As President Donald Trump marks 100 days in office, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski is urging anxious Alaskans to keep protesting against his administration.
During an hour-long radio program on April 29, Murkowski expressed deep concerns with Trump’s use of executive power and the priorities supported by his administration and Republicans in Congress. She mentioned the 50501 movement, which has protested against the Trump administration, including with rallies in Alaska.
“I think that type of engagement is important, and people shouldn’t feel discouraged because, ‘Well, I haven’t seen anything change since the last week that I went to go protest.’ Keep the engagement up,” she said on Alaska Public Media’s weekly “Talk of Alaska” program.
Murkowski cited a long list of concerns: Congress eyeing deep cuts to Medicaid; potential cuts to federal early learning programs and food assistance for low-income Alaskans; the Trump administration’s abrupt firings of federal workers and a messy reinstatement process; the suspension of critical federal grants that were approved by Congress and expected by organizations across Alaska; private citizens’ data being accessed by the Department of Government Efficiency; and what she called an erosion of legislative authority.
Murkowski is one of few senior congressional Republicans who have spoken out forcefully against Trump since he returned to the White House in January. She recently spoke to leaders of Alaska nonprofits and said that “we are all afraid” and added that “retaliation is real” — comments that were widely recirculated by national media outlets.
On April 29, she elaborated on those comments and suggested that her fears come from “hearing concerns on so many different levels” from Alaskans.
“I can’t just say, ‘Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine.’ Because in many areas, what you have been able to count on, what you’ve been able to bank on, what you have built your business on, might not be there tomorrow. So, I can’t give you that certainty,” she said.
Her rebukes against the Trump administration stand in stark contrast to recent comments from other prominent Alaska Republicans.
Fellow U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan joined Republican senators in an April 29 social media video, congratulating Trump on 100 days in office.
Alaska U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III and Gov. Mike Dunleavy posted similar messages to social media on April 29, focusing on Trump’s moves to boost resource development in Alaska.
Murkowski is one of seven Senate Republicans who signed on to support a bill that would limit Trump’s tariff powers. She said what’s happening with tariffs now is an example of Congress ceding its authority to the executive branch over recent years, which federal lawmakers should take back.
She also signaled opposition to key parts of the Republican legislative agenda.
The U.S. House has called for $1.5 trillion in spending reductions to pay for an extension of tax cuts approved in 2017. Murkowski said the only realistic place to find savings that large is from cutting Medicaid, which provides health care to almost 40% of Alaskans.
Murkowski said Congress has an obligation to address the “burgeoning” national debt, but many Alaskans have told her they fear Medicaid cuts. She said that she would oppose Medicaid benefit cuts that would harm Alaskans.
The U.S. House advanced legislation earlier in the month that requires proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote for federal elections. Begich voted for the bill and Sullivan is a co-sponsor of the Senate’s version.
The state of Alaska earlier in April charged 10 Whittier residents from American Samoa with illegally voting. But examples of non-citizens voting in Alaska are rare, the Alaska Beacon reported last year.
“I don’t see that as a significant problem for us at this point,” Murkowski said in opposition to the bill.
Legal experts have warned that the measure could disenfranchise millions of married women who have changed their names. Additionally, Murkowski said she was concerned that rural Alaska residents, in particular, could be disenfranchised if they don’t have a birth certificate or the correct documentation to vote.
Unless those issues are resolved with the legislation, Murkowski said that “it’s not something that I can support.”
Reader Comments(0)