Alaska GOP to weigh potential action against Murkowski
Alaska Republican party leaders plan to consider whether to reprimand U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski for opposing Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation.
Category Archives: Alaska Government
GOP response to Murkowski shows why most Alaska voters are independent
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski forgot to ask Tuckerman Babcock, the head of the Republican Party, for his instructions on how she should vote on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Collins and Murkowski offer contrast on Kavanaugh vote
Longtime friends and Republican senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins displayed vastly different styles Friday, reaching opposite conclusions on the crucial question of Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court. Murkowski, in her fourth term representing Alaska, quietly uttered a single word - "no" - as she turned against President Donald Trump's choice for a seat on the high court.
Future of Alaska oil check program weighs on governor’s race Source: AP
Tension over changes to Alaska's famed oil-wealth checks hangs over this year's governor's race, threatening Gov. Bill Walker's chances for re-election. For decades, residents have shared in the state's oil wealth, eagerly anticipating the much-hyped reveal of the annual check's amount and dreaming about how they'd use their portion.
Advancing farm bill stirs worries that Alaskans could lose food stamps benefits
Food security advocates are worried that legislation working its way through Congress could cause thousands of Alaskans, particularly in rural areas, to lose "food stamp" benefits and add an untenable layer of bureaucracy for the already-strapped state government. Congressional leaders are working to find a compromise between House and Senate farm bills before the prior version expires at the end of the month.
Labor secretary talks H2-B visas, China trade policies in Fairbanks
U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, left, U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta, and state Sen. Click Bishop hold a news conference Sunday at the Fairbanks Pipeline Training Center.
Begich, Dunleavy, Hawkins & Treadwell Offer Gubernatorial Campaign Remarks
Your Alaska Link checked in with 2018 gubernatorial candidates Mead Treadwell, Mark Begich, Mike Dunleavy and Scott Hawkins about their campaign run and what they want for the great state of Alaska. As Dunleavy states, "I think it's good for the people of Alaska to have folks in a Primary so they have somebody to choose froma some of the folks that just got in are kind of on the left side of the spectrum, and there's others like myself that are on the right side of the spectrum, so people have an opportunity to chose."
Cash-strapped Alaska eyes earnings from oil wealth fund
Tillion, a former state legislator, has suppor... . In this March 13, 2018, photo, Alaska Gov. Bill Walker speaks by phone to a reporter not physically present for a media availability at the governor's mansion in Juneau, Alaska.
Alaska lawmakers unite to establish permanent funding for Children’s Health Insurance Program
Permanent funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program, a federal program providing health insurance for children in lower income families, ran out in September.
Optimism for Alaska in 2018
As Alaskans, there's no doubt we face significant challenges, including high crime rates, domestic violence and sexual assault, thousands of Alaskans struggling with addiction, and a continuing recession that has left too many without jobs.
Tax hike for cruise industry dropped amid Alaska concerns
The cruise industry has dodged a tax increase after Alaska's U.S. senators helped strike the provision from the tax bill that passed the Senate. The bill approved early Saturday includes other provisions that Alaska Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan hailed as significant for Alaskans, including allowing oil and gas drilling on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Alaska senators tell Trump they want mountain’s name to stay
U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan said the Alaska mountain came up during an hourlong meeting he and fellow Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski had with Trump and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke in March. Sullivan said during a weekend speech to the Alaska Federation of Natives that Trump asked if the senators thought the name change from Mount McKinley to Denali should be reversed, the Alaska Public Radio Network reported .
Trump’s sellout of American heritage
The last runs of heavenly wild salmon are trickling in this month, the buttery coho with flesh the color of fall foliage. After that, we'll have to settle for mostly farmed and frozen fish until next spring - no substitute for the real deal.
An Interview with Alaska Governor Bill Walker
On August 25th, Governor Bill Walker, our second Alaskan born governor, arrived in Seward to spend some personal time here with his wife Donna in celebration of their fortieth wedding anniversary and to take part in the Lost Lake Run benefiting those with cystic fibrosis; a cause that is close their hearts as their daughter-in-law has cystic fibrosis. The governor mentioned that he likes to take the opportunity to thank those that participated in the run while raising money for a good cause.
Zinke calls to Alaskans draw look by watchdog
The Interior Department's internal watchdog is examining phone calls to Alaska's Republican senators from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke seeking support for the GOP health care bill. Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall said her office was launching a "preliminary investigation" of Zinke's July 26 calls to Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) asks a question as Environmental…
President Donald Trump meets with Senate Republicans about health care in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Tuesday. Trump is flanked by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.
House and Senate disagree on much, but agree on using computer model
This graph was derived from a Legislative Finance Division computer model used to analyze different long-term state budget plans. It appeared in a House Finance Committee document in April.
Senate majority prefers closed doors
Something truly unexpected happened this session in the Alaska Senate. The Republican leadership decided to arbitrarily cut the state's education budget by over $69 million.
Alaska House approves first personal income tax since 1980
The Alaska House of Representatives approved a personal income tax on Saturday that would, if it becomes law, be the first in the state since 1980.
From left and right, Young finds fault with ACA replacement bill
Small groups in favor of Affordable Care Act protested and marched outside the U.S. Capitol Thursday morning. Republicans in the House have postponed the vote to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act as they try to overcome opposition from members of their own party.