- Alaskans have mourned with all Americans at the tragic, senseless deaths in recent years but we do not believe those emotions should cloud our resolve to protect our Constitutional right to bear arms. I have spoken with gun owners, shopkeepers and hunters in Alaska in recent weeks and share their concerns that the rights and opinions of responsible citizens are not being fully respected in this c...onversation. Today's announcement from the President, and his directions to Congress, further feed those concerns.
Alaska has shared the pain experienced by people of Newtown, Columbine, and other communities around the country. We suffered a tragic school shooting in Bethel in 1997. So while I appreciate the President's input in the name of school safety, I want Alaskans to know this needs to be a far wider discussion, and Congress is the rightful place for laws to be debated fully and crafted. Where there are improvements to make or safeguards to add to our laws -- including safety in public places, mental health care improvements and addressing violent entertainment -- I am ready to work with my Congressional colleagues to protect both Alaskans and our Constitution.See More - There are a lot of big issues on the national stage right now, but there are still small victories out there for our state. The US Coast Guard Cutter Storis helped shape Alaska - protecting our wild fish stocks from foreign vessels, aiding... tsunami-stricken communities after the 1964 earthquake and even delivering vital supplies for the Trans-Alaska pipeline. The National Park Service has put the Storis on the National Register of Historic Places, and now I hope this piece of Alaskan history will return home to our state: http://1.usa.gov/V2KDUnSee More
- A warm welcome home to the 120 soldiers with B Company, 1-143rd Infantry Airborne Regiment. The Bethel-based unit just spent a year in Afghanistan. Thank you for your service- we are so glad you are home safe!
- If you're applying for the PFD this weekend, don’t forget to Pick. Click. Give. If you're able. It's a great way for all of us to support the causes and non-profit groups we care about!
- We've got some real challenges facing our nation right now. Folks at the Sterling Senior Center on the Kenai Peninsula are worried about the national deficit, Medicare, Social Security and threats to the 2nd Amendment. What do you think is the biggest issue facing us, Alaska?
Lisa Murkowski shared a link.
I think the FDA was trying to slip one by us when it released its report and opened up public comment on Frankenfish just before Christmas and during a Congressional transition. We need to extend the public comment period on this to allow ...more Alaskans and Americans to weigh in and so that Congress can file legislation to fight this – and I am glad a “Coastal Coalition” is building from the Pacific and Atlantic to work together.See More- Thanks so much to the Kenai/Soldotna Chambers of Commerce for letting me catch up with them and talk to a joint meeting today!
- I got a chance to meet a group of Soldotna High students who will be entering the elite ranks of our armed forces when they finish high school. So proud of them!
- Every time I travel in our state, I make a point of visiting schools to talk to Alaska's future- our kids. Today, I got a chance to visit with the Soldotna High School Honors History class and the student council. I am very impressed by the questions these young people asked and their knowledge of the issues facing our nation and our state!
- On the air with Duane Bannock on KSRM Radio Kenai right now. Tune in live here: http://radiokenai.net/
- There's yet another internet myth going around about members of Congress that needs to be debunked. This one suggests that the kids of members of Congress don't have to repay student loans. Wow! Couldn't be further from the truth. No member of Congress, nor any of their family gets a pass on student loan repayment or special consideration on any loan. There is a program that allows federal employe...es - including Congressional staffers - to participate in a student loan repayment program. There's a good explanation of how that program works on Snopes.
Another myth that is circulating is that members of Congress exempted themselves from the healthcare reform law. Again, not true. I have access to the same health care plan as any federal employee. There's no special plan for Senators. And I will be subject to the same requirements under the health care law that everybody else faces. There are no exemptions for members of Congress. A couple good sites to confirm this are Factcheck and Roll Call.
Please share this information with others to help set the record straight. While Congress hasn't done much lately to improve its image in the public’s eye, there's no need to make it worse by spreading information that is clearly false.See More - Having a great time catching up with Bob and Mark right now on KWHL-FM in Anchorage. Listen in if you can.
- I am in Fairbanks today and got a chance to catch up with UAF leadership about their research efforts on energy, unmanned aerial systems and climate science. It's important Arctic research that I'm happy great minds in our state are working on
Lisa Murkowski shared a link.
I am glad Veterans Affairs Secretary General Eric Shinseki will be returning for the President’s second term. I wrote to the President just after he was reelected and told him Sec. Shinseki is making incredible progress for Alaska’s veteran community and should be kept on the job.- A big thank you to the Kalskag schools and principal Greg Wohlman for my Kids of Kalskag sweatshirt! They are doing great things there in Kalskag with the education of their kids, and I am honored to have spent some time with the students, parents and school faculty of this great Alaskan community.
Lisa Murkowski shared a link.
Thanks so much to Diane Sawyer for interviewing the women of the 113th Congress, and giving us the chance to share our views and insights about working together to move the country forward.
http://www.murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=54aa955b-db81-4c50-845d-0a921f20403a- Don't know if it's 'happy birthday' or 'happy anniversary,' but on this day in 1959, Alaska officially became the 49th state!
- Congratulations to the record 20 women who are now sworn in as U.S. Senators for the 113th Congress! I look forward to building solid relationships and getting real, tangible results.
- Watching my boys play a pickup soccer game at the Sports Dome here in Anchorage. Wishing we were skiing and waiting for snow, but so glad to be home
- In case you missed it with all the fiscal cliff action in the House of Representatives yesterday, I’m also very glad to see the Maniilaq land transfer passed. This legislation will transfer three parcels of federal land and allow the health care center there to expand and grow with the medical needs of the 12 villages it serves.
- I just finished receiving a very thorough briefing on the status of the Kulluk at the unified command in downtown Anchorage. It was important to see firsthand how all the state, federal and local agencies are working together and understand the current status and proposals going forward. There is a great team effort in treacherous conditions going on right now.
- We just passed a bill in the Senate to avoid the fiscal cliff and make sure that 98% of Alaskan households don't see a tax hike in 2013, but I share Alaskans' frustration with this brinksmanship brand of politics where we race against to resolve something after months of inaction. Elected leaders shouldn't need to wait until the last minute to work together for America, especially with so much work to be done to address our $16 trillion debt. I'm ready to work with anyone ready to deal head-on with the challenges that face us.
- While on vacation last week in Hawaii, the President signed an executive order that has the potential of increasing salaries for senior members of his administration and members of Congress. I have supported the current Congressional pay freeze since it came into effect in 2010. I oppose this proposed raise for myself or any member of Congress, I have opposed them in the past, and I will work to prevent this raise from going into effect in April.
- Congratulations and a big thank you to the brave men and women of the Coast Guard for their rapid response this weekend to safeguard the crews of the Aiviq and Kulluk in the Gulf of Alaska. They always step up when called upon.
Lisa Murkowski shared a link.
Now more than ever, we need to balance being frugal with the needs of those without homes or food because of disaster. The bill we just passed in the Senate to fund disaster recovery isn't a perfect bill, but it does addresses the urgent needs of millions of Americans hit by Hurricane Sandy and the Alaskans who are suffering the effects of from the summer’s poor king salmon run and the tsunami debris washing up on shore.Lisa Murkowski shared a link.
As negotiations continue on the fiscal cliff, the Senate has been voting on other important bills today. Like most Alaskans, I’m worried about the government’s tendency to overreach – especially into our Constitutional right to privacy. N...ow with news that Americans have likely been wiretapped by security agencies doing surveillance, I couldn't vote for five more years of the status quo when it comes to intelligence-gathering.See More- ActivityJanuaryPeople Who Like This164
Earlier in January
Earlier in December
Earlier in 2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2005
2003
2002
1998
1993
1991
1987
1985
1980
1977
1975
1973
1971
1964
1959
Born