Murkowski Helps Advance First Four Spending Bills with Alaska Wins

Washington, DC –Yesterday, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, voted to advance four bills for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) that contain significant investments for Alaska. The four appropriations bills that passed committee are for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (AG); Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon); Commerce, Justice, and Science and Related Agencies (CJS); and Legislative Branch (LEG). All were approved in committee, and will now advance to the Senate floor for consideration.

“With crucial investments in affordable housing, infrastructure, public safety, and fisheries, we are addressing some of the most pressing challenges faced by Alaskans, and helping the sustainability and future of not only our communities, but our way of life. I am proud to fight for Alaskan priorities and ensure that our state’s needs are met,”said Senator Murkowski.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE COMMERCE, JUSTICE, AND SCIENCE (CJS) APPROPRIATIONS BILL

Supporting NOAA’s Mission in Alaska
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a vital partner for the state of Alaska, leveraging partnerships at federal, state, local, and Tribal levels. NOAA provides everything from real time weather forecasts to fisheries monitoring, so that our communities are safe and our way of life is sustainable. To that end, Senator Murkowski prioritized ensuring the agency had programmatic support from the CJS Appropriations Bill to further advance their core missions in Alaska.

One of the largest wins included $75 million for NOAA to recapitalize vessels, so that the fleet can continue to provide state-of-the-art weather forecasts and fisheries monitoring. The budget also included a $1 million increase for the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Regional Observations, which directly supports Alaska’s Ocean Observing System.

Wins for NOAA Fisheries that will support sustainable seafood harvesting and conserving habitat:

Wins for NOAA Weather & Climate Monitoring Systems

Advancing Connectivity in Alaska
Senator Murkowski has set herself apart with her focus on broadband infrastructure in Alaska, shepherding record investment to the state through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021. She continues to be a leader in the space, inserting report language in the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program that acknowledges Alaska’s challenges with short construction seasons and logistics, laying the groundwork for future flexibility and support if needed. She also directed the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to consider supplemental funding that would ensure rural and remote Tribal projects are completed.

Promoting Public Safety in Alaska
Public safety in Alaska is always foremost on Senator Murkowski’s mind—particularly in our rural communities. She used the CJS bill as a vehicle for direct investment towards advancing that goal. The bill includes an increase in funding for the Tribal Youth Program, which does everything from improvements to the juvenile justice system, invest in alcohol and substance abuse prevention programs, and offer mental health services for Tribal youth. She was able to secure a 5% Tribal Set-Aside in the Crime Victims Fund along with strong report language that supports Tribal flexibility and streamlined access. The Senator also included increased funding for Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction, with language supporting Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) efforts and improved Department of Justice (DOJ) grant coordination for Native communities. Additionally, the bill follows up on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on MMIW with a directive for immediate reporting.
Alaska faces some of the highest rates of sexual assault per capita of any state, and Senator Murkowski was intent on using the CJS bill to address this crisis. She approved an almost tripling of the Sexual Assault Forensic Exam Grants funding, which will support training and resources for forensic examination of sexual assault survivors. The Senator also included report language directing the Office for Victims of Crime/Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to support Alaska-specific Child Advocacy Centers.
The bill also includes funding increases for Transitional Housing Assistance, Underserved Populations Program, Regional Information Sharing Systems, and Veterans Treatment Courts.

Investing in Arctic Research
As the leading expert in Congress on Arctic policy and polar affairs, Senator Murkowski uses her position to advance American priorities in the North. The bill provides $9.1 billion, just $60 million below the last enacted level – preserving support for critical Arctic scientific research despite tight fiscal constraints. Arctic research remains a priority, with the National Science Foundation (NSF) playing a key role in supporting long-term monitoring, infrastructure development, and partnerships with Alaska-based institutions and Indigenous communities.

In addition to broader programmatic funding to help Alaskans, Murkowski was able to secure investments in this bill that are specific to local 17 Alaska communities or entities, projects that have been requested and prioritized by local governments and organizations:

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES (AG) APPROPRIATIONS BILL

Investments in housing and community development
Affordable housing remains one of the most pressing challenges facing Alaska and our country. Senator Murkowski was intent on using the AG spending bill to address this challenge, particularly in rural communities where the cost of development remains prohibitively high. She supported $1.715 billion for the Rental Assistance Program, which will help low-income families around the country with for affordable rental housing in rural areas. She was able to secure $25 million for very low-income housing repair grants so that Alaskans can stay in their homes safely.
Also included in the legislation was $1.25 billion for direct loans to improve critical infrastructure such as public safety buildings and community centers in rural communities.

Updating Alaska’s clean water and utility infrastructure
Senator Murkowski has made it her mission to ensure Alaska has the infrastructure to support daily life – no matter what community Alaskans’ call home. She was able to include $65 million for Rural Water and Waste Disposal Grants, and inserted report language that would prioritize Alaska Native communities. She also was able to secure $8 million for the High Energy Cost Grant Program, which assists energy providers in lowering energy costs for families with extremely high per-household energy costs.

Bolstering food security and agriculture
Senator Murkowski has been focused on bolstering Alaska’s food security for many years. She was able to secure a number of Alaska-specific wins, including:

In addition, the bill includes $80 million for The Emergency Food Assistance Program’s storage and distribution funding to ensure rural food banks can receive supplies; a $3 billion increase for Child Nutrition programs, including School Breakfast and School Lunch programs, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program, as well as a $603 million increase to fully fund Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The bill also directs USDA to work with states, tribes, and local stakeholders to use federal nutrition dollars for the direct purchase of foods from local and regional producers for the various food assistance programs.

In addition to programmatic funding to help Alaskans, Murkowski was able to secure investments in this bill that are specific for 10 Alaska communities, projects that have been requested and prioritized by local governments and organizations:

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND RELATED AGENCIES (MILCON) APPROPRIATIONS BILL

Ensuring Alaska’s military bases are state-of-the-art facilities
Senator Murkowski is committed to supporting servicemembers in Alaska to ensure they have access to up-to-date resources as they protect and defend our nation, but also bolster their personal well-being as they adapt to life in Alaska. She secured over $400 million in programmatic funding for a Joint Integrated Testing and Training Center (JITTC) at JBER for the Air Force, a base supply complex at JBER for the Air National Guard, and a barracks at Fort Wainwright for the Army.

Supporting Alaska’s veterans
Senator Murkowski was able to secure funding for the construction of State Extended Care Facilities and Veterans Cemeteries. She also secured report language directing the VA to focus on benefits eligibility education for veterans who lack a direct road connection to a VA facility.She also secured her annual bill language to allow for care-sharing agreements between Federally Qualified Health Centers in the State of Alaska and Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations which are party to the Alaska Native Health Compact with the Indian Health Service. She made certain that the VA received full funding for mental health programs, telehealth programs, women veteran gender-specific care programs, homelessness programs, and for the Office of Rural Health.

In addition to programmatic funding, Murkowski was able to secure investments in this bill that are specific for 3 of Alaska military installations, projects that have been requested and prioritized by the Department of Defense:

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH (LEG) APPROPRIATIONS BILL

Senator Murkowski inserted report language in the Legislative Branch FY26 Appropriations Act that incentivizes the Senate Dining Room and food-service facilities in the Capitol to source domestic seafood products, including wild-caught Alaska salmon.

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