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Lee objection blocks Murkowski-Merkley bill on presidential memorials
Senator Mike Lee blocked a bill requiring congressional approval to demolish presidential memorials. Senator Lisa Murkowski backed the measure.

HUD raises upfront fee on Section 184 home loans for Native borrowers starting Oct. 1
Native American and Alaska Native families using HUD's Section 184 home loans pay a 1.5% upfront fee starting Oct. 1, up from 1%. That's $1,500 on $300,000.

Federal audit finds Eielson Air Force Base short hundreds of support workers, with one person left in housing
Eielson's housing office is down to one person, and hiring takes 407 days. A federal audit found more vacancies there than at eight other bases combined.

Global refinery disruptions widened fuel margins in 2026, and rural Alaska's barge fuel cost more
Galena's utility paid 29% more per gallon for this year's barge fuel, and St. Paul paid about $7.55. Summer's dip in oil prices came after the fuel was bought.

The Greenland defense deal cites Golden Dome, the missile shield already anchored in Alaska
The U.S.-Greenland defense deal cites Golden Dome, a missile shield Congress funded but can't get spending details on. Its Senate sponsor is Dan Sullivan.

FDA nominee Overton commits to Alaska food inspections and salmon labeling but not mifepristone access
Trump's FDA pick told Murkowski yes on Alaska food inspectors and salmon labels. On mailing abortion pills to rural Alaska, she made no promises.

Murkowski cosponsors bill to keep Temporary Protected Status for Ukrainians in the US
Murkowski is cosponsoring a bill to keep Ukrainians' protected status. USCIS says it ends Oct. 19; a federal deadline that passed in August may say otherwise.

Senate Indian Affairs Committee advances Native housing rewrite to full Senate
A Senate committee advanced a rewrite of the law funding village housing. It would let aid reach teachers and nurses who earn too much to qualify now.

Senate panel told it must rewrite the nuclear waste law before disposal sites can proceed
Six states have signed up to host nuclear waste. The $51 billion meant to pay for it may already be spent, the committee chair said out loud.

Alaska's universities fall outside parts of an advancing college sports bill
A college sports bill is moving in the Senate with both Alaska senators behind it. UAA and UAF play Division II, so only some of it would reach them.

Murkowski cosponsors Senate resolution backing Russian democracy advocates
The Senate wants to back Russian democracy activists. Russian law gives those very activists up to six years in prison for accepting the help.

Congress weighs $500 million in tribal water money Alaska can't reach
Congress is moving $500 million for one California tribe's water rights, a kind of federal money that Alaska's tribes, by their legal status, can barely reach.

Sullivan diesel-derate bill advances Senate committee 10-9
A Senate panel advanced Sullivan's diesel-derate bill 10-9. It mandates cold-weather relief while EPA separately considers broader changes.

A House committee cited Alaska while advancing a drilling bill for elsewhere
A House committee voted to drop federal drilling permits on 4 million acres. None are in Alaska, but the chairman held up Alaska as the model.

Alaska ended childhood liver cancer, and Washington noticed
Alaska Native children once had the world's highest rate of liver cancer. A newborn vaccine ended it, and Washington is now citing that as the model.

The Senate blocked federal crypto rules. Alaska already wrote its own
The Senate blocked the first federal crypto rules, with both Alaska senators voting to advance them. Alaska wrote its own kiosk law in July anyway.

War-driven oil prices are filling Alaska's treasury while straining its households
The same oil price spike is filling Alaska's treasury and straining its households — and Trump's $2 gas promise would take more than the war ending.

An Ahtna-owned company will demolish buildings at a West Virginia park
An Anchorage company owned by the Ahtna regional corporation will demolish abandoned buildings at New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia.

Federal orders reach Alaska's beef labeling and processing gaps
Alaska has 19,000 cattle, and just 772 went through federally inspected plants here last year. Two executive orders take up labeling and processing.

A court struck down a fishery council's power. Alaska's council has the same one.
A court found a Gulf fishery council's veto unconstitutional — and Alaska's council holds the same power, behind the CDQ program and other fishing regimes.

An Anchorage firm maintains nine Florida federal buildings on a $25 million GSA deal
An Anchorage contractor won a $23,553 federal contract to fix a rusted floor and fire alarm at a Jacksonville courthouse, part of a nationwide backlog of $8.3 billion in delinquent repairs.

Wright and Dunleavy insist the Alaska LNG project is alive
At an Anchorage conference, the U.S. energy secretary and Gov. Dunleavy insisted the stalled Alaska LNG project is alive, pointing at different obstacles.

Supreme Court lets Trump's mail-voting order advance, but Alaska's rules are unchanged for now
The Supreme Court let Trump's mail-voting order advance but didn't rule it legal. Alaska's voting is unchanged for now; a separate order blocks the key piece.

A small Alutiiq village corporation near Kodiak has built a $200 million federal business
A company owned by Ouzinkie, an Alutiiq village corporation near Kodiak, has built a federal business topping $200 million, its biggest presence in Florida.

An Anchorage firm runs facilities services for North Dakota's federal buildings
A company owned by Kodiak's Koniag corporation keeps federal buildings running across North Dakota, with the revenue flowing home to Alutiiq shareholders.

Northrim to buy Oregon bank, its first branches outside Alaska
Anchorage's Northrim Bank is expanding outside Alaska for the first time, buying an Oregon bank for about $167 million and 11 new branches.

Ouzinkie village corporation wins courthouse contracts in Florida
A village corporation from a 110-person Alutiiq island is fixing courthouse restrooms in Florida. One of the five awards bought only a new contract number.

An Anchorage firm will repair the State Department's headquarters
An Anchorage Alaska Native-owned firm won a federal order for emergency repairs to the State Department's headquarters — one of three out-of-state jobs.

SBA rule drops 8(a) disadvantage presumption for individual owners, leaves Native corporations untouched
Alaska Native corporation-owned firms keep federal 8(a) contracting eligibility unchanged, but individual applicants must now prove disadvantage starting Sept. 10.

Sullivan joins a national fight to strip California of its power to set tougher emissions rules
Sullivan has joined a national push to strip California of its power to set tougher emissions rules — a fight reaching 17 states, and one courts may decide.

The Senate failed to advance a national voter photo-ID bill — and Alaska's ID rules are looser than most
The Senate fell short on a federal voter photo-ID bill Saturday, both Alaska senators for it — in a state where a hunting license still lets you vote.

Senate passes Russia sanctions bill 86-11; Murkowski and Sullivan vote yes
Senate passes Russia sanctions bill 86-11 with Murkowski and Sullivan voting yes, clearing the way for tariffs up to 500% on Russian goods and targeting energy sales to China and India.

A program that lets people with ALS try experimental treatments just got five more years
A federal program that lets people with ALS try experimental treatments when they can't join a clinical trial just got five more years, in a bill Sen. Murkowski led through the Senate.

Sullivan files resolution to overturn EPA decision on California at-berth ship emissions
Sullivan filed a resolution to block California's at-berth ship emissions rule — one that could limit the state's power to set tougher emissions rules.

Murkowski presses Interior on who's paying for Trump's Smithsonian signs
Sens. Murkowski and Merkley are pressing Interior on who's paying for Park Service signs, ordered by Trump, that would criticize a Smithsonian museum's own exhibits.

Sullivan plans to add an ad-transparency bill to kids' safety package
Sullivan plans to attach his ad-transparency bill — platforms would report on public-service ads and promote mental health help — to a kids' safety package.

Senate bill co-led by Murkowski targets AI chatbot toys' risks to children
AI toys can be sold with no testing of what their chatbots tell kids — and testing found some explaining where to find pills and matches. A bipartisan Senate bill, co-led by Murkowski, targets that gap.

Murkowski cosponsors Senate bill to pay providers for breast cancer risk assessments
Sen. Lisa Murkowski cosponsored a bill to pay doctors for breast cancer risk assessments, addressing cost barriers that delay detection in rural Alaska.

Murkowski and Sullivan vote to advance an African trade bill
The Senate voted 89-4 Monday to advance a bill extending African trade benefits, with Alaska senators Murkowski and Sullivan both supporting it.

Betting apps take bets in Alaska as a Senate panel weighs the fallout
Prediction-market apps are taking sports bets in Alaska, where betting isn't legal. How much you wanna bet that it sticks around?
