so cooperative. There was a lot of conflict between different Native groups.

And AFN came together. As a matter of fact, at lunch today, I was telling a story about Alaska. I even told a story about my mother-in-law, my wife’s mom, Mary Jane Fate, who is a great Alaska Native civil rights leader. She was one of the leaders, when AFN was being formed, who came to Congress and lobbied Senators on ANCSA. And she actually got a very conservative Senator, James Buckley, a great Senator from New York, to be a cosponsor of ANCSA because it was so innovative: a private sector approach to Native ownership of land that created Alaska Native corporations—all done right here in the U.S. Senate. And the AFN, Alaska Federation of Natives, pushed that and made it happen. Great leadership.

So now AFN represents about 140,000 Alaska Natives, hundreds of Alaska Native corporations. And for 34 years, Julie Kitka has been leading AFN— such an important organization to our State—and Julie has done a great job. Now she is stepping down. We are going to miss her. I am going to talk about that.

But let’s talk about Julie’s life. She is the second of five children, born to a Chugach Native father and a Kansas German mother. Growing up, she alternated between living in Cordova, AK, her father’s hometown, and Washington State, where she started college at Western Washington University in 1971.

By 1973, Julie returned to Cordova to work in a cannery there and later was hired by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, their enrollment office and their adoption division. By the way, she processed over 12,000 adoption applications for Alaska Natives during that time.

And it was during this time she first became acquainted with the Alaska Federation of Natives, which, again, as I mentioned, was pretty new. Julie began taking grad school classes. She is very smart. Like I said, I have known her for many, many years. And she later dropped them to help take care of her sick daughter.

And then AFN said: Hey, this woman is really smart. We are going to hire her in kind of an accounting-bookkeeper position. They saw her really smart brilliance when it came to her business acumen and her business degree. And that was in 1984, just 6 years before she would begin her tenure as the AFN’s longest serving president. So AFN made an early, very smart investment in Julie Kitka.

She moved up the chain quickly. She sat in on meetings with intelligence, curiosity. She was hired as a special assistant to the president. And Julie remembers the next few years at AFN as one of huge possibilities.

As I said, Madam President, this was an amazing settlement. Congress did great work—the House, the Senate— very innovative, hundreds and hundreds of pages. And Julie said: ‘‘There were [enormous] opportunities left and right. During those first meetings,’’ after ANCSA was passed, ‘‘folks would show up with briefcases like ‘business people,’ and they’d be full of smoked salmon and seal oil.’’

That was Julie talking about the early days.

While unprecedented, the structure of Alaska Native corporations—again, created by this body, Congress of the United States—through ANCSA, opened up incredible possibilities for the State. Julie said: ‘‘It is beyond our imagination how successful things turned out’’ with that legislation.

Now, look, it wasn’t perfect. We are always trying to amend it and fix it.

She goes on to say: What Congress did by doing this settlement, land settlement experiment, with ANCs gave us a pathway to engage with the economy, to strengthen self-determination. The corporate model was an innovative tool which could be modified easily.

Now, pivotal changes began to happen at AFN. Workshops, conventions began to roll out across the State to help people prepare to implement this really far-reaching legislation.

And part of the legislation said: All right, this is going to pass in—it passed in 1971. Twenty years later, the Alaska Native corporations would essentially be open to the public, enabling outsiders to buy into ANCs. And this, to be honest, Madam President, was a challenging time. It was a scary time.

Julie remembers it as challenging and scary. A lot of corporations back in those days—ANCs—were losing money. This legislation, after a 20-year period—the 20-year period in 1991 really loomed large.

So she and the other Alaska Natives, working with the Congress and the Senate, worked hard to ensure continued Native ownership of ANCs. This was really important work. And they did this work. Julie came to Congress in Washington, DC, with AFN many, many times to serve as a lobbyist, advocating for ANCs in this legislation, this period in the early—late 1980s and early 1990s.

And with the help of her great persuasive talents, AFN was able to include key provisions in legislation here in the Congress that have resounding impacts today, including land bank protections preventing the taxation of undeveloped Native lands, special benefits for our Alaska Native elders, and the designation of ANCs as small or disadvantaged businesses.

Madam President, as you know, these relatively small changes grew later into really, really important changes for our ANCs and have created important legacies for the success that we have seen in so many of these Alaska Native corporations.

By January 1990, Julie had done such great work that AFN said: Hey, you are going to be our president. You are going to be our leader.

And she has done that for 34 years. She presided over AFN. By the way, the Alaska Federation of Natives Conference, the AFN convention, as we call it, every year in October in Alaska, is the biggest, largest meeting of indigenous Americans each year in the country. And, by the way, it is a great event. It is a great event. I love going every year. It is a lot of fun. So many Alaskans, Native and non-Native, are there. It is fantastic.

So Julie has built all of that. AFN is one of the most important organizations in our State.

Thirty-four years later, Julie talks about some of the seminal programs and initiatives created during her time. AFN helped establish the Job Corps center, which is still thriving in Palmer, AK—a beautiful campus there— training Alaskans in their jobs. It is fantastic work they do.

AFN worked to establish Alaska Native education equity, the growing recognition and importance of Tribes.

Julie Kitka also did a great job working with our military and Alaska Natives and AFN. Alaska Natives, like Native Hawaiian and lower 48 Indians, serve at higher rates in the military than any other ethnic group in the country. Special patriotism, I like to call it. That is what they do.

Julie Kitka did a great job focusing on those issues and forming dozens of joint Federal and State partnerships that have lasted for decades. Julie said that none of this would have been accomplished without bridge building:

It was always about partnerships—nothing was ever done alone. We had conferences all the time to break down barriers and self-limiting silos.

Partnerships—what a great way to focus on leadership, Madam President. That is what she did.

So after 34 years as the president of AFN and 40 years as an employee of AFN, Julie has now decided to step down. What a career. What an impact on Alaskans.

And, by the way, she shows no sign of slowing down yet. This April, the full Alaska congressional delegation, myself included, selected Julie to lead the Denali Commission, an independent Federal Agency, to work on economic development and infrastructure issues in rural Alaska. So we certainly have not seen the last of her incredible work or work ethic on behalf of Alaska and all of our fellow Alaskans.

Julie, to you, congratulations. It has been an honor working with you on some of these critically important issues. I know that everybody at AFN, all Alaskans, Native and non-Native, send their congratulations. You have built an incredible legacy. You have worked so hard for our State and our communities. And now you have received one of the most prestigious awards in Alaska: being our Alaskan of the Week. Congratulations on a job well done.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:41:32Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-helps-advance-bipartisan-permitting-reform,Murkowski Helps Advance Bipartisan Permitting Reform,2024-08-02,2024,2024-08,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today voted in favor of S. 4753, the Energy Permitting Reform Act, during a markup held by the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The panel reported the legislation, which reflects a bipartisan agreement between Chairman Joe Manchin (D-WV) and John Barrasso (R-WY), by a vote of 15-4.

“Anyone who has been within a thousand miles of the federal permitting process knows it is broken and one of the biggest impediments to responsible resource development,” Murkowski said. “The package we approved today contains common sense reforms that will make a difference for our ability to produce all types of energy and minerals and thereby improve our cost of living, security, and competitiveness. I credit Chairman Manchin and Ranking Member Barrasso for their bipartisan work. I’m proud to support it, urge all committees to bring ideas within their jurisdiction to the table, and will help push for the best possible bill to become law before the end of this Congress.”

The Energy Permitting Reform Act is the result of more than a year of negotiation. The measure will benefit all forms of energy – from oil, natural gas, and coal to renewables – as well as minerals. Among other policy improvements, it cancels the Biden administration’s unwarranted “pause” on the approval of LNG export terminals, provides for expedited leasing for geothermal energy, and establishes more effective transmission policies for the Lower 48.

Murkowski ensured the bill’s statute of limitations for judicial review and judicial remand would apply to litigation on projects in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). She also secured language to clarify that the installation and removal of stream gages will be classified as low disturbance activities for permitting purposes. During the markup, Murkowski pressed for additional hydropower reforms to increase the use of this clean, abundant, baseload resource and secured commitments from Manchin and Barrasso to strengthen the bill’s current provisions.

The full text of the Energy Permitting Reform Act, as introduced, is available here.

A section-by-section for the legislation, as introduced, is available here.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:41:32Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-unanimously-passes-sullivan-resolution-recognizing-sacrifice-of-vietnam-veterans,Senate Unanimously Passes Sullivan Resolution Recognizing Sacrifice of Vietnam Veterans,2024-08-02,2024,2024-08,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (SVAC), welcomed the passage of his Senate resolution acknowledging the courage and sacrifice of veterans of the Vietnam War. The resolution also offered a long-overdue apology for the mistreatment many Vietnam veterans endured upon their return to the United States.

“58,000 members of the Armed Forces lost their lives in the Vietnam War. More than 300,000 Americans were wounded,” Sen. Sullivan said. “Yet many who served the United States bravely and faithfully were repeatedly targeted with shameful attacks when they came home. That never happened in our history before, and it should never happen again. This resolution lays out the heroic service of our Vietnam veterans and acknowledges their sacrifice and courage—it’s time they received their hero’s welcome.”

See below for the full transcript of Senator Sullivan’s remarks.

Mr. President, I am here on the floor today to ask unanimous consent for a long, long overdue resolution. It is a resolution that I guarantee most Americans are going to be like: What? Wait. What? We haven’t done that yet? The Senate, the Congress, hasn’t done that yet?

It is a resolution on this: recognizing the heroic service of our Vietnam veterans and finally issuing an apology— yes—for the way in which tens of thousands of them were treated when they came home after serving their Nation. So that is what I am going to do right here. I was told a couple of minutes ago that someone was going to object, and I was like: Whoa. Really? Let’s have that debate. Let’s have that debate.

But good news: no objection. So what I wanted to do briefly is just explain the reasoning behind this resolution. I think, as a country, when you look at the broad sweep of American history, we have always rightfully respected, lionized, and celebrated America’s veterans—think about it—in the last several decades.

The World War II generation—we even have a name for them: the ‘‘greatest generation’’—sacrificed over 400,000 Americans killed in action, saving the world from dictatorships in Europe and in the Pacific. The ‘‘greatest generation’’ literally defended freedom all over the world. When they came home—and to this day—we celebrated them, and we lionized them with ticker-tape parades, as it should be. At that moment in our history, the respect for our veterans was sky-high.

Then you had the Korean war, and unfortunately, in my view—I am a Korean war history buff, and I have studied this a lot—you had kind of an attitude of benign neglect. Even the phrase the ‘‘forgotten war,’’ which I don’t like—it should be called the noble war, actually—kind of indicates this benign neglect. The veterans came home. People didn’t really celebrate what they did. It wasn’t really like World War II. It was just kind of, OK, get on with your life; you did your duty. They sacrificed, of course, but there wasn’t a lot—it was kind of benign neglect, as I mentioned.

Then the Vietnam war happened, and we all know what happened, but to this day, I think most Americans maybe don’t even understand what happened, but there is no doubt our country went off-kilter, and the respect given to our servicemembers—World War II was certainly at the high level, even the Korean war with its benign neglect—this respect hit rock bottom. It hit rock bottom.

You know, it is just really sad. We all have heard stories of veterans coming home—corporals, enlisted guys, young officers. They did their duty. Some of them were drafted and said: It is my turn to go. For whatever reason—Vietnam was, of course, very contentious, but for whatever reason, when they came home, a lot of people in the American public took it out on them— slandered, spit upon, all kinds of horrible epitaphs.

I remember one of my first mess nights as a Marine officer—I was a brand new second lieutenant, and we had a mess night with a lot of these old retired marines—a very formal, sacred setting in many ways. One of the officers there talked about how he came home from Vietnam. His dad was a World War II vet. He had been in 12 months of combat. He came home to see his father. He hugged his dad. They were walking outside of the airport, and somebody threw red paint on him and his dad. Could you imagine that? You just sacrificed for your country. You are in uniform with your father, who is a World War II vet. What did we do that for? I don’t know if there is ever going to be an answer. But this happened literally to tens of thousands of Vietnam veterans. It shouldn’t have happened, but it did.

So what we can do here in the Senate is just say: Hey, we recognize your great service. It wasn’t easy. You were doing your duty. And if you were treated horribly—which a lot of them were when they came home—again, maybe you go attack President Johnson or President Nixon—not attack but criticize them—but why take it out on the lance corporal? That is what happened, and it shouldn’t have happened.

So what we can do here—and we are going to do it in a second. I am really glad no one is objecting. I hope no one is objecting. My resolution, S. Res. 778, has a lot of Senators supporting it. It is simply acknowledging the courage and sacrifice of our veterans from the Vietnam war and apologizing for the treatment that so many of them received when they came home—pretty simple—and welcoming them home, finally, from the U.S. Senate.

This resolution lays out their heroic service. It talks about the sacrifice. Mr. President, 58,000 members of the Armed Forces lost their lives. More than 300,000 Americans were wounded in Vietnam. Yet many who served bravely and faithfully to the United States during the Vietnam war were repeatedly targeted with shameful attacks when they came home. Why? I don’t know. That never really happened in our history before, and it should never happen again.

Here is the beautiful thing about our Vietnam vets: Instead of being wracked and incapacitated by bitterness or anger, our Vietnam veterans—and I have seen it throughout my career in the military—when they came home, they said: Here is what we are going to do. We were treated really poorly. We are going to work really hard to make sure that the next generations of veterans who serve overseas aren’t treated poorly, that we get back to this level of World War II treatment.

Guess what. The Vietnam vets succeeded in that. The vast majority of Americans look at our veterans— whether they agreed with the war in Iraq or Afghanistan or anywhere else, when they see the vets, they say: Thank you for your heroic service. We may not have liked the war, but we are certainly not going to take it out on you, lieutenant or corporal.

That group—our Vietnam vets—had a lot to do with us getting back to that level.

I saw this throughout my entire military career. I just retired out of the Marine Corps a few months ago after 30 years. I will give you one example. I had a sergeant from one of my Marine Recon units who was killed by an avalanche in Alaska—a great guy. So we were having a service to bury him. It was very somber. I was just a captain, but I was the lead officer overseeing this service. These guys pulled up on motorcycles—Vietnam vets. There were like five of them at this service, just sitting there.

After the service, they came up to me. I said: Hey, thank you, guys, for coming to the service of my sergeant. I said: Did you know him? No, we didn’t know him. We just saw that he was killed, and we wanted to come here to honor him.

Think about that. Those are Vietnam veterans in my great State of Alaska who probably didn’t get treated well but who said: We are going to go to the funeral of this Marine sergeant to make sure he gets the respect that everybody should have gotten and certainly that the Vietnam vet generation should have gotten, but so many didn’t.

So this resolution does that. It recognizes the extraordinary sacrifice of our Vietnam vets. It commends them for their courage and sacrifice. It urges the President and on behalf of the Congress to formally acknowledge the widespread mistreatment of veterans of the Vietnam war when they came back home. It offers, on behalf of the Congress, a long overdue apology, and it encourages and expresses support for increased education in the schools of the United States to reflect on and learn about the courage and sacrifice of this group of veterans and, unfortunately, sometimes the lack of support when they came home. So that is what the resolution does.

….

Mr. President, with that, given that there is no objection, that Senate resolution has now passed in the United States. It unanimously is on record finally, in 2024, thanking our Vietnam veterans for their service, for their sacrifice; acknowledging the mistreatment they got when they came home; welcoming them home; and saying, on behalf of the Congress of the United States, we do apologize for the mistreatment that you received, and we know that you are the key to making sure future generations of veterans are honored. So to our Vietnam vets, welcome home. Thank you.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:41:32Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-presses-biden-harris-admin-america-should-be-signaling-full-support-as-israel-tries-to-re-establish-deterrence,Sullivan Presses Biden-Harris Admin: America “Should be Signaling Full Support as Israel Tries to Re-establish Deterrence”,2024-08-02,2024,2024-08,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today pressed the Biden-Harris administration for delaying the delivery of vital weapons and equipment to Israel for months, in spite of the onslaught of attacks Israel has sustained from Iranian-backed terrorist proxies, like Hezbollah, which killed 12 Israeli children and injured dozens more in an attack last Saturday.

Sen. Sullivan, along with 47 of his GOP colleagues, sent a letter today to the Biden-Harris administration urging them to stop jeopardizing the lives of American servicemembers, to cease accommodating Iran,and to end their partial arms embargo on Israel.

“During these dangerous times, the Biden-Harris administration must do a better job demonstrating to our allies and adversaries that the United States stands strongly with Israel,” Senator Sullivan said.“Enough with the appeasing of far-left radicals voters. They should be signaling their full support as Israel tries to reestablish deterrence. The administration’s deliberate delay of weapons and other equipment to our greatest ally in the Middle East is unacceptable and dangerous. Their appeasement of Iran—the puppet master of chaos throughout the Middle East—has enabled widespread violence across the Middle East and terrorism throughout the world. Enough.”

The letter sent by Sen. Sullivan and his colleagues can be read hereand below.

Dear President Biden:

This weekend, Hezbollah fired Iranian-made missiles into northern Israel, murdering 12 children and injuring dozens in the single deadliest attack on that part of the country since October 7. The ultimate responsibility for this attack rests with Hezbollah and the ayatollahs in Iran. However, while Tehran financed the attack and Hezbollah conducted it, your fear of escalation has left Israel exposed and our enemies emboldened.

We write once again to protest your administration’s partial arms embargo against Israel. The actions of the Biden-Harris administration run counter to our long history of robust military cooperation with Israel and cast doubt upon the reliability of the United States as a long-term security partner. Your actions also violate the will of Congress as expressed in the recent supplemental that funded emergency military support to Israel.

When Prime Minister Netanyahu publicly raised the weapons hold in June, your administration adamantly denied the accusation. You ignored Congressional inquiries, including a May 6, 2024, letter from Senator Marshall, a May 6, 2024, letter from Senator Ernst, a May 14, 2024, letter from Senator Risch and a June 20, 2024, letter from Senator Cotton. All the while, you were deliberately delaying the delivery of weapons, ammunition, and equipment to Israel. These include 120 mm tank ammunition, 120 mm mortar ammunition, light tactical vehicles, air-to-air missiles, F-15s, F-35 engines, joint direct attack munition kits, 2,000 pound bombs, rifles, and guided missile systems.

While your administration delays, Hamas continues to wage war against Israel, the Houthis continue to attack in the Red Sea, and Hezbollah continues its onslaught in northern Israel. Your stalling tactics are endangering our greatest ally in the Middle East and jeopardizing the lives of our American servicemembers stationed in the region. We urge you to use every available emergency authority to expedite the physical delivery of all weapons and ammunition to Israelthat have been approved by Congress.

Your administration must stop accommodating Iran and its terrorist allies now.

Sincerely,

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:41:32Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/commerce-committee-advances-murkowskis-landslides-earthquakes-legislation,"Commerce Committee Advances Murkowski’s Landslides, Earthquakes Legislation",2024-08-01,2024,2024-08,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=12,scraper,"Washington, DC – Earlier today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation favorably reported U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski’s (R-AK) National Landslide Preparedness Reauthorization Act on a strong bipartisan basis. Murkowski’s bill, cosponsored by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), would reauthorize current law for ten years, through Fiscal Year (FY) 2034, and provide the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) with additional authority and resources to help monitor and prepare high-risk areas for landslides.

The committee also advanced bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) through FY 2028. Led by Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) and cosponsored by Murkowski, the bill authorizes a total of $175.4 million per year from FY 2024-2028 across the four federal agencies responsible for long-term earthquake risk reduction under NEHRP: the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and USGS.

“Late last year, six Alaskans were killed in the Wrangell landslide. Prior to that, landslides killed Alaskans in Sitka and in Haines. These once-in-a-generation disasters are occurring more and more often, and lesser landslides, like the one that affected Juneau last week, are becoming routine,” Murkowski said. “We need to do everything we can to ensure that communities in Alaska and across the nation are prepared to predict, monitor, and respond to landslides. Senator Cantwell and I are leading this reauthorization to update our federal programs and equip local communities with the resources they need to save lives.”

“Alaska faces significant earthquake risks as the most seismically active state – our communities must be prepared,” Murkowski continued. “The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act provides crucial funding to federal agencies for research, development, and implementation of earthquake safety measures.”

“Following the tragic landslide in Wrangell in November 2023, the reauthorization of the National Landslide Preparedness Act would provide our community with essential resources for landslide hazard assessment and mitigation,” said Mason Villarma, Borough Manager, City and Borough of Wrangell. “By enhancing advisory systems and improving emergency response strategies, this legislation would strengthen Wrangell's resilience and safety. We thank Senator Murkowski for her unwavering advocacy of this critical piece of legislation.”

""Landslides are a major concern in Alaska. UAF research can help communities throughout the state prepare for future events. Thank you to Senator Murkowski for her leadership on reauthorizing and increasing funding for the nation's primary landslides hazards program. UAF is grateful for her efforts to ensure Alaska is a priority in this legislation and we look forward to partnering with the appropriate federal agencies to help protect life and property in Alaska from future landslides,” ­said Dan White, University of Alaska Fairbanks Chancellor

“We are so very grateful to Senator Murkowski for her efforts to support Alaskan communities as they face the challenge of increased natural hazards like landslides and floods,” said Arleigh Reynolds, Executive Director of the Sitka Sound Science Center. “Through her efforts, the US Geological Service, the US Forrest Service, the National Weather Service, Alaskan state agencies, tribal organizations, non-profit organizations, and communities have come together in a working group to share our knowledge and best practices. As rapid environmental change drives the enhanced frequency and severity of landsides in high-latitude regions, this collaborative effort will ensure communities have the most up to date information on how to prepare for, and protect themselves from, the devastating impacts on life and infrastructure. Senator Murkowski understands the needs of our rural residents and she sees how our collaborations across agencies, organizations, and communities can be a model for the nation.”

“New language for the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program will pave the way for Alaska to develop an early warning system for earthquakes, joining what already exists along the west coast of the lower 48,” said Michael West, State Seismologist for the Alaska Earthquake Center. “While the National Landslide Preparedness Act will help Alaska come to terms with landslides in a changing climate. Both programs ensure collaboration between federal, state, and university partners to ensure the maximum benefit for Alaskans.”

Background for National Landslide Preparedness Reauthorization Act: The National Landslide Preparedness Act, enacted by Congress in early 2021, directed USGS’ Hazards Reduction Program to develop a national strategy for landslides, a national landslide hazards database, and a debris flow early warning system. The measure also created the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Landslide Hazards, a federal advisory committee on landslides, and two grant programs.

In addition to her authorizing legislation, Murkowski, a senior appropriator, has secured more than $14 million in federal funding over the past three years for landslides-related work in Alaska, including for Barry Arm and Prince William Sound.

In the FY 2025 Interior Appropriations bill reported from committee last week, Murkowski added $1.5 million for USGS’ Prince William Sound and Southeast landslide program, a $1 million increase from last year, and language that supports ongoing warning work for the region. She also included $1 million for the deployment, operation, and maintenance of landslide detection and monitoring systems in high-risk areas.

Murkowski’s bill authorizes $40 million per year for USGS to landslides work, with at least $15 million per year made available for the purchase and deployment of landslide early warning systems in high-risk areas, many of which are in Alaska.

S. 3788, the National Landslide Preparedness Reauthorization Act, and S. 4802, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025, will both head to the Senate Legislative Calendar to await floor consideration by the full chamber.

Background for National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act: The measure would authorize $10.6 million for FEMA, $5.9 million for NIST, $58 million for NSF, and $100.9 million for USGS per year from FY 2024-2028. This funding would support research, development and implementation activities related to earthquake safety and risk reduction.

Changes from the previous NEHRP reauthorization include:

Directing state and local entities to inventory high risk buildings and structures, expanding seismic events to include earthquake-caused tsunamis;

Providing more technical assistance to Tribal governments; and

Improving mitigation for earthquake-connected hazards.

Alaska faces substantial earthquake risks as the most seismically-active state—and all Alaskans live with earthquake hazards. According to the Alaska Earthquake Center, over 220,000 earthquakes were reported in Alaska over the last five years, with 26 earthquakes having a magnitude of 6.0 or greater. Notably, the most powerful earthquake to strike North America was the 9.2 1964 Good Friday Earthquake in 1964, which lasted nearly five minutes and left 118 dead, and thousands more without shelter.

The bill is endorsed by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), BuildStrong America, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), International Code Council (ICC), the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA), the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), Seismological Society of America, and the Structural Engineers Association of California (SEAOC).

S. 3606, The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act, will now go to the Senate Legislative Calendar to await floor consideration by the full chamber.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:41:32Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-kelly-kaine-introduce-legislation-to-better-understand-chart-path-forward-on-housing-for-older-adults,"Murkowski, Kelly, Kaine, Introduce Legislation to Better Understand, Chart Path Forward on Housing for Older Adults",2024-08-01,2024,2024-08,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=12,scraper,"Washington, DC – This week, Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced the Housing Options for Older Adults Act, bipartisan legislation to address critical housing needs of older adults across the nation. The bill mandates a comprehensive study by the Comptroller General of the United States to evaluate housing programs and services for older individuals under the Older Americans Act of 1965.

This bill was developed following extensive conversations with Arizona's aging stakeholders, including Kelly’s Seniors Advisory Group, which identified access to affordable housing for older adults as a priority issue within the state. Along with policy recommendations, the study will provide an evaluation of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Healthy Aging and Age-Friendly Communities, analysis of current federal programs focused on accessible senior housing to identify areas of improvement, and review of actual housing availability for the older adult population.

As the population ages, older adults face increasing challenges in accessing affordable and suitable housing. In 2023, Arizona recorded its highest rates of homelessness since tracking began in 2007, with 14,237 people identified as unhoused, 68 percent of whom were in Maricopa County. Of these, 2,090 were over the age of 55. This trend is reflected nationally, emphasizing the urgent need for this legislation. The GAO report will identify gaps in existing housing programs and provide actionable recommendations to ensure seniors on fixed incomes have access to safe, affordable housing.

“This is a crucial step in addressing the desperate housing needs of our aging population,"" said Senator Murkowski. ""In Alaska and across the nation, seniors face increasing challenges finding affordable and accessible housing. This bipartisan legislation will help us better understand these challenges and chart a path forward. By improving existing programs, we can ensure that older adults have access to safe, affordable housing.”

“Our seniors are facing an unprecedented housing crisis, with a growing number of older adults becoming homeless each year,” said Kelly. “We must take action now to understand and address the gaps in our current housing programs. This legislation will help us find solutions so that our seniors have access to safe, affordable housing, allowing them to live with the dignity and security they’ve earned.”

“Every American deserves to age in comfortable, affordable, and accessible homes,” said Kaine. “That’s why I’m proud to cosponsor the bipartisan Housing Options for Older Adults Act to better understand how federal housing programs support Virginians as they age.”

Background:

The Older Americans Act (OAA)—due to be reauthorized by September 30th, 2024—supports social services, nutrition services, caregiver programs, and elder abuse prevention for individuals aged 60 and older, with funding allocated to states and Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) through annual appropriations. This funding leverages additional state, local, and private resources, significantly increasing its impact. Also shaped by the Senate Special Committee on Aging, reauthorization legislation was considered today by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, which passed the bill 20 to 1.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:41:32Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-secures-another-round-of-wins-for-alaska-appropriations-spending-bills,Murkowski Secures Another Round of Wins for Alaska Appropriations Spending Bills,2024-08-01,2024,2024-08,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=12,scraper,"Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) announced another substantive list of investments in projects across Alaska through the Senate Appropriations Committee. These Alaska-specific wins were included in four Fiscal Year 25 (FY 2025) spending bills: Defense; Energy and Water Development; Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies; Financial Services and General Government. The bills were passed overwhelmingly by the full committee, and now heads to the Senate floor for consideration.

“Not only do these bills provide more major investments to Alaska, including our military, infrastructure, mail service, and public safety, but the Senate is on schedule to be done with our work in time to avoid any stoppage in government services,” said Senator Murkowski. “The return to the regular committee process that vets these bills carefully have resulted in smart, surgical financing of deeply important projects to Alaskans.”

FY25 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Highlights

Supporting Alaska Ports and Waterways Development

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plays a vital role in Alaska development, overseeing public engineering, design, and construction management for projects ranging from port development to coastal shoreline protection. Senator Murkowski ensured that Alaska Army Corps projects were funded, including an increase to $18.3 million for the National Coastal Mapping Program, with $6.2 million recommended for Alaska-specific coastal mapping, $25 million for the Port of Nome construction, and $600 thousand for the Homer navigation improvements.

Developing domestic critical mineral supply chain

If America is going to strengthen our economy and national security, having a sustainable, domestic plan for developing critical mineral mining projects has to be a priority. Senator Murkowski fought to include $249 million for critical mineral activities across the Department of Energy.

Investing in renewable energy projects

Renewable energy is becoming a critical part of diversifying our domestic energy portfolio. Senator Murkowski oversaw inclusions of multiple projects in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, including $24 million for a new megawatt scale tidal energy pilot, $15 million for Energy Transitions Imitative, $130 million for Geothermal Technologies, $326 million for Weatherization Assistance Programs, and $10 million to support Alaskan hydropower through the Energy Policy Act of 2005 section 242 program.

Prioritizing rural energy

The cost of energy in rural Alaska can cost anywhere from three to five times as much versus households connected by the Railbelt. The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs funds and oversees programs and projects that promote Tribal energy development with the goal of lowering costs. Senator Murkowski oversaw investments in the office, including $70 million for Indian Energy, $8 million for microgrid research development and deployment, and report language that ensures the office will design funding opportunities that do not exclude Tribes. She also included language that will direct $1 million for the Arctic Energy Office to work with the Office of Nuclear Energy to help the Department of Defense place a small modular reactor at Eielson AFB.

Denali Commission

The Denali Commission remains one Alaska’s most important instruments in providing federal investment towards critical utilities and infrastructure development with a focus on rural Alaska. Senator Murkowski included $18.5 million for the commission with $1 million for Bulk Fuel storage projects to strengthen energy interdependence in remote regions. She also included report language that caps cost sharing responsibilities of rural communities to 90/10 when the Denali Commission is directing the majority of federal funds towards projects.

In addition to programmatic funding to help Alaskans, Murkowski was able to secure investments specific to five Alaska communities, projects that have been requested and prioritized by local governments and organizations:

Juneau: $600,000 to conduct a study to replace the Juneau Auke Bay Wave Attenuator, which is needed to protect public and private moorage facilities, Juneau's recreational launch ramp facility, and a marine fuel facility located between Juneau and Haines.

Bethel: $750,000 to be used to identify and develop a conceptual design for an optimized Bethel Power System.

Northwest Arctic Borough: $1 million to be used to establish an electrical intertie between the isolated-microgrid villages of Ambler and Shungnak.

St. George: $2 million towards the St. George Harbor Improvement project.

Homer: $2.5 million to be used to conduct the necessary preconstruction field studies on the existence, location and quality of potential geothermal resources on Mt. St. Augustine.

FY25 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Highlights

Serving rural Alaska

Senator Murkowski prioritized funding for services that will help rural Alaskans and their communities. She oversaw a number of increases in programmatic funding, including a $1 million increase to the Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center and a $1 million increase to the American Indian and Alaskan Native Suicide Prevention Initiative. She also ensured that Employment and Training Native American Programs, and Indian Education were fully funded, and was successful in including new bill language to lift the 20% funding cap on Native American Language Immersion grants.

The committee also recognized that Native Americans and Alaska Natives experience cancer and higher mortality at a strikingly higher rate than non-native populations. Senator Murkowski secured $8 million for the Improving Native American Cancer Outcomes initiative to support efforts including research education, outreach, and clinical access related to cancer in Native populations.

Boosting menopause research

Earlier this year, Senator Murkowski led on historic bipartisan legislation that will boost research, expand training and awareness around menopause. She continued to push for these priorities in her capacity as an appropriator, directing the National Institute of Health to launch a comprehensive research agenda that will guide future investments in menopause-related research and advance the treatment of menopausal symptoms.

Fighting the opioid epidemic

Opioids, particularly fentanyl, have become a deadly scourge in Alaska and across the country. Senator Murkowski is fighting back by increasing the State Opioid Response grants by $25 million, Substance Use Prevention Treatment & Recovery Services Block Grant by $40 million, and Building Communities of Recovery by $1 million.

Supporting Alaska’s children

Senator Murkowski capitalized on numerous opportunities to invest in Alaska’s youth. She has long been a champion of Head Start and was eager to see its funding increased by $700 million, which will greatly help the largest early childhood program in Alaska. She also made sure both the Education for Homeless Children & Youth program and the Runaway and Homeless Youth program were fully funded.

Fighting ALS

Virtually everyone knows someone who has been impacted by ALS. Senator Murkowski is no exception, and she has made combatting this terrible disease a personal mission. She fought for a $10 million increase for ALS funding and research at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), and maintained dedicated funding for her legislation, the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act. She also got a $1 million increase in funding for the National ALS Registry, a program that collects, manages and analyzes data about persons with ALS to look for disease pattern changes over time to identify common risk factors.

Supporting survivors of domestic violence

Senator Murkowski was able to secure a number of funding wins that will help protect survivors of domestic violence. She was able to secure a funding increase of $2 million for the Office of Family Violence Prevention & Services, and maintained funding levels for the National Domestic Violence Hotline, National Human Trafficking Hotline, and Refugee Support Services.

Bringing Alaska seafood to the White House

Senator Murkowski is always looking for new and creative ways to champion Alaska seafood. She included language that directs the White House to source domestic seafood, including wild-caught Alaska seafood, to serve at State Dinners and other official White House functions.

In addition to programmatic funding to help Alaskans, Murkowski was able to secure investments specific to 45 Alaska communities, projects that have been requested and prioritized by local governments and organizations:

Arctic Slope: $500,000 to help local educators provide education in a culturally and linguistically appropriate way to ensure students’ academic success and to build students’ skills in the Inupiaq culture, language, and values.

North Slope Borough School District: $500,000 to create 1,500 Inupiaq Immersion Language Kits for each classroom and family in the North Slope Borough School District, write culturally relevant curriculum for the core literacy and math programs in grades 6-12, and support school mentors to support and train teachers.

Statewide: $1.62 million for the Alaska Safe Communities and Schools program, which will help improve safety and incident response awareness, update District School Crisis Response Plans to incorporate the cultural values and behaviors of the community, build nurturing cyber-safety practices that help avoid challenging and traumatic experiences, and provide opportunities for youth to engage in supportive community projects.

Soldotna: $300,000 to implement a new Career Technical Education program for Alaska Native students attending Alaska Christian College, and will include new courses to teach small engine repair, commercial driving/heavy equipment operation, and culinary arts.

Statewide: $200,000 to the Alaska Council of School Administrators to recruit and retain school leaders in Alaska and provide in-person and virtual professional development and mentoring to aspiring Pre-K through 12th grade principals.

Statewide: $300,000 to Learning Point Alaska’s project that will expand and extend a high-impact in-school tutoring model that is producing increased academic achievement for rural Alaska Native students.

Statewide: $150,000 to expand Alaska Resource Education’s K-12 STEM educational programs and empower students to become more informed stewards of Alaska's natural resources; enhance students’ technical, communication, and problem-solving skills; help students make informed decisions about career pathways; and increase academic proficiency in science.

Juneau: $750,000 to the Goldbelt Heritage Foundation to enhance the educational experiences and outcomes for all students, particularly those from diverse backgrounds, through culturally responsive curriculum and assessment practices and professional development for school district staff by creating indigenous-based learning programs.

Statewide: $500,000 to help the Association of Alaska School Boards establish a statewide and regional model for youth leadership programs that strengthen educational and mental health outcomes for Alaska youth from Lower Yukon, North Slope, Chevak, Sitka, and Fairbanks.

Statewide: $300,000 to support the Alaska Native Heritage Center’s multifaceted statewide program that addresses academic disparities for Alaska Native youth through development of peer support networks for students and improved cultural education for school professionals.

Fairbanks: $3 million to construct a four-bed child psychiatric unit at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, which will serve voluntary and involuntary patients.

Glenallen and Delta Junction: $2 million to provide emergency rural health services.

Anchorage: $1.43 million to provide housing and support for more than 150 individuals experiencing homelessness that are over the age of 55, have a disability and identify as Alaka Native or American Indian within the Municipality of Anchorage.

Fairbanks: $1.64 million to fund an Interior Regional Crisis Stabilization Center, which will provide timely community-based behavioral health crisis care, including suicide care and medication-assisted treatment for community members.

Sitka: $2.5 million to purchase medical equipment for the new Mt. Edgecumbe Medical Center, which will enhance the capability for SEARHC to continue to provide healthcare to Alaska Natives and communities of Southeast Alaska.

Anchorage: $5 million to improve Anchorage's Behavioral Health Crisis Continuum of Care by opening the Behavioral Health Expansion Project, which will include a 16-chair Adult Crisis Stabilization Center, a 16-bed Adult Crisis Residential Program, and a 30-bed Detox Program across the street from the Alaska Native Health Campus.

Mat-Su: $350,000 to expand dental services in Palmer, and purchase equipment and provide for facility renovations in the current medical clinic.

Northwest Alaska: $1 million to purchase eight portable X-ray units for eight village clinics and allow clinics to diagnose or rule out simple fractures, dislocations, pneumonia, or other issues in the villages and reduce travel costs for simple injuries.

Fairbanks: $728,000 to purchase a Medical Ambulance Bus and associated medical equipment for the Fairbanks Fire Department.

Petersburg: $3 million to be used to construct a new Long-Term Care Facility as part of the Petersburg Medical Center.

Fairbanks: $1.2 million towards design and pre-construction plans and engineering of a new building for the Interior AIDS Association, which houses the HIV Care and Prevention, Opioid Treatment and Overdose Prevention in Fairbanks.

Anchorage: $1.93 million these funds will be used for the expansion of mental health services in Anchorage as part of Anchorage Community Mental Health Services, Inc.

Anchorage: $725,000 to the University of Alaska Anchorage to expand healthcare simulation capacity in medically underserved areas in Alaska including Mat-Su, Fairbanks, Kenai, Kotzebue, Bethel, Homer, Ketchikan, Sitka, Dillingham, Juneau, Kodiak, Nome, Valdez, and Petersburg. It will include training in diagnostic medical sonography, surgical technology, certified nursing assistant, and the WWAMI Doctor of Medicine education program.

Ketchikan: $694,000 to purchase ambulances for the South Tongass Fire Station, to replace two that were lost after a fire.

Juneau: $100,000 to provide supportive services for Haa Yaitx'u Saiani, including therapy, respite, financial assistance, and independent legal advice for grandparents and other relatives raising children outside the foster care system.

Statewide: $250,000 for the Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance to provide prevention and education efforts on to reduce eating disorders throughout Alaska.

Juneau: $250,000 to the University of Alaska Southeast to strengthen and expand existing counseling services to meet the needs of students more effectively. Expanded counseling services would include additional sessions on mental well-being, suicide prevention, increasing preventative care appointments, providing more regular and broader diversity of group counseling sessions, and expanding virtual counseling services.

Anchorage: $3 million for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium to bring the current operating room recovery space and perioperative bays to industry standards, improving patient care and throughput efficiency in the hospital.

Anchorage: $800,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southcentral Alaska to provide education and mentorship to youth and will culturally tailored to benefit school-aged children who are members.

Utqia?vik: $1.5 million to fund the purchase of an Advanced Imaging Center and renovate the Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital to accommodate the new equipment.

Statewide: $1 million to provide expanded mental health services for young Alaskans and their families through the Volunteers of America of Alaska.

Anchorage: $500,000 to provide for enhanced clinical training of students at the UAA dental hygiene program, which runs a community clinic that provides free and low-cost dental preventive services to community members.

Statewide: $100,000 to the Juanita Strong Forever Project to provide comprehensive support services, including case management and mentorship/peer support programs, to youth and young adults in Alaska through specialized training focused on mental health, youth development, and drug and alcohol prevention.

Statewide: $100,000 to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Alaska to facilitate positive mentoring relationships for vulnerable Alaskan youth aged 6-21 with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and/or indicators of ACEs such as alcohol/substance use, feelings of loneliness, isolation, and depression, behavior problems, and records of school failure.

Bethel: $220,000 to the Bethel Family Clinic to provide healthcare services in rural Alaska through the Village Travel Health Program and Bethel Family Clinic, which provide needed healthcare services in underserved locations in Western Alaska.

Statewide: $1.02 million to help transition veterans to employment and apprenticeships as part of VIPER’s career services program, which recruits, educates, trains and transitions servicemembers, veterans, and military spouses with employment opportunities in professional trade programs.

Statewide: $730,000 to provide training to rural utility staff as part of the Renewable Energy Alaska Project’s (REAP) People in Power (PIP), which is Alaska's only dedicated training coordination service designed to address the stated needs of stand-alone electric utility staff in remote and rural microgrid Alaska communities.

Nome: $3 million to create a sustainable, inclusive, and equitable workforce development system in Nome, Alaska in response to the development of the Port of Nome. Funds will be used for training and employing residents in essential sectors like home construction, repair, and maintenance in order to prepare the local workforce for high wage jobs in Nome’s growing construction industry.

Anchorage: $1 million to expand the capacity of the Aviation Maintenance Technology and Airframe programs at UAA to address the need for more Aircraft Maintenance and Service Technicians over the next 7 years.

Statewide: $1 million to expand broadband and energy apprenticeship programs and purchase new equipment that will enable the training of more Alaskan workers to obtain federally registered apprenticeship completion certificates as linemen and outside telecommunications workers.

Juneau: $1 million to fund pre-apprenticeship programs to help develop a skilled workforce in Southeast Alaska in the electrical, welding, pipefitting and health industries.

Statewide: $1.72 million towards the Alaska Primary Care Association to provide training and technical assistance to future community health center leaders with industry-specific education and training.

Juneau: $500,000 to develop and implement a sustainable program for Sealaska Heritage Institute to provide authentic cultural interpretation to Southeast Alaska visitors and promote standards for Northwest Coast Native Art and handicrafts to ensure compliance with the Indian Arts and Crafts Act. It will also create online cultural workforce development training for 500 employers/employees and place 50 Cultural Ambassador interns in Southeast organizations.

Juneau: $160,000 for the University of Alaska Southeast to develop new maritime course offerings, including online courses, that provide a pathway for receiving U.S. Coast Guard certifications and foster partnerships with local school districts, industries, governmental agencies, tribal entities, and other regional/community organizations.

Statewide: $100,000 for employment and training for the Nudlaghi Leadership Institute and will subsidize tuition and instruction costs for scholarships to the Institute.

FY25 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Highlights

Protecting rural Alaska mail

Neither snow nor rain nor heat should stop the mail, regardless of where you live. Rural Alaska communities’ mail services have been under threat, as many Alaskans have seen delays in their mail and threats of service shutdowns all-together. Senator Murkowski included report language that will pause consolidation and closures of rural United States Post Offices, and directs the Postal Regulatory Commission to review facilities in rural Alaska.

Defending Alaska’s history

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is America’s record keeper, saving and archiving the historical documents and materials of our nation. In 2020, Seattle’s National Archives, which houses Alaska’s priceless federal documents, maps, and photos, was on the chopping block with its content set to ship to California and Missouri. Senator Murkowski defended Alaska’s historical content, including report language directing NARA to provide advance notice and consult with the Appropriations Committee on any action regarding the facility. She also included report language providing direction on the Alaska Digitalization Project, which will make Alaska’s contents more broadly available to the public by digitizing Alaska’s most important records.

In addition to programmatic funding to help Alaskans, Murkowski was able to secure investments specific to five Alaska communities, projects that have been requested and prioritized by local governments and organizations:

Anchorage: $100,000 for UAA to conduct 150 comprehensive business evaluations through UAA's Alaska Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), tailoring strategies for resilience, growth, job creation, and local economic empowerment for manufacturers in Alaska, while fostering economic diversity, job creation, and environmental sustainability.

Statewide: $100,000 for the Alaska Library Network to create an Arctic Digital Library by digitizing collections from Alaska partners across the entire state and allow Alaskans, historians and researchers to access digitized, online documents related to Alaska’s history found currently only in hard copy in such places as university libraries and private collections.

Statewide: $500,000 for the Alaska Small Business Development Center at UAA to empower rural Alaskan businesses to flourish in the digital economy. The Center will team up with tech companies like Google, Amazon, and Meta to offer comprehensive e-commerce training tailored for Alaskan entrepreneurs and help participants learn to set up and manage online stores, handle payment systems, and implement effective online marketing.

Statewide: $400,000 for the AK Fentanyl Response Project to decrease the impact of illicit drug overdose and poisoning through a comprehensive approach that combines prevention, awareness, education, and naloxone training and distribution efforts.

Anchorage: $150,000 for the Anchorage Community Land Trust to serve more entrepreneurs and business owners in low-income and underserved communities through increased trainings, workshops, and technical assistance support.

FY25 Defense Appropriations Highlights

Supporting our men and women in uniform

Senator Murkowski has made it a priority to provide for our servicemembers as they defend Alaska and America. To that end, she helped secure a 4.5% pay raise for our military, with an additional 1% raise for Junior Enlisted. She also made sure that childcare initiatives were fully funded at $2.1 billion, suicide prevention and response programs fully funded at $261.2 million (with $2 million focused specifically on rural, remote, isolated, and OCONUS installations), and fully funded Basic Needs Allowance. Additionally, she secured an additional $70 million of impact aide to better equip military connected school districts, of which $20 million is appropriated specifically to better equip and accommodate children with disabilities. Furthermore, the Senator secured vital funding increases for peer-reviewed ALS research, peer-reviewed breast cancer research, and increased focus on rapid Traumatic Brain Injury screening.

Protecting Alaska’s Active Guard Reserve

Earlier this year, there were announced plans that the Air National Guard would eliminate nearly 80 Active Guard Reserve (AGR) positions in Alaska, threatening the United States homeland defense mission in Alaska and beyond. Through the dogged advocacy of Senator Murkowski and the Alaska delegation, the Air National Guard delayed the decision, but Senator Murkowski wanted the issue put to rest – permanently. She fought and won for a $27.6 million increase in the Active Guard Reserve’s programmatic funding so that the funds would be there to pay for the AGR positions in Alaska. Senator Murkowski also saw an increase in investment that will go towards the purchase of 5 additional HH60W rescue helicopters that she is working on directing to Alaska’s Air National Guard.

Bolstering Alaska’s military

As we saw with the recent joint military excursion from Russia and China in our Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), Alaska is on the frontline. That’s why it’s so critical that our military readiness and capabilities remains on the cutting edge. Senator Murkowski was able to secure $40 million for fourteen Facilities Sustainment Renovation and Maintenance (FSRM) projects across Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), Eielson Air Force Base, and Eareckson Air Station.

She also oversaw an increase of $3 billion that will go towards the revitalization of the U.S. defense industrial base, as well as an additional $2.7 billion that will go towards assets focused on countering China’s growing military presence in the Pacific. Furthermore, she secured tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure upgrades ranging from the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex to various defensive cyber investments to ensure continuation of operations and the American way of life.

Investing in Alaska’s growing space industry

Alaska’s geography and military infrastructure provides a unique opportunity to be at the cutting edge of the United States military space program. Senator Murkowski saw fund increases to Alaska’s state-operated space port rocket systems launch program in Kodiak, secured funding for low earth orbit communications satellite to provide high availability connectivity to legacy infrastructure equipment, and secured funding for the Poker Flat research range in Fairbanks.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:41:32Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-hosts-alaska-whalers-representatives-from-more-than-20-countries-at-capitol-ahead-of-international-whaling-commission-meeting,"Sullivan Hosts Alaska Whalers, Representatives from more than 20 Countries at Capitol Ahead of International Whaling Commission Meeting",2024-08-01,2024,2024-08,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) hosted representatives from the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC), the North Slope Borough, the Biden administration, and more than 20 embassies at the U.S. Capitol Tuesday evening for a reception on the significance of subsistence whaling to the cultures and livelihoods of thousands of Alaska Native people. The reception was held ahead of the 69th International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Peru, where the AEWC and the entire U.S. delegation will seek to renew Alaska’s subsistence whaling quota for six more years. Prior to the reception, Senator Sullivan also convened a strategy meeting with the AEWC, the North Slope Borough, and senior leaders at the State Department and NOAA to ensure continued coordination ahead of the upcoming IWC meeting.

In 2018, Sen. Sullivan hosted a similar reception and meeting when the IWC was last about to consider the subsistence whaling quota. At the 2018 IWC meeting, the Alaska delegation secured the automatic renewal of its whaling quota for the first time ever, as long as harvests remain sustainable.

Speakers at the reception Tuesday included Sen. Sullivan, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), North Slope Borough Mayor Josiah Patkotak, AEWC Vice Chairman Crawford Patkotak, AEWC Chairman John Hopson, Jr., AEWC Secretary Herbert Kinneeveauk III, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Director Janet Coit, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Mahlet Mesfin. All remarks can be watched in the video below.

Click here for images from the event.

Transcript of Sen. Sullivan’s Remarks:

“I want to welcome so many people who've traveled thousands and thousands of miles for this very important reception. We do this every six years. It's probably one of the coolest parties on Capitol Hill. Thank you very much for being here. I want to begin by thanking the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission representatives, all the folks from Alaska who came. You're going to hear from a number of them.

“We have so many great representatives from about 25 different embassies here today. How about a round of applause for our representatives? We want to thank all of you for coming. We did this before the IWC meeting in Brazil six years ago. We had this reception. And the big point of this is to enable our Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission leaders, our whaling captains, to tell their story, because it's a really important story. It's an incredible story. It is one of the things that we think makes America such a great country, because we have so many cultures that are respected, and we want to make sure the practices of these cultures, like the Alaska whaling captains and our Inupiat leaders, can continue to do what they've been doing for thousands of years. That is, hunt bowhead whales in a sustainable manner.

“We have many of our leaders here. My wife Julie is also here. Julie and I were just in Utqiagvik on the North Slope of our great state just a couple of weeks ago. We went to what's called Nalukataq, which is a celebration of the whaling harvest and the communities coming together. By the way, if you're from an embassy or your ambassador wants to go see something uniquely American, come on up to the North Slope, come on up to Nalukataq and see this. It just warms your heart. You get it. It's people taking care of people. People taking care of communities.

“Now, we're here for some business as well. We're getting ready for the IWC that’s happening in September in Peru. This is part of what we're trying to do: help educate and explain some of the big issues there. A lot of the countries represented here tonight are very aware of this. They've been good allies of the American cause—the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission cause—for a number of years.

“For other countries, we just want to help educate them on what's happening. This is one of the most sustainable practices of subsistence whaling. It's been going on for thousands of years. And, again, the goal of tonight—have a drink, have some food and meet a whaling captain, meet one of our leaders, meet someone from another embassy. This is for everybody to mix and understand our issues. We're going to have a couple other folks say a few words, talk a little bit about some of the issues.”

Background:

As the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Oceans, Fisheries, Climate Change and Manufacturing Subcommittee—which has jurisdiction over our nation’s oceans, fisheries, and marine mammals, including whales—Senator Sullivan has relentlessly championed the efforts of Alaska Native whalers to continue the subsistence harvest of whales.

In the lead up to the 2018 IWC meeting in Brazil, Senator Sullivan kept in close communication with senior leadership at the U.S. State Department and NOAA, and sent his legislative director to the IWC meetings in Brazil to serve on the U.S. delegation.

In August 2018, the Alaska delegation sent a letter to embassies of IWC member countries, reiterating our commitment to subsistence whaling.

In July 2018, Senator Sullivan convened a strategy meeting in the U.S. Capitol with AEWC, the State Department, and NOAA to ensure continued coordination and foster direct high-level engagement. Afterward, Senator Sullivan led a reception, hosted by the Alaska congressional delegation, for ambassadors and diplomatic officials of IWC member embassies.

In April 2018, Senator Sullivan, alongside Senator Murkowski, introduced and passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee the Whaling Convention Amendments Act of 2018—which would authorize the Secretary of Commerce to preserve the bowhead whale subsistence harvest and Alaska Native food security under U.S. law if the IWC had failed to act on the bowhead whale quota during their meetings in Brazil.

Subsistence Whaling and IWC Background:

Worldwide whale stocks are managed through the International Whaling Commission, a group of 88 countries that have ratified the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. The Whaling Convention Act of 1949 is the relevant U.S. implementing legislation.

The convention allows for the harvest of certain whale species for nations that certify either a cultural or subsistence need for their aboriginal population. Russia, Denmark (for Greenland), the United States, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are those nations who currently practice Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling (ASW).

The subsistence harvest in Alaska is sustainable, and non-commercial. The IWC has consistently certified that the biological status of Alaska’s bowheads is sustainable.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:41:32Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-cramer-and-colleagues-request-oversight-hearing-on-15-billion-va-budget-shortfall,"Sullivan, Cramer & Colleagues Request Oversight Hearing on $15 Billion VA Budget Shortfall",2024-07-31,2024,2024-07,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (SVAC), and several of his SVAC colleagues signed onto a letter, led by Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), to SVAC Chairman Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) demanding an immediate hearing concerning the startling $15 billion shortfall that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently announced.

The budget shortfall, the largest experienced by the VA, includes $2.88 billion relating to compensation, pension, and readjustment benefit payments at the Veterans Benefit Administration (VBA), and another $11.97 billion in medical care accounts at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

The budget shortfall is a clear departure from the FY 2025 budget request the Biden-Harris administration presented to Congress just four months ago. The projected VHA deficit alone is greater than the entire annual budget of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The VA needs to answer questions about how it can continue to provide quality service to our veterans when facing such a budget shortfall.

“The sudden nature of the issue, and the sheer financial volume of the request, are both cause for concern and call into question the information previously reported by VA,” the senators wrote. “As members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, we have an obligation to conduct oversight of the Department. If the problem is not identified and addressed, it is perpetuated. VA must be held to the highest standard in delivering quality, transparent, and efficient care, benefits, and services to our veterans, while acting as exemplary stewards of taxpayer dollars.”

Further, the letter calls on the chairman to immediately schedule a hearing with the VA to evaluate the budget lapse and the extent to which mismanagement contributed to it. Additionally, it cites the committee’s responsibility to understand how hiring needs and shifting strategies have contributed to this predicament.

“Our Committee is directly responsible for conducting rigorous oversight and this budget shortfall proves that VA is in desperate need of scrutiny and accountability,” the senators continued. “Our obligation is not absolved because the Senate is departing for a five-week recess. […] The VA Secretary needs to immediately testify in-person before the Committee to answer the nearly $15 billion question before a supplemental is considered. The American people, and especially our veterans, deserve a government operating with full transparency and integrity. They expect results, not a blank check to further bureaucratic mismanagement.”

“The answers and accountability owed to our veterans cannot wait until the Senate returns on September 9, just days before the VA says that benefits payments will be disrupted,” the senators concluded. “As such, we urge you to immediately schedule a hearing so we can conduct proper oversight and get to the bottom of this concerning report. Once we get these critical answers, then we can quickly take appropriate action to ensure payments continue to our veterans and ensure this unacceptable financial mismanagement does not jeopardize veterans again.”

Click here for the full letter.

Additional SVAC members who cosigned the letter include Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.).

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:32:29Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-demands-transparency-from-canadians-on-mine-spill-in-yukon-watershed,Sullivan Demands Transparency from Canadians on Mine Spill in Yukon Watershed,2024-07-30,2024,2024-07,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) sent a letter yesterday to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman urging them to provide greater transparency and a full accounting of the major cyanide spill at a Canadian gold mine last month in the Yukon Territory.

“I sent a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau raising an issue I’ve been working on for years—making sure Canadian transboundary mines do not negatively impact Alaska communities that are often downstream,” said Sen. Sullivan. “While we are demanding Canadian cooperation and clean-up of the recent spill at a gold mine in the Yukon Territory, we are not waiting on them. Last week, we secured a commitment from the U.S. Geological Survey to conduct water testing in Alaska’s portion of the Yukon as a precautionary measure.

“Since coming to the Senate in 2015, I’ve been intently focused on addressing the risks posed by Canadian transboundary mines on Alaskans and Alaska’s marine ecosystems. In 2018, Lt. Governor Byron Mallott and I traveled to Ottawa to press the Trudeau Cabinet about the need to clean up the Tulsequah Chief Mine and other mines near Southeast. I have raised these and related issues directly with Prime Minister Trudeau before. Just two weeks ago when he was in D.C., we discussed some of the shared challenges we have regarding Yukon River king salmon runs.

“While there does not appear to be any threat to the health and safety of Alaskans at this time, we need to know what happened, what clean-up measure are being taken, and what the ongoing risks are. Mining is critically important to our economy and our national security, and it can be done without endangering our environment or the well-being of our communities. I will continue to demand greater transparency and strict oversight from the Canadians of these mining operations.”

Below is the full text of Sen. Sullivan’s letter.

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau

Prime Minister of Canada

80 Wellington Street

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0A2

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau:

I write regarding the recent cyanide spill at Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine in Yukon, Canada. As you know, I have personally raised the issue of transboundary mining and the importance of ensuring that pollutants from Canadian mines do not negatively impact Alaskan rivers numerous times since I became a Senator in 2015. This includes a trip with Alaska’s Lieutenant Governor to Ottawa, where I expressed my concerns directly to members of your cabinet. This spill is a clear example of the reason for my concerns.

On June 24, part of the Eagle Mine released almost 300,000 cubic meters of cyanide solution into a sub-tributary of the Stewart Watershed. About 10 days later, high levels of cyanide—which is toxic to salmon and other fish—were detected in a nearby creek, and more cyanide is expected to enter that creek in the coming weeks. The Stewart Watershed encompasses one of many tributaries of the Yukon River, which flows into Alaska.

The health of our wildlife—particularly salmon—is of vital importance to Alaska, and in our meeting in DC earlier this month, I mentioned to you some of the challenges we are having on the Yukon River with salmon. We certainly do not want this spill to add to these challenges. Salmon are the lifeblood of my state and recent poor salmon runs, particularly on the Yukon River, have had a devastating effect on the health and livelihoods of communities all across Alaska. The introduction of more pollutants like cyanide into our streams will only increase the likelihood of poor salmon runs in the future and potentially increase health risks in our communities.

In light of these concerns, I request increased transparency and communication from senior Canadian officials regarding the Eagle Mine spill and other potential issues from Canada’s abandoned, developing, and operating mine projects near the headwaters of Alaska’s rivers. Specifically, I request Canada provide a detailed description of what happened to cause the Eagle Mine spill, the potential risks of the spill, and what immediate efforts Canada is making to clean the spill up completely, as well as to prevent future accidents such as these.

I look forward to increased coordination between Canadian and U.S. officials on all levels to help prevent these spills and to remediate mines that are leaching into Alaska’s waters. While mines are an important part of resource development, there is no need to sacrifice environmental safeguards for development.

I look forward to working with you and your leadership to improve the transparency and coordination between our two nations on this pressing issue.

Sincerely,

Dan Sullivan

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:32:29Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-lankford-and-colleagues-call-out-olympic-committee-for-mocking-christian-faith,"Sullivan, Lankford, and Colleagues Call Out Olympic Committee for Mocking Christian Faith",2024-07-30,2024,2024-07,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) today sent a letter with his Senate colleagues to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach in response to the vulgar depiction of the Last Supper that took place during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

Senators James Lankford (R-Okl.), Marco Rubio (R-Fl.), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), John Barrasso (R-Wy.), Katie Britt (R-Al.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okl.), and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) also signed the letter.

“We write in response to the vulgar mockery of the Christian faith on display at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The Games should unite people of every country, race, and creed. There is no place for anti-Christian bigotry at an event designed to bring the world together. The Games should celebrate the athletes, not denigrate anyone’s faith. We urge you to take immediate action by amending Rule 55 of the Olympic Charter to ensure that no faiths are the subject of mockery as part of the opening or closing ceremonies ever again,” the Senators said.

“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) should formally condemn the mockery that occurred in Paris of one of the most sacred moments of the Christian faith. Then, the IOC should make formal changes to ensure this kind of divisive display is not repeated to ensure that Coubertin’s vision for the Games may continue to thrive. Every person, from every nation and every faith, should be encouraged to enjoy the Olympics without being belittled or mocked. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” the Senators continued.

The full text of the letter can be seen here or below.

Dear President Bach:

We write in response to the vulgar mockery of the Christian faith on display at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The Games should unite people of every country, race, and creed. There is no place for anti-Christian bigotry at an event designed to bring the world together. The Games should celebrate the athletes, not denigrate anyone’s faith. We urge you to take immediate action by amending Rule 55 of the Olympic Charter to ensure that no faiths are the subject of mockery as part of the opening or closing ceremonies ever again.

There are more than 2.5 billion Christians globally. Africa is the region with the highest population of Christians with more than 700 million believers, followed by Latin America, and then Europe. 157 countries in our world are majority Christian nations, which is why your remarks following the mocking of the Christian faith rang hollow. ‘We do not only respect each other, we live in solidarity with each other.’ You went on to say that, ‘In a world torn apart by wars and conflicts, it is thanks to this solidarity that we can all come together tonight, uniting the athletes from the territories of all 206 National Olympic Committees and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team.’ How can we say we are in solidarity while bigotry and derision are part of the opening ceremonies?

The father of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin, once said: ‘May joy and good fellowship reign, and in this manner, may the Olympic Torch pursue its way through ages, increasing friendly understanding among nations, for the good of a humanity always more enthusiastic, more courageous and more pure.’ The International Olympic Committee (IOC) should formally condemn the mockery that occurred in Paris of one of the most sacred moments of the Christian faith. Then, the IOC should make formal changes to ensure this kind of divisive display is not repeated to ensure that Coubertin’s vision for the Games may continue to thrive.

Every person, from every nation and every faith, should be encouraged to enjoy the Olympics without being belittled or mocked. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:32:29Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-senate-advance-legislation-to-protect-youth-health-and-safety-online,"Sullivan, Senate Advance Legislation to Protect Youth Health and Safety Online",2024-07-30,2024,2024-07,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, today voted to pass the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act, legislation to protect the health, wellbeing, and privacy of children online. This bill combines provisions from the Kids Online Safety Act, of which Sen. Sullivan was an original cosponsor, and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act to combat harmful online content targeted towards minors and to encourage parent and guardian involvement in their children’s online activities. Sen. Sullivan has long advocated for accountability from social media platforms in regard to youth mental health, especially as suicide rates among adolescents have skyrocketed over the last decade.

“In my 2023 speech to the Alaska legislature, I told Alaska’s elected leaders that this would be a big battle, but that I’d fight to shake the vise grip social media has on our children,” Senator Sullivan said. “The Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act is a necessary first step in holding Big Tech accountable for the content they push towards our kids, and giving parents the tools to be more involved in their kids’ online activity, but we have more work to do. As a parent, it is impossible not to hear stories about young people seemingly addicted to their phones and social media accounts. Even those who aren’t parents know something is horribly amiss with a whole generation who have been so addicted by Big Tech that they can’t seem to look up from their phones. More troubling, suicide rates among adolescents have increased dramatically in the last decade with the rise of social media. We must do more to protect our children. We can have the strongest economy, the best quality of life, but none of that means anything if our kids are depressed and are considering ending their lives because of what they’re consuming online.”

Below is a timeline of Sen. Sullivan’s work on Big Tech accountability and mental health:

In May 2024, Sen. Sullivan launched the “One Pill Can Kill – Alaska” campaign to combat the increase in fentanyl-related deaths in Alaska and across the country.

In August 2023, Sen. Sullivan published an op-ed in the Anchorage Daily News encouraging Alaskans to unite to address the youth mental health crisis.

In July 2023, Senator Sullivan hosted U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy in Anchorage for a series of town hall-style roundtables to discuss the mental health crisis among youth, how social media impacts the crisis, and what can be done to combat it.

In July 2023, Sen. Sullivan introduced the Advancing Digital Support (ADS) for Mental Health Services Act, which would require reporting on targeted advertising and encourage online advertisers to dedicate some of their ads to mental health PSAs.

In April 2023, Sen. Sullivan introduced Bruce’s Law with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) to bolster federal prevention and education efforts surrounding fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that is increasingly being incorporated into illicit street drugs. The measure was named after an Alaskan, Robert “Bruce” Snodgrass, who tragically passed away in 2021 at the age of 22 from fentanyl poisoning.

In February 2023, Sen. Sullivan spoke to the Alaska Legislature during his annual address emphasizing the need to hold social media platforms accountable for the role they play in the ongoing youth mental health crisis.

In January 2023, Sen. Sullivan sent a letter calling for hearings and potential congressional action on TikTok related to privacy issues, national security concerns, and the troubling influence over youth associated with the platform.

In March 2021, Sen. Sullivan introduced the Leveraging Integrated Networks in Communities (LINC) to Address Social Needs Act to expand collaborative care in Alaska to make it easier for health care and social service providers to work together for the benefit of patients’ whole health. This legislation was signed into law in December 2022, with similar legislation for veterans introduced in July 2023.

In April 2018, Sen. Sullivan questioned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg during a joint Senate Commerce and Judiciary Committee hearing about Facebook’s market dominance and responsibility for published content.

In August 2016, Sen. Sullivan hosted an opioid summit to address Alaska’s unique challenges dealing with opioid and heroin abuse. The summit was attended by Dr. Murthy, as well as members from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Veterans Health Administration, and several Alaska health care administrators.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:32:29Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/07/29/2024/senate-appropriators-advance-three-more-bills-with-alaska-priorities,Senate Appropriators Advance Three More Bills with Alaska Priorities,2024-07-29,2024,2024-07,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=12,scraper,"Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, voted to advance three bills for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY 2025) last week that contain significant investments for Alaska priorities. The measures are for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development; Commerce, Science, Justice; and State and Foreign Operations. All three were approved in committee on a strong bipartisan basis and will now advance to the Senate floor for consideration.

“Whether affordable housing, safer air travel, modern infrastructure, fisheries health, or public safety, I worked hard to address Alaska’s most pressing needs and priorities through these bills,” Murkowski said. “While the investments they contain aren’t final, yet, I will continue to push for their enactment so that communities across Alaska can realize the significant benefits they will provide.”

Highlights from the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Bill

Infrastructure Investments

Senator Murkowski annually prioritizes infrastructure investments, and the THUD bill funds an array of projects and programs to address Alaska’s needs across all modes of transportation, affordable housing, and critical community infrastructure.

The bill reported today out of the THUD subcommittee continues the Senator’s track record of seeking and securing federal funding for programs and projects that are important to Alaska. This year’s measure will again provide the vast majority of the State of Alaska’s FY 2025 transportation-related spending for roads, bridges, airports, ports, and more.

Notably, the bill builds on the important work of Alaska’s Congressional Delegation in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 to reestablish an Alaska specific program for aviation safety. The bill includes $25 million to fully fund the Don Young Alaska Aviation Safety Initiative to advance Alaska aviation safety efforts—providing new funding for the FAA’s infrastructure investments to improve the safety of Alaska’s airspace and aircraft operations.

Murkowski added funding to continue the Denali Commission’s Access and Waterfront Programs, which address rural transportation needs and the planning design and construction of ports and harbors in Alaska’s coastal communities.

The bill also provides robust funding for discretionary grant programs funded by the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) that have provided significant benefits to Alaska. The measure includes $550 million in additional funding for the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Discretionary Grant program, which provides investment opportunities for road, rail, transit, and port projects. Since the enactment of the IIJA, the RAISE program has funded 10 projects in Alaska totaling approximately $125 million.

Similarly, the THUD bill bolsters the Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) with $200 million for FY 2025. The PIDP program has made significant investments in Alaska’s essential port and harbor infrastructure including a historic $68.7 million award to the Don Young Port of Alaska. Since the IIJA’s enactment, Alaska has received approximately $184 million across 11 projects.

Safeguarding the Essential Air Service

The THUD bill fully funds the Essential Air Service (EAS) program at $423 million. With 82% of Alaska’s communities off the road system, the EAS provides critical funding so that Alaskan communities have access to scheduled air service. Murkowski ensured the program was fully funded so that rural communities across the state can remain connected by air travel.

Housing

One of the top issues facing Alaskans is the lack of affordable housing, which Murkowski is working diligently to address. In the FY 2025 THUD bill, she ensured increases for a number of grant programs for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD), including the HOME Investment Partnership Program and the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program.

Murkowski was also instrumental in ensuring funding for programs in HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing, including Tribal HUD-VA Supportive Housing vouchers. She also oversaw a more than $100 million increase in the agency’s formula grants, which will go to new construction and rehabilitation of affordable Indian housing.

In addition to programmatic funding to help Alaskans, Murkowski was able to secure investments specific to 44 Alaska communities, projects that have been requested and prioritized by local governments and organizations in this bill:

Akiachak: $1.24 million for the planning and design of a public safety facility.

Akutan: $3.5 million to construct a transload dock facility at Akutan’s small boat harbor to facilitate commercial cargo loading and unloading.

Anchorage: $947,000 to build a training center for childcare education, which will provide training for high school students and adults in rural communities to become certified in Early Childhood Education.

Anchorage: $287,000 to Anchorage Neighborhood Housing Services to upgrade a fire alarm system for workforce housing.

Anchorage: $333,000 to install new sprinkler systems and fire suppression systems in licensed group homes for the Arc of Anchorage, which provides an array of disability services for Alaskans with developmental disabilities, behavioral and mental health challenges.

Buckland: $973,000 to finish construction of four HUD-funded homes for Buckland, which has doubled in size in the last decade.

Chenega: $2.47 million to install a breakwater (wave attenuator) to protect Chenega’s harbor and shoreline from increasing winds and waves.

Cordova: $1.4 million to assist in the purchase of a building, renovations, and additional shelter rooms to be used to support victims of domestic violence and sexual assault as well as to support youth and group activities.

Delta Junction: $1.34 million toward the purchase of a building for a health clinic.

Diomede: $500,000 to renovate a duplex for teacher housing in Diomede that was impacted by a fire in 2015.

Emmonak: $5 million to construct a new 7,000-square-foot domestic violence shelter in Emmonak.

Fairbanks: $1 million to construct eight units of affordable housing on Fairbanks Neighborhood Housing Services-owned lots. This will support six three-bedroom units and two two-bedroom units, plus parking and green space.

Gambell: $3.75 million to construct two permanent housing for medical personnel on the island of St. Lawrence.

Girdwood: $980,000 to provide utility connections for a childcare facility in a community that lacks adequate childcare.

Juneau: $1.5 million to provide health and safety improvements to the Fireweed Place apartment buildings, allowing for safer all-weather access for seniors.

Juneau: $5 million to construct 51 units of permanent low-income and recovery housing.

Juneau: $500,000 to construct a warehouse to allow the Southeast Alaska Food Bank to store all donated and purchased food on-site, rather than in two rented offsite spaces. The Food Bank serves an average of 300 to 400 people every week.

Ketchikan: $2 million to construct an essential services building (S'eenáa Hit Navigation Center), which will provide services for people experiencing homelessness in Ketchikan and surrounding areas. It will offer a centralized space for community providers to deliver a broad suite of services to improve unhoused individuals’ quality of life.

Ketchikan: $650,000 to perform preconstruction, engineering, and design activities for a new ferry to transport passengers between Ketchikan and the Ketchikan Airport.

Ketchikan: $1 million to create improved facilities for community services to seniors and Alaskans with disabilities.

Kodiak: $10 million to replace the float system at the St. Herman Harbor, which provides safe moorage for over 400 commercial fishing vessels in Kodiak.

Koyukuk: $2.5 million to fund dust mitigation activities on unpaved roads. Communities isolated from the contiguous highway system face significant health and environmental challenges due to the high volumes of airborne dust from unpaved roads in the summertime.

Manokotak: $1.7 million to complete a feasibility study to determine the viability of constructing or improving the Snake River Road, the mooring site, and barge landing in Manokotak.

Minto: $1.3 million to demolish the existing teacher housing duplex and build two new additions (bringing the total number of units to six) and renovate the building into two 3-bedroom units to address the lack of housing for educators.

Nikiski: $1 million to expand the Nikiski Senior Center’s available senior housing to 16 units.

Nome: $4 million to build an 18-unit housing complex that would provide housing for teachers and public safety officers.

Nome: $463,000 to preserve and restore a historic building to be used as a cultural community center and camp with living quarters, youth camps, and community gatherings.

Nome: $5 million to construct a Rapid Response Facility for fire and emergency response fleets.

Nulato: $4 million to develop a small port with modern waterfront infrastructure on the Yukon River to improve safety, reduce erosion, and prevent flooding of streets

Nulato: $2.71 million to address the critical shortage of adequate, affordable housing by constructing 10 new single-family homes and housing infrastructure

Ouzinkie: $900,000 to design and build a standard freight and passenger loading dock alongside the boat launch ramp.

Petersburg: $2 million to replace the Banana Point floating breakwater system, which is over 30 years old and decaying due to age and damage. Banana Point is on the southern edge of Mitkof Island and supports water transport between Wrangell and Petersburg.

Southeast Alaska: $2.5 million to purchase five multi-purpose modular buildings that would enable first responders, usually Village Public Safety Officers, to carry out day-to-day operations and emergency response. These modules would feature office space, sleeping quarters, and a safe space for domestic violence victims and serve the communities of Angoon, Hydaburg, Kake, Thorne Bay, and Pelican.

Sitka: $1 million to expand space at the domestic violence shelter and construct a 1,400-sq. foot building on the shelter property to provide housing to victims of domestic violence and office space for staff.

Soldotna: $3.9 million to reconstruct Marydale Avenue from its intersection with the Kenai Spur Highway. Marydale Avenue serves as the primary access to medical, retail, government, and educational sectors in the core of Soldotna.

St. Michael: $2 million to purchase and install a mobile harvest unit to support the community’s traditional subsistence practices.

St. Paul: $1.5 million to renovate the St. Paul Island Fire Station and replace its roof, siding, and insulation.

Thorne Bay: $1.56 million for the construction of a new Fire/EMS Building to serve South Thorne Bay residents.

Togiak: $3.51 million to construct an emergency access road to provide an alternative route across wetlands from Togiak Height Road to the Togiak School. This emergency route would provide a secondary option to the designated emergency location in the event residents have to evacuate Togiak due to flooding or a tsunami.

Unalaska: $5 million for the rehabilitation of Captains Bay Road, a high traffic corridor for pedestrians as well as heavy trucks in the fishing, shipping, and support industries vital to Unalaska’s economy.

Wasilla: $3 million to design and extend the Wasilla Airport runway to serve larger aircrafts, including the acquisition of a 53-acre parcel for additional infrastructure. This will allow larger aircrafts, particularly cargo carriers, to use the airport in Wasilla.

Wasilla: $825,000 to build a five-bedroom tribal group home, for Alaska Native children in need of care, support, or supervision.

Willow: $3 million to replace the Willow EMS/Fire Station and consolidate the Caswell Fire Service Area and the Willow Fire Service Area into one new fire service area to be known as the Willow Caswell Fire Service Area.

Wrangell: $2.5 million to fund construction of an emergency access road to provide a second access to the Wrangell community for emergency response, medical services, and other services.

Highlights from the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Bill

Fisheries Data Collections, Surveys, and Assessments

One of the best tools we have to help Alaska’s fishing industry recover is to collect the best data possible so that we have a complete picture on stocks. Murkowski advocated for additional funding and helped secure a $15 million increase from FY 2024, including language requiring the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to “conduct no fewer than six surveys for Alaska bottom trawl surveys and cooperative research.” She also included report language directing the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to provide technical guidance for Councils to incorporate climate considerations in the development of fisheries regulations, implement climate-ready management actions, maintain and restore fish stocks, and support resilient fishing communities.

Senator Murkowski included report language that recognizes how critical reducing, preventing, and researching marine debris is to the goal of protecting and preserving the integrity of our marine ecosystems and the communities and wildlife who depend on them. The language recommends for FY 2025 and beyond that the Marine Debris Program be listed as a separate, specific line item within the President’s yearly budget request and within NOAA’s yearly budget justifications.

The Senator also prioritized increasing the budget for the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program, which will provide industry the tools to develop bycatch reduction technologies.

National Weather Service

As Alaska grapples with natural hazards and climate change, it is important for the National Weather Service (NWS) to have access to the latest tools and technology. Murkowski included report language directing $6 million to the National Tsunami Hazards Mitigation Program, as well as language directing the NWS to maintain, upgrade, and replace the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS), which rural and remote communities depend for reliable air service.

Public Safety, Supporting Victims, and Addressing the MMIP Crisis

Since the passage of the Violence Against Women Act of 2022, Senator Murkowski has advocated for increased funding and new funding for programs that work to address the crisis that Alaska faces when it comes to violence against women. Murkowski secured historic levels of funding for VAWA programs and increased funding for the Sexual Assault Services Program and Transitional Housing Assistance and included report language which highlighted the importance of continued funding for the Alaska Children’s Advocacy Center Expansion Initiative.

Senator Murkowski has been actively working to address the stability of the Crime Victims Fund. The CJS bill made available $1.9 billion through the CVF for victim services, which is critical to ensure that victim services do not see devastating cuts in FY25.

The Senator secured $5 million for a new Special Initiative that works to address the intersection of MMIP and domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking in Tribal communities.

Senator Murkowski also got an increase in the Grants to State and Tribal Courts to Implement Protection Order Pilot Programs, funding which she is intent on directing towards the Alaska Tribal Public Safety Empowerment pilot program.

In addition to programmatic funding to help Alaskans, Murkowski was able to secure investments specific to 14 Alaska communities, projects that have been requested and prioritized by local governments and organizations in this bill:

Statewide: $300,000 to promote climate resilience in coastal communities by improving weather tracking along Alaska’s northern and western coasts. This funding will help local communities better measure climate change impacts and improve methods for detecting harmful algae blooms caused by warming ocean temperatures.

Statewide: $1.91 million for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to gather data on harbor porpoises to assess management changes and provide information on the species’ conservation status.

Statewide: $2 million to advance the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation’s Seafood Industry Modernization Initiative, focusing on research, product development, market access, skilled trades training, and applied innovation.

Statewide: $1 million to support the Tribal Domestic Violence Resource Center in Alaska, providing culturally specific training and technical assistance for victim/survivor-centered and trauma-informed programs.

Statewide: $3 million for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) to promote U.S. wild-caught Alaska seafood products to retain and expand market share among U.S. consumers.

Anchorage: $150,000 to train additional forensic investigators and purchase investigative tools for the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce.

Anchorage: $676,000 to complete the Anchorage Police Department’s agency-wide computer and technology upgrade, replacing outdated computers and enhancing the Department’s vehicle fleet.

Anchorage: $27,000 to train youth members of the Anchorage Youth Court, a diversionary program for youth in grades 7 through 12 accused of breaking the law.

Statewide: $500,000 for the Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association to provide technical expertise to tribal organizations to minimize non-Chinook (chum) salmon bycatch in coordination with the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Statewide: $3.5 million for in-season genetic analysis of chum salmon bycatch in the Bering Sea Pollock Fishery, enhancing understanding and efforts to reduce chum salmon bycatch and support Western Alaska fisheries.

Statewide: $2.5 million for the North Pacific Research Board to study how environmental conditions influence species of commercial and ecological importance in the Northern Bering Sea, informing fisheries management and community impacts.

Prince William Sound: $355,000 for the Prince William Sound Science Center to develop and deploy updated instrumented tethered profiling robots for climate and ecosystem monitoring in Prince William Sound.

Statewide: $1.99 million for the University of Alaska to develop drone-borne maritime lidar technology to improve salmon counting accuracy critical to sustainable fishing and commercial success in Alaska’s seafood industry.

Valdez: $6.1 million to replace obsolete emergency services communication towers and equipment, ensuring city-wide coverage and connection to the dispatch center.

Highlights from the State and Foreign Operations (SFOPS) Bill

Investing in the Arctic

Murkowski is a leading voice and expert on Arctic policy, both in the U.S. and abroad. In the FY 2025 SFOPS bill, she secured funding for the Office of the Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs at the State Department, the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region, and the Arctic Council—all of which will help increase the United States’ engagement in the region and our standing on the international stage.

International Fishing

Working closely with bordering nations is critical to managing stocks and avoiding overfishing. Murkowski insisted on full funding for the Pacific Salmon Commission and increased funding for the International Pacific Halibut Commission to continue providing essential stock assessment surveys. She secured report language directing relevant cabinet Secretaries to identify ways to improve enforcement capabilities for sanctions placed on Russian seafood and fish. Senator Murkowski also secured $50 million for ocean plastic pollution cleanup.

Minerals

Murkowski secured report language directing the Secretary of State to explain how they are prioritizing U.S-based companies and projects in their ongoing critical mineral supply chain activities and the extent to which support for international projects are being used to mitigate the impact of domestic mining restrictions.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:32:29Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-scores-major-wins-for-alaska-in-interior-appropriations-bill,Murkowski Scores Major Wins for Alaska in Interior Appropriations Bill,2024-07-29,2024,2024-07,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=12,scraper,"Washington, D.C. – Last week, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) moved forward substantial investments towards Alaska clean water and wastewater infrastructure projects through the Senate Appropriations Committee. Murkowski, who serves as Ranking Member of the Interior-Environment Subcommittee, was able to direct these investments in the Interior-Environment Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Appropriations Act. The bill passed overwhelmingly from the full committee, and next heads to the Senate floor for consideration.

“Clean drinking water is a basic necessity – no exceptions. I am proud to use my leadership position on the Interior Appropriations Committee to champion investment towards running water and wastewater infrastructure across Alaska,” said Senator Murkowski. “From Wasilla to Unalaska, these upgrades will ensure communities have clean, reliable drinking water for years to come.”

“There are a number of other critical Alaska priorities this spending bill funds, including a proactive mitigation strategy to fight wild fires, upgrades to landfills around the state, shelters in rural communities for domestic violence survivors, as well as cleaning for contaminated lands that were transferred to Alaska native villages by the federal government.”

FY25 Interior-Environment Appropriations Bill Highlights

The U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies oversees a vast array of departments and agencies that have footprints in Alaska. They include, but are not limited to, the Department of the Interior (DOI), Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Indian Health Service (HHS), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), U.S. Forrest Service (USDA), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Supporting local government

Senator Murkowski believes the most effective form of government is local government. She has sought to support boroughs and cities across Alaska by ensuring that Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) was fully funded. The PILT program provides financial compensation to local governments across Alaska that contain federal lands that are not subject to state or local taxation. The revenue helps local governments fund everything from firefighting and police protection, to the construction of public schools and roads.

Detecting landslides

Landslides are becoming more and more prevalent in Alaska as we deal with the effects of climate change. Senator Murkowski recognizes the needs for more technology to help with detective and safety measures to protect Alaskans. She was able to secure $1.5 million for the USGS Prince William Sound and Southeast landslide program, a $1 million increase from last year along with language that supports ongoing warning work for the region. She also secured $1 million for the deployment, operation, and maintenance of landslide detection and monitoring systems in high-risk areas.

Alaska Native Vietnam Era Veterans Land Allotment Program extension

Senator Murkowski has been working to ensure that the Alaska Native Vietnam veterans are given the lands they deserve. She included an authorizing provision in the bill to give the BLM an additional five years to implement the law that provides those that missed their chance to receive their allotments while deployed an opportunity to select allotments in the areas they have hunted and fished for millennia.

Ensuring consultation with tribes over Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve

When the DOI closed off 13 million acres of Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve (NPR-A) in direct defiance of the law, they did so without meaningful consultation with Alaska Natives and tribal entities on the North Slope. Senator Murkowski included report language requiring BLM to consult tribes and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) entities during the implementation of the NPR-A rule.

Restoring Alaska

Since coming to the Senate, Murkowski has made it a priority to ensure BLM addresses the remediation and cleanup of legacy wells in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve. She was able to secure $18.5 million to address the next site on the list.

Senator Murkowski has made it a priority to ensure cities like Fairbanks have the resources and tools they need to improve their air quality. She directed $1 million towards the EPA to improve its wood stove testing and certification program, along with language noting the agency’s failures with the program.

Many communities in rural Alaska rely on aboveground storage tanks to store oil used for heating. Senator Murkowski recognized this priority by ensuring the EPA Aboveground Storage Tank Grant Program was funded at $3 million, the first time the grant has received funding since FY 2005. The grant provides funding to the State of Alaska and Denali Commission to repair, upgrade, and replace aboveground oil storage tanks at Alaska Native villages.

When ANCSA was signed in 1971 to settle Native claims to public lands through the conveyance of land to Alaska Native regional and village corporations, some of the lands transferred were contaminated with arsenic, asbestos, lead, and mercury. To hold the federal government accountable and rectify this injustice, Senator Murkowski worked with the EPA to create the Contaminated ANCSA Lands Assistance Program. This year, she oversaw the funding of $22 million to the program to clean up and remediate the lands, improving the health and safety of Alaska communities.

In addition to programmatic funding to help Alaskans, Murkowski was able to secure investments specific to 34 Alaska communities, projects that have been requested and prioritized by local governments and organizations:

Wrangell: $10 million for upgrades to the wastewater treatment plants to help Wrangell’s facility meet Alaska Water Quality Standards.

Sitka: $11.25 million for the design and construction of a new wastewater disinfection system to help meet standards required by Section 401 of the Clean Water Act and Alaska Water Quality Standards.

Fairbanks: $3 million to expand the Fairbanks North Star Borough’s infrastructure for air quality improvement

Unalakleet: $1 million to overhaul Unalakleet’s sanitation facilities. The current facilities are insufficient for the community and the entire system requires upgrades.

King Cove: $2 million for King Cove’s solid waste facility. The current landfill is nearing the end of its utility and supplemental funding is required to construct new facilities.

Teller: $600,000 for the Teller landfill. These funds will go towards building much-needed capacity and purchase new processing equipment for the project.

Skagway: $1.5 million for the demolition of the dilapidated ore terminal in Skagway to allow for expanded access to the dock area.

Bristol Bay: $3.86 million for the collection and backhaul of 900 tons of scrap metal waste that is at risk of leaching toxins into Bristol Bay, which could negatively affect clean drinking water access and subsistence resources.

Cordova: $361,000 to build a perimeter fence around the Cordova landfill to secure the site from wildlife. Bears are currently entering the site and digging up refuse, posing environmental risks and threats to the safety of the community.

Prince William Sound: $250,000 to rehabilitate the beach at Cannery Creek Hatchery, Unakwik Inlet, and Prince William Sound. Currently there is 18 miles, or 192,000 pounds of high-density polyethylene pipe littering the beach.

Hoonah: $5.1 million to replace the Icy Strait Point wastewater treatment facility. These new facilities will help Hoonah handle the influx of wastewater from cruise ships.

Homer: $650,000 to replace approximately 1,200 feet of drinking water supply line in Homer’s water utility system to mitigate impacts on public health and safety if the line is damaged or broken. The current 58-year old section of cast iron piping is brittle and corroded.

Angoon: $2 million to replace the water and sewer lines in Angoon, which has had multiple cases of collapsed sewer mains and blockages that cause overflows into homes and public areas.

Yakutat: $2.5 million to upgrade Yakutat’s sewer system. The current lift stations, screening and treatment equipment have caused sewage overflows into the ocean.

Unalaska: $3.4 million to replace Captains Bay drinking water line. The current water line has delivery issues, requiring water to be trucked in and placed under a boil water notice.

Girdwood: $3 million to construct a new well that will increase production capacity to meet the current and future clean water demands for the community.

Metlakatla: $1 million to upgrade the wastewater treatment facility in Metlakatla, which has surpassed its design life.

Statewide: $3.5 million for development of inter-agency partnerships that will help develop mitigation strategies to proactively fight forest fires in Alaska.

Statewide: $1.85 million for planning, environmental reviews, and design work for a continuous trail route from Seward to Moose Pass, providing new recreational opportunities for Alaskans and tourists.

Statewide: $1 million for a need’s assessment for safe homes in rural communities for domestic violence survivors in villages without shelter.

St. Paul Island: $250,000 for the rehabilitation of three historic buildings on St. Paul Island.

Anchorage: $5 million to replace a utility well built prior to the Safe Drinking Water Act that has reliability and quality concerns. The funding will decommission the well and construct new water mains, install fire hydrants, and reconnect current residents.

Statewide: $300,000 to carry out a field study in assessing the efficiency and affordability of baghouse filters onto the stacks of open burn boxes used in rural Alaska landfills.

Nelson Lagoon: $2.83 million to replace the 600,000-gallon clean water and drinking water storage tank which has become overly corroded.

Ketchikan: $2.3 million for the design and replacement of the failing Tongass Avenue water main replacement.

Soldotna: $900,000 for the Soldotna Utility Department to upgrade one of the ground-water wells and address contaminants and improve drinking water quality.

Craig: $3 million to replace up to five miles of aging water line.

Anchorage: $2.9 million to construct and expand the public water distribution system to include neighborhoods in Anchorage (56th & Cordova and Patricia Subdivisions)

Gustavus: $596,000 for critical improvements to the aging composting facility in Gustavus.

Seward: $4 million to replace water mains in Seward that are made of asbestos-line pipes that are over 60 years old.

Whittier: $1.59 million to upgrade the wastewater lift stations that are near imminent failure.

Wasilla: $1.93 million for the design and build of a water system interconnecting with the Mat-Su Borough and the City of Palmer to increase redundancy for water security.

Statewide: $200,000 for Uqapiaqta Iñupiatun Adult Fluency Program to carry on the Iñupiaq language. This funding will support staff assistance, bringing elder language speakers in, and material development.

Statewide: $1.23 million to Alaska Department of Fish and Game to support polar bear conservation and subsistence harvest management.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:32:29Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-colleagues-introduce-bill-to-sanction-palestinian-leadership-and-institutions-that-reward-terrorism,"Sullivan, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Sanction Palestinian Leadership and Institutions That Reward Terrorism",2024-07-29,2024,2024-07,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), joined his Senate colleagues in introducing the PLO and PA Terror Payments Accountability Act, legislation to impose sanctions on foreign persons and entities that provide payments to Palestinian terrorists and the families of terrorists as part of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Palestinian Authority’s (PA) system of terror compensation.

“The Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization have incentivized the anti-Semitic killings of Israelis and Americans through their barbaric ‘pay for slay’ policies for years,” Senator Sullivan said. “It is outrageous that Palestinian terrorists, including those who massacred more than a thousand Israelis on October 7th, are eligible for payments as a result of their despicable killings. Our legislation will levy severe sanctions on institutions and groups that facilitate or financially support these horrific programs.”

In addition to Senator Sullivan, this legislation, led by Senators Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), was cosponsored by Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska), Ted Budd (R-North Carolina), Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri), Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Rick Scott (R-Florida), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina).

The full text of the bill can be found here.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:32:29Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/alaska-delegation-welcomes-graphite-one-lucid-supply-agreement,Alaska Delegation Welcomes Graphite One-Lucid Supply Agreement,2024-07-26,2024,2024-07,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=12,scraper,"Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and U.S. Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D-AK) today participated in an event to formally announce a non-binding supply agreement between Graphite One and Lucid Motors, through which Lucid will purchase graphite from Graphite One. The delegation members applauded the companies’ efforts to create an all-American supply chain for the natural and synthetic graphite used in the batteries for electric vehicles, and are optimistic that the domestic supply chain will soon include graphite produced from Graphite One’s prospect near Nome, Alaska.

“I’m pleased that Graphite One and Lucid Motors are partnering to create a domestic supply chain for electric vehicles made in America from materials mined in Alaska,” Senator Murkowski said. “These companies represent the start and the end of the supply chain, and they have the right vision to help strengthen our economy, our competitiveness, our security, and our commitment to true sustainability. Graphite One is an excellent example of responsible resource development in Alaska, and this new partnership with Lucid only further solidifies their leadership.”

“Graphite One’s partnership with Lucid Motors is a positive step towards opening up opportunities in Alaska to develop our abundant reserves of critical minerals and metals like graphite,” Senator Dan Sullivan said. “It’s also significant for our country’s national security: We must end America’s dangerous dependence on China for critical minerals, which are increasingly necessary for alternative energy sources, advanced batteries, and defense technologies. Alaska can and will lead the way in unleashing America’s resource potential.”

“I have always said that it is best to develop minerals and resources at home instead of relying on international and often adversarial supply lines. I am thrilled that Lucid has partnered with Graphite One to supply graphite for their cars,” Rep. Peltola said. “I hope they will continue to look to Alaska for minerals as we develop a robust and secure domestic supply chain to power our future.”

“This is a historic moment for Graphite One, Lucid and North America: the first synthetic graphite Supply Agreement between a U.S. graphite developer and U.S. EV company,” said Anthony Huston, President and CEO of Graphite One. “G1 is excited to continue pushing forward developing our 100% U.S. domestic supply chain. We appreciate the support from our investors and the grant from the Department of Defense. Subject to project financing required to build the AAM facility, the Supply Agreement with Lucid puts G1 on the path to produce revenue in 2027, and that’s just the beginning for Graphite One as work to meet market demands and create a secure 100% U.S.-based supply chain for natural and synthetic graphite for U.S. industry and national security.”

“We are committed to accelerating the transition to sustainable vehicles and the development of a robust domestic supply chain ensures the United States, and Lucid, will maintain technology leadership in this global race,” said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO at Lucid. “Through work with partners like Graphite One, we will have access to American-sourced critical raw materials, helping power our award-winning vehicles made with pride in Arizona.”

Today’s event also featured remarks from U.S. Representative Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-6), Anthony Huston, the President and CEO of Graphite One, and Peter Rawlinson, the CEO and CTO of Lucid Motors.

Graphite One is actively developing the Graphite Creek deposit, which is located 37 miles north of Nome, Alaska and described by the U.S. Geological Survey as the largest deposit of natural graphite in North America. The company has proposed to build an active anode material (AAM) manufacturing facility in Ohio, which would utilize both synthetic graphite and natural graphite from Alaska once mining operations commence. Graphite, which is used in anodes, is by weight and volume the largest component of most batteries for electric vehicles.

More information about the offtake agreement announced today is available here.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:32:29Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-and-duckworth-introduce-bipartisan-stand-with-taiwan-act-of-2024,Sullivan & Duckworth Introduce Bipartisan S.T.A.N.D with Taiwan Act of 2024,2024-07-26,2024,2024-07,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), today introduced the Sanctions Targeting Aggressors of Neighboring Democracies (STAND) with Taiwan Act of 2024, which would impose devastating, comprehensive economic, energy, financial, and other sanctions on China in the event that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) initiates military aggression against Taiwan. The suite of sanctions includes the targeting of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members and Chinese financial institutions and industrial sectors, as well as prohibiting U.S. financial institutions—including investment companies, private equity firms, venture capital firms, or hedge funds—from making any investments in a Chinese entity that benefits or is affiliated with the CCP. The bill would also restrict importation of China-produced goods.

“In these increasingly dangerous times, it is critical that America show steady, unwavering bipartisan commitment and resolve in support of Taiwan’s democracy,” Senator Sullivan said. “Every day, the CCP grows bolder and more aggressive in its threats against Taiwan, the United States, and our allies in the Indo-Pacific. We need to enhance cross-strait deterrence now. STAND with Taiwan mandates comprehensive and devastating economic, energy and financial sanctions against the leaders in the Chinese Communist Party if the Chinese People's Liberation Army were to initiate military aggression against Taiwan. I am excited to introduce this bill with Senator Duckworth following our visit to Taiwan earlier this year to reaffirm America’s commitment to this critical democratic partner.”

“I’ve always believed that if America wants to remain a global leader, we have to show up and support our friends like Taiwan—a partner that our nation has strong economic and military ties with—who are facing escalating threats from the People’s Republic of China as they work to strengthen their own democracy,” said Senator Duckworth. “After proudly leading a bipartisan delegation with Senator Sullivan to Taiwan earlier this year to demonstrate our strong support for the Taiwanese people, I’m glad to team up with him to help introduce the STAND with Taiwan Act. With this legislation, we’re sending a strong message to our partner and our competitors that we are here for long haul—and we won’t tolerate the kind of unilateral aggression that would endanger a democratic friend and the health and stability of the global economy.”

Senator Sullivan first introduced the STAND with Taiwan Act in 2022. In a meeting with the President of Taiwan during a successful bipartisan congressional delegation visit to Taiwan with Senator Sullivan, Senator Duckworth announced she would join as a sponsor of the bill.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:32:29Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/delegation-urges-the-cdc-to-modify-dog-importation-rule,Delegation Urges the CDC to Modify Dog Importation Rule,2024-07-24,2024,2024-07,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=12,scraper,"Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-AK) and U.S. Representative Mary Peltola (D-AK), sent a letter to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), regarding a delay in the implementation of the agency’s new rule on the importation of dogs into the United States. The letter outlines how the rules fail to account for Alaska’s unique geography and sled dog culture, and details the negative impacts the rule will have on the state. The letter also asks for adjustments to the rule to balance public health needs without impeding on the safe transportation of dogs to and from Alaska.

“This rule does not work for Alaskans who travel with their pets,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski. “Many Alaskans go through Canada to get to the Lower 48 with their pups in tow, and this rule will add unnecessary expense and complication for travelers. We are working directly with the CDC to fix this.”

“This CDC rule on dog importation is a prime example of how one-size-fits-all requirements hurt Alaskans,” Senator Sullivan said. “The rule does not take into consideration Alaska’s unique relationship with Canada, a country that poses no significant threat of rabies transmission. Without adjustments to this rule, working dogs, sled dogs, and family pets will have to undergo arduous certifications and waiting periods, creating undue burdens and costs. The CDC needs to delay and alter this rule until the reasonable concerns of Alaskan residents, pet owners, and veterinarians are taken into account.”

“Dogs aren’t just pets in Alaska – they’re working dogs too. And many families with these dogs live only miles from the Canadian border and cross often. Rabies isn’t a high risk for either country and this policy won’t work for Alaska” said Representative Peltola.

Full text of the letter can be found here.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:32:29Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/delegation-urges-the-cdc-to-modify-dog-importation-rule,Delegation Urges the CDC to Modify Dog Importation Rule,2024-07-24,2024,2024-07,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=11,scraper,"WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) and U.S. Representative Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), sent a letter to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), regarding a delay in the implementation of the agency’s new rule on the importation of dogs into the United States. The letter outlines how the rules fail to account for Alaska’s unique geography and sled dog culture, and details the negative impacts the rule will have on the state. The letter also asks for adjustments to the rule to balance public health needs without impeding on the safe transportation of dogs to and from Alaska.

“This rule does not work for Alaskans who travel with their pets,” said Senator Murkowski. “Many Alaskans go through Canada to get to the Lower 48 with their pups in tow, and this rule will add unnecessary expense and complication for travelers. We are working directly with the CDC to fix this.”

“This CDC rule on dog importation is a prime example of how one-size-fits-all requirements hurt Alaskans,” Senator Sullivan said. “The rule does not take into consideration Alaska’s unique relationship with Canada, a country that poses no significant threat of rabies transmission. Without adjustments to this rule, working dogs, sled dogs, and family pets will have to undergo arduous certifications and waiting periods, creating undue burdens and costs. The CDC needs to delay and alter this rule until the reasonable concerns of Alaskan residents, pet owners, and veterinarians are taken into account.”

“Dogs aren’t just pets in Alaska – they’re working dogs too. And many families with these dogs live only miles from the Canadian border and cross often. Rabies isn’t a high risk for either country and this policy won’t work for Alaska,” said Representative Peltola.

Full text of the letter can be found here.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:32:29Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-statement-on-joint-russian-chinese-bomber-task-force-near-alaska,Sullivan Statement on Joint Russian-Chinese Bomber Task Force Near Alaska,2024-07-24,2024,2024-07,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=12,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) released the following statement today after the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected, tracked, and intercepted two Russian Tu-95 and two People’s Republic of China H-6 military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ):

“Alaska continues to be on the frontlines of the authoritarian aggression by the dictators in Russia and China who are increasingly working together. Make no mistake, this is an escalation—the first time Russia and China have sent a joint bomber task-force into the Alaska ADIZ. Fortunately, our brave military members working closely with our Canadian allies were ready, conducting joint operations to intercept these bombers.

“The Arctic is a critical area of strategic competition between the U.S., Russia and China. As I have been warning our Pentagon leaders for years, these kinds of joint Russia and China incursions on the sea and in the air near Alaska will continue. For that reason, the United States needs to continue to build up our military forces and the infrastructure that goes with it in Alaska to protect our nation’s vital interests in the Arctic and the INDOPACOM theater.”

The Russian and Chinese aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace.

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:32:29Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/senators-criticize-blms-draft-mine-permitting-metrics,Senators Criticize BLM’s Draft Mine Permitting Metrics,2024-07-22,2024,2024-07,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=12,scraper,"Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Joe Manchin (D-WV), John Barrasso (R-WY), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Jim Risch (R-ID) recently sent a letter to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) expressing their disappointment with the agency’s woefully inadequate draft Mining Performance Metrics. The draft metrics, which were delivered a year later than statutorily required, show minimal effort to make any improvements to the broken federal permitting process.

Excerpts from the letter:

“We find BLM’s proposed suggestions to be woefully insufficient to support any meaningful progress toward more efficient permitting. In fact, BLM’s first and second proposed metrics fall outside of the established permitting process and continue the agency’s efforts to increase the burdens of project applicants before they can enter it. BLM cannot frontload the pre-permitting process, extending the time and cost burdens for affected stakeholders, and then claim that it has expedited the permitting process. This is the definition of shifting, not shortening, the permitting process and deliberately disregards BLM’s statutory mandate.”

“We must have access to critical minerals on federal lands. The Biden administration’s own policies are driving up demand for minerals while simultaneously raising the odds of shortages. A secure domestic supply is essential for our economic competitiveness, national security, and global leadership on a range of technologies. BLM’s failure to address permitting delays adds to the price disparity between U.S. and foreign minerals, enabling and incentivizing mineral sourcing based solely on price and availability—without any regard for the human rights and environmental atrocities that occur in many foreign countries upon which we now rely.”

The full text of the letter can be read here.

Background:

Section 40206 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which features the permitting provisions from Murkowski’s American Mineral Security Act, requires BLM and the U.S. Forest Service to develop performance metrics to improve their permitting efficiency and effectiveness. IIJA also requires the agencies to submit an annual report to show their progress in improving permitting. BLM released its draft metrics more than a year late, in February 2024, and published them on its website rather than in the Federal Register.

In March 2024, the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Inspector General (IG) released a report finding that DOI’s “Interagency Working Group on Mining Regulations, Laws, and Permitting did not fully meet IIJA Section 40206 reporting and performance metric requirements.” The IG found that DOI did not meet the IIJA Section 40206 performance metric deadline or its associated reporting deadline, but was unable to review the substance of the metrics because they had not been released.

Just last week, S&P Global issued a report on mine development timelines, underscoring the difficulties of federal permitting. S&P Global found that “the U.S. has the second longest mine development times in the world, at almost 29 years on average from first discovery to first production.” According to the report, just three mines have come online in the U.S. since 2002, and none of them are on federal lands (to include BLM and Forest Service lands).

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:32:29Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/congressional-delegation-congratulates-alaskan-olympians,Congressional Delegation Congratulates Alaskan Olympians,2024-07-18,2024,2024-07,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=12,scraper,"WASHINGTON – This month, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced that two Alaskans qualified to compete in the 2024 Summer U.S. Olympic Team representing the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Kristen Faulkner from Homer will represent the U.S. on the Cycling Pursuit Team and Alev Kelter from Eagle River will return to the Olympics for her third time on Team USA’s Rugby sevens.

“Excited to see two remarkable women representing our great state on the world stage!” said Rep. Peltola. “Alaska may be large, but our population is small, and two Olympians from our At-Large district is no small feat. Congratulations to Alev and Kristen!”

“Alaska has a long history of fielding outstanding athletes for Team USA, and this year is no different,” said Senator Sullivan. “Congratulations to all our home-grown Olympians representing our nation in Paris this summer, including Kristen Faulkner, of Homer, for cycling, and Alev Kelter, of Eagle River, competing in rugby. Alaskans will be rooting for you!”

“It has been a joy to follow Kristen and Alev’s journeys to Team USA. Their years of training and dedication serve as an inspiration to all Alaskans,” said Senator Murkowski. “All of us back home are proud of you and look forward to watching your hard work pay off in Paris. Congratulations to you both!”

""It's an honor to represent my country and my home of Alaska,” said Alev Kelter. “Rugby 7s is a fast paced and rugged sport that requires many skill sets. I attribute my determination, grit, and willingness to be a true team player to my Alaskan roots. My hometown has modeled a community that is inclusive, tough, and resilient which parallels the values of Rugby; it felt like home when I started playing this sport over 10 years ago. As I head to my third Olympic Games, I look forward to representing every Alaskan, especially my Ruggers back home.""

“I dreamed of competing in the Olympics ever since I was 8 years old, and I saw it on TV,” said Kristen Faulkner. “This is the biggest dream I’ve ever had, and it’s finally come true! I am beyond excited to represent the USA alongside such a strong group of athletes. I will do my best to bring home a medal for Team USA!”

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:32:29Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/congressional-delegation-congratulates-alaskan-olympians,Congressional Delegation Congratulates Alaskan Olympians,2024-07-17,2024,2024-07,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=12,scraper,"WASHINGTON – This month, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced that two Alaskans qualified to compete in the 2024 Summer U.S. Olympic Team representing the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Kristen Faulkner from Homer will represent the U.S. on the Cycling Pursuit Team and Alev Kelter from Eagle River will return to the Olympics for her third time on Team USA’s Rugby sevens.

“Excited to see two remarkable women representing our great state on the world stage!” said Rep. Peltola. “Alaska may be large, but our population is small, and two Olympians from our At-Large district is no small feat. Congratulations to Alev and Kristen!”

“Alaska has a long history of fielding outstanding athletes for Team USA, and this year is no different,” said Senator Sullivan.“Congratulations to all our home-grown Olympians representing our nation in Paris this summer, including Kristen Faulkner, of Homer, for cycling, and Alev Kelter, of Eagle River, competing in rugby. Alaskans will be rooting for you!”

“It has been a joy to follow Kristen and Alev’s journeys to Team USA. Their years of training and dedication serve as an inspiration to all Alaskans,” said Senator Murkowski. “All of us back home are proud of you and look forward to watching your hard work pay off in Paris. Congratulations to you both!”

""It's an honor to represent my country and my home of Alaska,” said Alev Kelter. “Rugby 7s is a fast paced and rugged sport that requires many skill sets. I attribute my determination, grit, and willingness to be a true team player to my Alaskan roots. My hometown has modeled a community that is inclusive, tough, and resilient which parallels the values of Rugby; it felt like home when I started playing this sport over 10 years ago. As I head to my third Olympic Games, I look forward to representing every Alaskan, especially my Ruggers back home.""

“I dreamed of competing in the Olympics ever since I was 8 years old, and I saw it on TV,” said Kristen Faulkner. “This is the biggest dream I’ve ever had, and it’s finally come true! I am beyond excited to represent the USA alongside such a strong group of athletes. I will do my best to bring home a medal for Team USA!”

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:32:29Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-statement-on-assassination-attempt-on-president-trump,Sullivan Statement on Assassination Attempt on President Trump,2024-07-13,2024,2024-07,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=12,scraper,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) released the following statement after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump today at a rally in Pennsylvania.

“I am incredibly relieved that President Trump is safe after a cowardly attempted assassination earlier today in Pennsylvania. Julie and I are praying for President Trump and his family and are hoping for a speedy recovery. He exhibited incredible courage today. Our hearts and prayers also go out to the family of the rally attendee who was tragically killed in this attack, and any others who were injured at the rally. Political violence is abhorrent and has absolutely no place in our country. We are all Americans. We are all grateful for the courageous Secret Service and law enforcement members who quickly responded to engage the shooter and get President Trump out of harm’s way.”

# # #",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:32:29Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/in-the-news/op-ed-the-us-needs-to-rebuild-its-military-might,OP-ED: The U.S. Needs to Rebuild Its Military Might,2024-07-12,2024,2024-07,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=12,scraper,"Trump and the Republican Party promise to do just that.

Nearly every leader I spoke with during this week’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit agrees: The world has become consumed by chaos. Dictators in Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are working together to undermine the free world. There’s little doubt why they feel emboldened: Under the Biden administration, U.S. military readiness has significantly diminished and authoritarians sense weakness. They’re perceptive.

America urgently needs to embrace the philosophy of peace through strength that has guided Republican presidents from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump and kept our nation safe. Thankfully at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week, Mr. Trump will present the Republican Party’s plan to do exactly that should he be re-elected in November.

The party’s recently released platform calls for making America’s military the “most modern, lethal and powerful” force in the world. That isn’t a new playbook. The GOP has a long tradition of championing robust investments in America’s vital defense needs. The Democrats, meantime, have targeted the nation’s defense budget since at least Jimmy Carter’s presidency at the expense of our military readiness and national security.

Joe Biden’s defenders may take issue with this contrast, pointing to his speech at this week’s summit where he declared “history calls for our collective strength.” The president even took credit for the increase in the number of NATO members meeting their commitment to spend 2% of gross domestic product on defense—doubtless a result that is owing more to Mr. Trump’s blunt, bare-knuckle warnings to our allies.

Does Mr. Biden’s rhetoric match his record? In each year of his presidency, Mr. Biden has proposed budgets with inflation-adjusted cuts to the Defense Department, while posting double-digit increases for such agencies as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Education Department. The president has America’s defense spending on track to drop below 3% of GDP within the next two years for only the fourth year since the end of World War II. This is the wrong signal to send to dictators like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, who are building up their military forces.

Such weakness fails to inspire our own citizens. Our military is facing its worst recruiting crisis in more than 50 years. America’s Navy has been left “in its worst state for designing, building, maintaining, and crewing ships in over 40 years,” experts from the Congressional Research Service told me. Meanwhile Mr. Biden’s Navy secretary is obsessively focused on climate change.

In addition to the withdrawal from Afghanistan—which took the lives of 13 American service members—the Biden administration has enriched Iran by refusing to enforce sanctions. The White House also lifted oil sanctions on Venezuela while aggressively seeking to shut down energy production in the U.S., including in my home state of Alaska. Don’t forget that Mr. Biden rewarded Mr. Putin by banning new U.S. liquefied natural gas projects and delaying every major weapons system Ukraine’s leadership has asked for.

None of this is surprising. Mr. Biden’s record on defense and foreign policy is a continuation of a Democratic tradition. Mr. Carter cut defense spending in his first three years of office. The Russians and Iranians took advantage of America’s weakened posture, which forced him to increase spending at the end of his term. Bill Clinton cut the size of our military by a third, upending a decade of progress under the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations.

Barack Obama slashed the Pentagon’s budget by 25% during his second term. Our military readiness plummeted, leaving only three out of 58 Army brigade combat teams at the highest level of readiness in 2015.

In the Middle East, Mr. Obama’s passivity and infamous “red line” in Syria led to the flourishing of Islamic State and an emboldened Iranian terrorist regime. In the runup to Mr. Putin’s invasion of Crimea in 2014, Mr. Obama opted to send the Ukrainians ready-to-eat meals and blankets when they needed weapons and ammunition. He was also reluctant to build up American forces in the Baltics and Poland.

Mr. Trump cleaned up these messes. He worked to rebuild America’s military might and readiness, destroyed ISIS and delivered lethal weapons to Ukraine. Mr. Trump also deployed thousands of troops to Eastern Europe, crippled Iran’s economy and unleashed American energy dominance. This suite of policies kept Moscow, Tehran and Beijing in check.

The Republican Party’s platform promises to return to these policies. The Democratic National Committee hasn’t yet unveiled its 2024 platform, but if past is prologue, it won’t be promising. The party’s 2020 platform aspired to cut America’s defense budget, chastised America for spending “more on the military than . . . on diplomacy,” and naively pledged to “maintain a strong defense” for less money. Such policies will lead only to further global chaos.

Mr. Biden can protest all he wants. But for the vast majority of Americans who want to see America’s strength restored and the world’s dictators checked, the choice in November couldn’t be clearer.

Mr. Sullivan, a Republican, is a U.S. senator from Alaska.

By: Sen. Dan Sullivan

Source:",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:32:29Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-secures-investments-for-alaska-in-three-fy25-appropriations-bills,Murkowski Secures Investments for Alaska in Three FY25 Appropriations Bills,2024-07-11,2024,2024-07,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=12,scraper,"WASHINGTON—Today, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, scored wins for Alaska in the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) Appropriations Act; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies FY25 Appropriations Act, and; Legislative Branch FY25 Appropriations Act. The bills were approved today in the Senate Appropriations Committee and will now advance to the Senate floor for consideration.

“We are on schedule to move the twelve appropriations bills through the full committee. Today, we passed by unanimous consent three spending bills which represent a significant investment towards supporting our military and veterans, as well as support for Alaska’s public safety and food security,” said Senator Murkowski. “I will continue to use my senior status as a Senate appropriator to shepherd Alaskans’ priorities through Congress.”

Military Construction, Veterans Affairs FY25 Highlights for Alaska

Senator Murkowski secured $470.9 million in funding for Alaska in the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies FY25 Appropriations Act. This is significant investments by the Pentagon in Alaska in recognition of Alaska’s critical role in defense of our country. Her advocacy resulted in wins for infrastructure, training and improving quality of lie for those who serve. The Senator fought for $126 million in programmatic spending that will go towards Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s (JBER) Joint Integrated Test and Training Center. Other programmatic wins for Alaska’s military include $67 million for JBER’s National Guard Readiness Center, as well as $120 million for family housing construction on JBER.

Senator Murkowski is proud of Alaska’s reputation as having more veterans per capita than any other state in the nation and always seeks opportunities to repay the debt we owe our veterans that we can never fully meet. In the face of a difficult fiscal year, she secured increases in funding for programs that have a high impact on veterans living in Alaska. Within the bill passed by the Committee, funding for veterans’ mental health programs, telehealth programs, women veterans care, and the VA’s Office of Rural Health was protected or increased compared to the previous fiscal year.

She fought for increases in smaller programs that directly impact veteran’s facilities in Alaska. She secured a $9 million increase in funding for construction grants of state extended care facilities, which she aims to direct towards the Palmer Pioneer Home through report language that requires the VA to take into consideration factors specifically impacting the extended care facility. She also fought and won additional funding for grants for construction of veterans’ cemeteries. She secured report language directing the VA to enhance its efforts to reach veterans who aren’t connect to a VA facility via road to ensure that veterans all over Alaska are able to learn what care and benefits they are eligible for.

Below are all of the Alaska specific Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) requests funded in the legislation:

Eielson: $6.7 million for Permanent Dormitory Planning and Design. This project would complete the planning and design process for new dormitory buildings to house unaccompanied airmen at Eielson.

Eielson: $5.8 million for Joint Mobility Center Planning and Design. This project would increase deployment capacity and increase mission productivity of Eielson’s F-35 program.

Fort Wainwright: $7.7 million for Dining Facility Planning and Design. The current dining facility is outdated and undersized. This project would create new dining facilities to better serve the 11th Airborne Division at Fort Wainwright.

JBER: $15.6 million for Precision Guided Munitions Complex Planning and Design. This project would improve the readiness of Air Force units stationed at JBER.

JBER: $10.8 million for Tactical Equipment Maintenance Facility Planning and Design. This project would create new maintenance facilities for the 11th Airborne Division units at JBER.

Agriculture FY25 Highlights for Alaska

Senator Murkowski delivered a number of critical programmatic wins in the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies FY25 Appropriations Act. She secured $2 million out of the $8 million appropriated for this program to be made available for Indian Tribes for the repair or replacement of bulk fuel storage tanks as a part of the Senator’s larger strategy to secure funding to address the projected $1.5 billion cost of deferred maintenance for bulk fuel in Rural Alaska.

Senator Murkowski also secured significant increases for USDA RD’s Rental Assistance Program to and prioritized the Rural Housing Assistance Grants, which received $40 million. These programs play a crucial role in supporting low-income residents in Alaska by providing affordable housing options in rural areas, ensuring that more residents have access to safe, stable housing, which is essential for the overall well-being and economic development of rural communities.

Senator Murkowski was also able to protect funding for the Micro-Grants for Food Security program, which she created through the 2018 Farm Bill. This program provides grants of up to $5,000 to individuals and up to $10,000 to non-profits, schools, tribes, and communities to grow more healthy food locally. The program is administered through the Alaska Division of Agriculture.

Below are all of the Alaska specific Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) requests funded in the legislation:

Statewide: $750,000 to the Alaska Federation of Natives to expand veterinarian care to rural Alaska, specifically to spay and neuter animals to reduce animal bites and improve sanitation. The program will serve 80 communities.

Bethel: $605,000 to the Bethel Community Services Foundation for construction a permanent food bank and pantry for the community of Bethel.

Wrangell: $2.43 million to the City and Borough of Wrangell for the Wrangell Public Safety Building and Emergency Operations Center.

Ketchikan: $490,000 to the Ketchikan Gateway Borough for the South Tongass Fire Department to replace damaged equipment. Earlier this year, the station lost two ambulances, engines, and a support vehicle in a fire.

Kenai: $3 million for the Kenai Peninsula Borough to build out communications infrastructure for cellular and radio service.

Kenai: $1.99 million to the Kenai Peninsula Borough for building maintenance and repairs in emergency service stations.

Upper Susitna: $1.5 million to construct a new Upper Susitna Food Pantry. The current facility is not adequate for the community’s needs and has no running water.

Statewide: $4.2 million to the Alaska Municipal League to purchase heavy equipment and transfer ownership to disadvantaged communities across Alaska.

Houston: $1.95 million to the City of Houston to design and build a shared municipal facility that will house fire department and road maintenance equipment and supplies.

Legislative Branch FY25 Highlights for Alaska

Senator Murkowski inserted report language in the Legislative Branch FY25 Appropriations Act that encourages the Senate Dining Room and food-service facilities in the Capitol to source domestic seafood products, including wild-caught salmon. Alaska-caught seafood should be available for those who visit the capitol to enjoy and to appreciate that when it comes to seafood, there’s no substitute for Alaskan seafood.

###",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:32:29Z
https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-manchin-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-advance-department-of-energy-ai-research-for-science-security-and-technology,"Murkowski, Manchin Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Advance Department of Energy AI Research for Science, Security, and Technology",2024-07-10,2024,2024-07,Republican,Senate,AK,Lisa Murkowski,M001153,www.murkowski.senate.gov,murkowski,https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=12,scraper,"Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced the bipartisan Department of Energy AI Act to advance American leadership in artificial intelligence (AI) by harnessing the existing National Laboratory infrastructure and workforce at the Department of Energy (DOE).

“Artificial Intelligence has the potential to help the Department of Energy and our National Labs accomplish enormous challenges in the fields of science and technology, as well as offer capabilities to streamline permitting for large-scale energy and critical mineral projects in Alaska,"" said Senator Lisa Murkowski. ""This legislation will enable the department to harness these emerging technologies so that DOE can be on the front foot to respond to Alaska and America’s science and technological needs.”

“As AI technology takes the world by storm, the United States needs to meet the moment quickly and effectively before our adversaries do. The DOE and its network of National Laboratories is ready and able to bring our nation to the next level of scientific discovery and global competitiveness through the innovation of safe and responsible AI,” said Chairman Manchin. “This bipartisan legislation will leverage the agency’s existing world-class laboratory test facilities, scientific workforce, and advanced computing resources to strengthen our country’s AI capabilities to remain the superpower of the world in energy, national security, and economic competitiveness. Deploying our existing lab infrastructure and scientific expertise for AI instead of starting from scratch will also safeguard taxpayer dollars and allow us to move quickly. As Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I am proud to work with my friend, Senator Murkowski, on this crucial legislation and I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this initiative to further unlock the groundbreaking potential of AI.”

The DOE oversees the 17 National Laboratories and 35 user facilities and houses a workforce of over 70,000 scientists, engineers, and researchers with world-leading scientific expertise. Dating back to the Manhattan Project, the DOE’s National Labs have been at the forefront of scientific advances and national security matters and over the past decade, the agency has developed thousands of AI applications, ranging from medical imaging and genomics to electric grid management and nuclear security. As a result, the DOE has the computing resources, expertise, and experience managing large volumes of data, which is required for heading our country’s artificial intelligence strategy.

The Department of Energy AI Act:

• Authorizes the Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence for Science, Security, and Technology (FASST) initiative at DOE.

• Establishes a network of AI research clusters built on DOE’s existing ecosystem of computing capabilities and research facilities at National Labs.

• Builds a research and development program on four main pillars:

1. Data: Develop methods, platforms, protocols, and other tools required for efficient, safe, and effective aggregation, generation, curation, and distribution of AI training datasets.

2. Computing Infrastructure and Platforms: Develop and deploy next-generation AI computing platforms and infrastructure; i.e. AI testbeds, energy-efficient computing hardware, and unclassified and classified high-performance computing systems.

3. AI Models and Systems: Develop, train, test, and validate foundation models for scientific and national security applications.

4. Application: Use AI foundation models and other AI technologies to develop tuned and adapted downstream models to solve pressing scientific, energy, and security challenges.

• Establishes an AI risk evaluation and mitigation program to evaluate and mitigate safety and security risks of AI to better inform future decision-making.

• Directs the development of a strategic plan with specific short-term and long-term goals to advance applications in AI for science, energy, and national security.

• Includes STEM education and workforce development in AI through various disciplines.

• Formally authorizes the Office of Critical and Emerging Technology at the Department of Energy to ensure interagency collaboration.

• Improves the federal permitting process through the use of AI technologies.

• Directs FERC to initiate a rulemaking for the use of advanced computing technologies to expedite the interconnection queue process.

• Directs DOE to study the growth of computing data centers and the electrical power load.

The full text of the legislation is available here.",1,2026-03-30T01:40:41Z,2026-04-06T18:32:29Z
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-natos-minimum-defense-spending-commitment-must-increase-to-confront-dangerous-times,Sullivan: NATO’s Minimum Defense Spending Commitment Must Increase to Confront Dangerous Times,2024-07-09,2024,2024-07,Republican,Senate,AK,Dan Sullivan,S001198,www.sullivan.senate.gov,sullivan,https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=12,scraper,"Senator Sullivan says Canada Must Stop ‘Freeloading’ off U.S.

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and chairman of the International Republican Institute (IRI), released the following statement as the annual North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit began today in Washington. Senator Sullivan met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today and is scheduled to meet with other high-ranking foreign officials throughout the week.

“Since NATO last convened a year ago, the world has only become more dangerous with dictators in Russia, China, and Iran increasingly working together to undermine America’s national security interests and those of our allies,” Senator Sullivan said. “Our NATO allies must do more to confront this moment, particularly our friends in Canada who continue to freeload off this alliance and have yet to even present a real plan to meet the two percent of GDP minimum defense spending commitment all NATO countries agreed to meet. This must change. There is no excuse. Whether our allies meet these commitments is critical, not just to meet the expectations of the American taxpayer, but also to ensure the long-term health of the NATO alliance.

“While I’m encouraged that new NATO estimates project more NATO members meeting their defense spending commitments, Congress is watching to ensure they follow through.

“Given these dangerous times, the alliance must do more. We must start working toward a greater defense spending commitment than the current two percent of GDP defense spending benchmark that better reflects this new era of authoritarian aggression we find ourselves in.”

BACKGROUND:

In 2023, Senator Sullivan succeeded in including a provision in the FY 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that became law requiring the Secretary of Defense to prioritize those NATO member countries that have achieved defense spending of not less than 2 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) by 2024 when making decisions about U.S. military basing, training, and exercises. After passage of his amendment, Senator Sullivan pressed the Secretary of Defense to ensure he follows through as the law requires.

Ahead of the 2023 NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Senator Sullivan led a bipartisan group of 35 senators in writing a letter to President Biden urging the President to ensure NATO countries meet their defense spending commitments.

In August 2022, Senator Sullivan’s amendment declaring that all NATO allies should meet their funding obligations unanimously passed the Senate as part of a resolution approving Finland and Sweden’s ascension to the NATO alliance.

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