Wyden, Murkowski Lead Colleagues Calling on Trump Administration to Approve Fisheries Disaster Relief

August 07, 2026 Wyden, Murkowski Lead Colleagues Calling on Trump Administration to Approve Fisheries Disaster Relief Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, were joined today by Senators Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska in calling on the Trump administration to release long-delayed disaster relief funds for Oregon and Alaska fisheries. “ Commercial fisheries are imperative to Oregon and Alaska’s coastal economy, a critical ecological resource, and especially important to indigenous tribes ,” the Senators wrote in their letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought and Deputy NOAA Administrator Timothy Petty. “ Delays in fund disbursal do not only impact the viability of fisheries as an economic resource but also the communities and individual constituents we serve. Federal approval would not only support fishery recovery but also improve their resilience to future disasters .” In their letter, the Senators requested the administration release a total of $20,462,158 in funding for four fishery disasters spanning between 2018 and 2022. Federal disaster relief requests were submitted for these instances in 2024 but have not yet been approved. Delayed recovery from these disasters continues to have significant economic consequences for coastal communities and jobs in Oregon and Alaska. The full letter is here . Related Files fisheries_disaster_relief_letter.pdf Print Email Tweet Next Article Previous Article