ANCHORAGE, Alaska: The Republican senator from Alaska, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, said again Thursday that she was unhappy with the likely presidential candidates.
During a press conference in her downtown Anchorage office that lasted about an hour in the afternoon, Alaska’s senior senator talked about her views on the Republican party as a whole. She reiterated her belief that the party has changed since she became a Republican decades ago.
Murkowski said, “I’ve been a member of the party since I signed up to vote.” “My name hasn’t changed on file.” Many people think that I did when I ran as a write-in candidate and lost the primary in 2010. I was still a Republican, even though I was a write-in candidate. I haven’t changed.
“To be honest, I think the Republican Party has changed a bit,” she said. “And I think most Republicans would agree—yeah, it has changed a lot over the years.”
But Murkowski said she knows where she stands in the Capitol—with the GOP—but she made it clear again Thursday that she is still confused about what the two-party system in the US has to offer, especially when it comes to who might be in the Oval Office for the next four years.
She said, “I don’t know where the party goes.” “I understand who I am and where I belong in my conference.” Remember that there are two sides of the aisle in the US Senate: the Republican side and the Democratic side. There is no place for Independent. You have to still choose who you will join with.
“As I have said I am frustrated with the Republican party,” she went on, “I look at the two choices I have to caucus with in the U.S. Senate and I know I am in the right place.”
When asked which candidate she would choose between Donald Trump, who is expected to be the Republican nominee, and Joe Biden, who is currently president, Murkowski first said that people would have to make a careful choice. She then said that her choice might not come from either party. She also said that the two-party system isn’t working for Americans by saying that people are very unhappy with the choices they have for the November election.
She said of Biden and Trump, “Maybe I don’t vote for either one.” “I’m still not sure.” “I don’t like either one’s policies or their personalities.”
Murkowski was asked about Trump’s claims of a rigged system and his recent actions against judges and their families. She was also asked if she thought Trump was delegitimizing or politicizing the justice system. Murkowski replied, “We all hope and pray, and we have a responsibility as lawmakers to make sure that our system of justice works for everyone, no matter your title or economic status, and that it is fair and equitable.”
She said, “We’ve all seen the same thing.” “The former president doesn’t like this; he thinks these are attacks on him that are done for personal or political reasons.” It’s important to remember that the former president is charged with 91 crimes, not just one. Several criminal charges have been brought against him. There are four charges. They’re not just coming from one state; they’re coming from several, and in some of them they are basically red.
“I understand that he doesn’t like it,” she said. “I have called him a ‘flawed candidate,’ because I don’t think our country has ever had a party nominee for president come before voters with these kinds of criminal charges against him.” ‘Why can’t you back him?’ has been asked of me. I believe it is very important for our country to have honest, moral, and good-natured people who bring those qualities to the table. Unfortunately, I don’t see that in the Republican candidate right now.
Thursday, lawmakers also talked about a number of bills that are still being thought about by Congress and are important to Alaskan groups, such as national defense and flight. That also includes the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2024 and laws that make sure the U.S. Coast Guard can keep working even when money runs out. A federal tax plan that is currently being looked at by the Senate also has parts that offer tax credits for housing, child care, research, development, and other things.
“I’m having this conversation about housing everywhere I go,” Murkowski said, adding that she has been visiting communities across the state during the break. “These are important issues in each of our communities, as well as across the state and at the federal level.” We’re going through different parts of the process of allocating funds.
She also said, “There’s good pending business out there, so we’ll see how much we can actually move things along the way.”
The senator said she is especially excited about some of the projects that are already happening because of what the legislature has done and will help Alaska. These include a deepwater port in Nome and a new ship that will be based in Juneau.
She said, “We need to do some work on the homeporting side.” It’s only fair that we add more money for shore-side infrastructure support in next year’s spending bills to account for that. So we’ve got some work to do, but that’s a good task, because what it is going to allow is for us to get a ship in Arctic waters for the first time in a long, long, long, long time.”
When Murkowski gets back to Washington, D.C., next week, she plans to get right to work on confirming judges. After that, she says, she wants to start the impeachment process as soon as the relevant papers are officially sent from the House to the Senate for review.
“Things like this take you off the legislative agenda calendar,” she said. “I think it’s safe to say that we still have a lot on the agenda…” Our job is to get it done as quickly and well as possible.
On Monday, April 8, 2024, lawmakers will be back at the Capitol for another meeting.
