The upper chamber of the United States Congress — 100 senators, two per state, six-year terms. Confirms federal judges and senior executive appointments, ratifies treaties, and shares legislative authority with the House of Representatives. Alaska's senators are Lisa Murkowski (R) and Dan Sullivan (R).
U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC 20510
Video Clips
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Patty Murray
“it is my intention to rip Trump's budget up and write a new one.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine advancing the mission, focusing on evaluating the future of VA research. · Jul 22, 2026
Patty Murray
“I'm very concerned by the actions by this administration that have demoralized a lot of our VA research staff and created instability in research funding and really put up barriers that has slowed the research process. On the very first day of the Trump administration, all VA research staff became subject to a hiring freeze.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine advancing the mission, focusing on evaluating the future of VA research. · Jul 22, 2026
Patty Murray
“the president's budget proposes a substantial reduction to VA's research program, not only through cuts to dedicated research appropriations, but also through reduced support from medical care accounts and lower projected reimbursements that many of our research programs rely on. Those reductions raise very serious concern about VA's ability to sustain its ongoing research and continue developing new innovations that improve our veterans' care.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine advancing the mission, focusing on evaluating the future of VA research. · Jul 22, 2026
Patty Murray
“I just want to emphasize what I made— comment I made in the opening remark about the pending OMB rule that would really undermine our current system and allow— take away decision-making power from our experienced scientists and just allow political appointees, whether this administration or into the future, decide where research is going to go. That is really concerning to VA researchers. We need decisions based on science, not based on somebody's mad at somebody or political decision in any administration.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine advancing the mission, focusing on evaluating the future of VA research. · Jul 22, 2026
Patty Murray
“a planned study on RSV missed its enrollment window and could not even enroll participants. Another clinical trial closed after it took 6 months to hire a researcher. The study's principal investigator and its lead clinician both resigned from the VA after that debacle.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine advancing the mission, focusing on evaluating the future of VA research. · Jul 22, 2026
Patty Murray
“research at the Pittsburgh VA to predict stroke risk was put on hold. Enrollment into clinical trials for advanced cancer was delayed, and a clinical trial in Florida on preventing dementia and heart disease was canceled.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine advancing the mission, focusing on evaluating the future of VA research. · Jul 22, 2026
Senate committee advances bill to give land to five landless SE Alaska Native communities
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted July 16 to advance legislation that would let five Southeast Alaska Native communities excluded from the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act form urban corporations and receive land entitlements, sending the bill to the full Senate.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska senators cast deciding votes to advance trade court nominee, 49-48
The U.S. Senate voted 49-48 on Wednesday to advance Kara Marie Westercamp's nomination to the Court of International Trade, with both Alaska senators voting in favor; a final confirmation vote is still pending on a court that handles tariff disputes affecting Alaska seafood exporters.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min readAI
A Washington pharmacy fight could hit Alaska's military families hardest
A Senate fight over TRICARE's pharmacy contract could hit Alaska's military families hardest, where cuts that pushed out local pharmacies leave a plane ride or unreliable mail-order as the alternative.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
U.S. Senate stalls defense bill, freezing $2.6B for Alaska
The Senate blocked the FY2027 defense bill 50-46 over the Iran war and budget, stalling $2.6 billion in Alaska military construction. Sullivan and Murkowski voted yes.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
NRA backs Sullivan after endorsing Peltola two years ago
Sen. Dan Sullivan is highlighting an A+ NRA endorsement in his tight Alaska Senate race against Mary Peltola — but the same group backed the gun-owning Democrat just two years ago.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Sullivan backs a contested Trump border judge; Murkowski doesn't vote
Sen. Dan Sullivan voted to confirm Trump judge Arthur "Rob" Jones, a Texas border prosecutor who declined under oath to say Biden won 2020, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski did not vote.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Alaska's newsroom is auditing what AI tells voters — and it keeps changing
Voting Monitor, an Alaska News project, tracks how 15 AI models answer voter questions about the 2026 races — finding recommendations that shift daily and change by a user's region.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Sen. Lindsey Graham dies; Alaska's senators mourn a colleague
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has died suddenly of an aortic dissection, and Alaska Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan joined colleagues in mourning his death.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Conservative groups back Sullivan, one with a six-figure ad buy
Two conservative groups endorsed Sen. Dan Sullivan's re-election, with Americans for Prosperity Action adding a six-figure statewide ad buy in his race against Mary Peltola.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Peltola calls for 12-year congressional term limits, asks Alaska legislature to act
Alaska U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola published a Fox News op-ed Sunday proposing 12-year congressional term limits and calling on the Alaska State Legislature to pass a state-level measure as a legal pathway to federal reform, a pitch that lands as Cook Political Report rates the Alaska Senate race a toss-up.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Trump pardons an Alaska diesel mechanic, reigniting a fight over emissions rules
President Trump pardoned Wasilla diesel mechanic Mackenzie Spurlock, convicted of removing truck emissions controls — praised by Sen. Dan Sullivan, criticized as weakening clean-air rules.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Cook Political Report shifts Alaska Senate race to toss-up
The Cook Political Report shifted the Sullivan–Peltola Senate race to toss-up, backed by an independent Times/Siena poll showing a two-point margin, in a Republican-leaning state.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Sullivan opens his Senate race with a $2.2M ad blitz
Sen. Dan Sullivan launched a $2.2 million ad buy ahead of Alaska's August 18 primary, an early marker of heavy spending expected in his competitive race against Mary Peltola.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Two rulings just reshaped Alaska's Senate race
A Supreme Court ruling lifting limits on coordinated party campaign spending lands on Alaska's Senate race, the same week a second Dan Sullivan qualified for the ballot.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Peltola tours the Interior on fish and costs — into a contested field
Mary Peltola toured six Interior Alaska communities on salmon and cost-of-living issues, ground her rival Sen. Dan Sullivan also contests as the Senate race heats up.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
Murkowski backs bill to open banking to Alaska cannabis businesses
Sen. Lisa Murkowski co-sponsored a Senate bill to give banks safe harbor to serve marijuana businesses, which could end cash-only operations for Alaska's cannabis industry.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Sullivan and Peltola, fighting over the same salmon
Sen. Dan Sullivan's new bycatch bill and challenger Mary Peltola's fisheries plan put trawling and salmon bycatch at the center of Alaska's 2026 U.S. Senate race.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Sullivan's Bycatch Bill Wades Into Alaska's Hardest Fish Fight
Sen. Sullivan introduced a sweeping trawl bycatch bill amid Western Alaska salmon collapses — though NOAA science attributes the river declines mainly to ocean warming.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min readAI
Alaska's top two Senate candidates both campaigned in Fairbanks on the same day
Sen. Dan Sullivan and Mary Peltola both campaigned in Fairbanks on June 24, underscoring the city's stakes in a close, nationally watched 2026 Alaska Senate race.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
The EPA's No. 2 told Alaska's resource industry the door is open — for now
EPA Deputy Administrator David Fotouhi told Alaska's Resource Development Council the agency is rolling back climate and oil-and-gas rules to speed resource development.
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago2 min readAI
Trump Wildlife Pick Wants Fewer ESA Lawsuits — Alaska Is Ground Zero
Kevin Lilly, nominated to lead Fish and Wildlife, told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee that Endangered Species Act consultations have been weaponized by litigation rather than focused on recovery — a stance with direct consequences for Alaska mining and infrastructure permits.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Senate panel weighs Mark Cruz nomination to lead Indian Health Service
The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held a confirmation hearing Wednesday for Mark Cruz, a Klamath Tribes citizen nominated as the 12th IHS Director, with Chair Murkowski signaling early support and pressing Alaska-specific priorities including sanitation, self-governance, and contract support costs.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
A housing bill aimed straight at rural Alaska just cleared the U.S. Senate
The U.S. Senate voted 85-5 on Sunday to pass the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, with both Alaska senators voting yes on a bill that targets rural housing repair, tribal infrastructure, and Alaska's Section 8 waitlist.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
A Plan to Reopen Rural Alaska's Armories — On Paper
Sen. Dan Sullivan's Alaska National Guard Rural Community Revival Act passed the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday as part of the FY 2027 NDAA, directing the Pentagon to plan the reopening of rural armories shuttered in the 1990s — with direct stakes for Western Alaska Native communities.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
A Record Alaska Defense Bill Clears Its First Hurdle
A Senate committee advanced a defense bill authorizing about $2.6 billion for Alaska military construction, led by a JBER overhaul — but it must still clear the full Senate and House.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Outside spending in the Alaska Senate race intensifies — Majority Forward ads target Sullivan
Outside spending in the 2026 Alaska Senate race is now active with Democratic-aligned Majority Forward attacking Sullivan and Republican reservations larger
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
A Senate vote on the federal lands maintenance fund has major Alaska stakes
Senate Energy Committee advanced reauthorization of the GAOA Legacy Restoration Fund — major implications for Alaska's federal lands and maintenance funding
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min readAI
Murkowski flagged Alaska parallels at a Senate deep-sea mining hearing
Sen. Murkowski flagged Alaska's "northern waters" at a Senate hearing where Pacific territorial governors testified against federal deep-sea mining decisions
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min readAI
Legal memo says Daniel J. Sullivan appears eligible for U.S. Senate ballot
A Legislative Legal Services memo says the lieutenant governor was likely not legally justified in rejecting Daniel J. Sullivan’s U.S. Senate declaration of candidacy.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readAI
Murkowski and Sullivan split on a motion to discharge an Iran War Powers Resolution
Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Sen. Dan Sullivan split on a Senate motion to discharge an Iran War Powers Resolution — mirroring their 2020 split on a similar measure
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Peltola releases Alaska fisheries platform anchored in factory trawling ban
Senate candidate Mary Peltola released a fisheries platform Monday calling for a factory trawl ban, Tribal seats on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, and a locked federal subsistence board, framing the plan as a direct contrast to incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
Murkowski: War-price fuel barges lock rural Alaska into costly winter
Senator Lisa Murkowski warned Sunday that rural Alaska villages receiving June fuel barges are locked into peak Iran-war prices through winter, with Dillingham at $9/gal and Nuiqsut at $14/gal before barge delivery and increases of 50 percent or more coming.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
Senator Sullivan threatens legal action over namesake challenger
U.S. Senator Dan S. Sullivan is threatening legal action against challenger Dan J. Sullivan, claiming the candidacy is designed to confuse voters. Social-media posts show Alaska's ballot format lists only name and party, raising questions about how voters will distinguish between identically named Republican candidates.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readAISenate committee advances hydropower bill backed by Murkowski
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed the FLOWS Act on Wednesday, eliminating federal approval requirements for routine hydropower maintenance and creating a streamlined licensing pathway for small-scale marine energy projects.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min readAI
Coast Guard to homeport four icebreakers in Alaska
The Coast Guard announced Wednesday that two Arctic Security Cutters will be stationed in Kodiak and one in Seward, with first delivery expected in 2028, funded by $3.5 billion secured by Alaska's congressional delegation.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska Senate race shifts to toss-up as Peltola challenges Sullivan
Sabato's Crystal Ball moved Alaska's U.S. Senate race from 'leans Republican' to 'toss-up' Thursday, marking a significant shift in a race where Democrat Mary Peltola is challenging incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Coast Guard to homeport four icebreakers in Alaska
The Coast Guard announced Thursday that two Arctic Security Cutters will be stationed in Kodiak and one in Seward, with first delivery expected in 2028, funded by $3.5 billion secured by Alaska's congressional delegation.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
Iron Dog race expands route to Huslia, Shungnak, Ambler
The Iron Dog snowmachine race will add three Western and Interior Alaska communities to its route after Senator Sullivan's office successfully challenged a 2022 federal wildlife plan that blocked the expansion.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
Peltola proposes corporate tax tied to worker pay in Senate race
Mary Peltola unveils corporate tax plan tied to worker pay in Alaska Senate race against Dan Sullivan, making affordability the campaign's central fight.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
The other Dan Sullivan case tests Alaska's election-law limits
Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom opened an investigation into Daniel James Sullivan Jr. of Petersburg, who filed as a Republican U.S. Senate candidate with the same name as the incumbent, testing Alaska's election-law authority to determine ballot eligibility and prevent voter confusion.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min readAI