In an hour-long interview with The New York Times Magazine, published on June 14, a fearful-sounding Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska reflected on her decades-long career, her bleak view of the Republican Party, and the challenges facing Alaska.
“I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice, because retaliation is real,” she said, rephrasing comments she made earlier this year.
In April, during a conference with nonprofit leaders in Anchorage, she drew national headlines when she stated, “we are all afraid” and “retribution is real.”
Now it’s also perceived retaliation, which is an action driven by revenge or “getting even,” while retribution is considered a more formal, state-administered, response that is more proportional.
“It’s dangerous for us in the legislative branch,” she said to the interviewer.
The conversation with the newspaper comes just ahead of the release of her memoir, Far From Home, expected later this month. In recent months, after she announced her book would be published, she has been ever-present in the media, a tactic used by many authors to grow a readership for their books.
Murkowski reiterated that she has never voted for President Donald Trump and that she endorsed Nikki Haley during the 2024 Republican primaries. In the interview, she criticized the GOP’s continued alignment with Trump and pointed to a culture of fear within the party. She recalled moments where Republican lawmakers hesitated to speak out due to concerns about political retaliation.
She highlighted her record of bucking party leadership, including her vote against repealing the Affordable Care Act in 2017 and her opposition to Trump’s nomination of Pete Hegseth for secretary of Defense. She did vote for Biden’s pick for Defense, Lloyd Austin, and Trump’s first-term Defense Sec. James Mattis.
Murkowski used the interview to spotlight Alaska’s vulnerability to changes in federal funding. She said an estimated 37% of the state’s budget tied to federal programs, which makes her concerned about proposed cuts under Trump’s new budget plan, the Big Beautiful Bill, now in front of the US Senate for consideration.
According to Murkowski, those proposals have already resulted in funding freezes and layoffs, triggering protests in Alaska. These are protests she tacitly encouraged in April, when she spoke to the nonprofit conference, telling the audience, “Be affirmative in your protesting to support the programs you want to see preserved. I think it’s important the concerns continue to be raised rather than letting the fatigue of the chaos grind you down.”
Regarding the budget cuts, she told the newspaper, “I come from a state where we have, on a per capita basis, more federal workers than most any other state. So to come in and tell these people that have been helping us with everything from permitting a mine to the visitor’s center at the Mendenhall Glacier and telling them, sorry, your services are no longer warranted. That’s not how we operate here. So it’s been a rocky, rocky five months with dealing with some of what we saw with the DOGE effort,” she said.
Murkowski also discussed her opposition to elements of Trump’s proposed “Big, Beautiful Bill,” including Medicaid cuts and the phaseout of green energy tax credits. The bill attempts to make it harder to scam Medicaid, which is a program that is riddled with fraud, with estimates that the fraud costs taxpayers $22 billion to $73 billion a year.
She expressed alignment with fellow senators Josh Hawley and Susan Collins, who also support Medicaid fraud. Murkowski warned that the proposals could disproportionately impact Alaska, which she noted already face challenges in healthcare access and energy development. She did not explain the prevalence of very suspect invoices submitted to Medicaid by the Native medical providers in the state, nor the need for an overhaul of the Medicaid system.
Her forthcoming memoir, Far From Home, recounts key moments in her career, including her historic 2010 write-in campaign victory after losing the Republican primary to Joe Miller. The book covers her 23 years in the Senate and offers insight into navigating Washington.
The full transcript of her interview can be read here at Apple Podcasts.
Funny how Murkowski is “anxious” and in fear of retribution after all the stuff she’s done to her opponents in the past. Karma?
Or perhaps a properly founded concern in light of an extreme conservative assassinating elected officials in Minnesota over the weekend?
Correction the Minnesota representative was assassinated by a left wing nut. Harold is the typical useful idiot that Stalin played so masterfully.
Her extreme chronic TDS has clouded her judgment.
Princess is clearly suffering not only from TDS, but from Crone’s Disease also.
Lisa Murkowski is a deep state senator, she hasn’t represented Alaska and alaskan’s for ten years. Please you republic hating democrats and republicans, quit voting for her. She is trying to do as much damage as she can before getting fired.
Andrew, you are correct. 100%. It is obvious to anyone that pays attention.
She is stoking the fires of fear in her Alaska liberal base.
Does Lisa include book chapters where she: failed the state bar exam half a dozen times, her daddy appointed her because she couldn’t find any other employment, she became a traitor to the party that backed her because she was a brainwashed socialist all along, Joe Miller kicked her *ss in the 2010 primary because he was 10X smarter than her, she had to teach Native voters how to spell her name, and she’s been shaming her parents for 20 years? Those are the chapters that will sell her books. Otherwise, the book is DOA.
Let’s have a book burning party for Lisa. Lots of advance publicity. The Murkowski royals have been in political power since 1980 (45 years). This has to come to an end. And BTW, Lisa looks about 90 years old. What happened?
Upvote
You forgot Rank Choice Voting is the only reason she got reelected. Lisa voted for every woman that despised Alaska. Deb Haaland, Jenifer Granholm, Sally Riddle. These women worked against Alaska’s interest’s.
Ole Quivers With Wolves still working the book tour?
Continuing to say things like this could land her in Alaska Psychiatric Institute. This woman is a mess.
High anxiety? Boo Hoo You did it to yourself Rino! Cry somewhere else
Murkowski is feeling the pressure from noble ‘native’ criminal entities aka #TribesThatBribe for her inability to deliver on their radical racist anti-Caucasian bigotry driven demands. No quid-pro-quo means they have to threaten to expose her criminal entanglement with the CCP because the soros/xi dark money flow exceeds that of kawerak, bsnc and the likes of the village of Solomon (population 0) USAID grift being clawed back.
And Murkowski owes some very nasty people. Blaming it on 47 is not fooling anyone.
I wonder how dangerous it would be for members of the legislative branch if they did what their constituents wanted, instead of ignoring their constituents and doing whatever they can to consolidate power in their own hands?
She could just be quiet, and stop trying cultivate the liberal base to stay elected.
Rino!!!!
Maybe she should ask Maxine Watters and Timmy Walz to cut back the fighting Words!
She should be anxious about her voice being heard. She is the one that got herself into the “anxious” corner by not doing what Alaskans have asked of her and catering to the Libs while stating she is a Republican. Walking the fence constantly would make me anxious too but the consequences are total her fault. She knows she can’t even win an election without Ranked Choice Voting.
Wanna quit worrying…..get out!
Now that the Rino republicans like “Cocaine Mitch” is gone we should be able to get her out because she wont have access to the Senate leadership money. We just need a decent candidate to run against her. A clone of Nick Begich would be fantastic
DRAMA QUEEN.. What a waste of Alaska’s Senatorial Seat’s time and prosperity Please Resign. For the Greater Good, please resign.
Resign and retire in peace! Please go away!
“I come from a state where we have, on a per capita basis, more federal workers than most any other state”
I say, Get rid of at least half of them, including Lisa.
In 2010 Joe Miller lost in the general election because of Democrat votes and Native votes in a write-in campaign that Frankie called “making history.”
Kelly Tshibaka lost because of RCV and Democrat votes in 2024.
.
Lisa is a Republican in Name Only (RINO)
.
How do we intend to beat this POS?
.
Frankie and Nancy could disinherit her. That will drive House Husband clean down to Mexico.
Fearful? Like unborn babies squirming to get away from abortion instruments?
Wake up, Lisa!
The Princess thinks of herself as a country club elitist, rubbing elbows with the deepest of the deep staters like the romneys, lindsey grahams, john mccains, g.w. bushs, et al.. too dense to realize shes but a tool for the neocons.
In his first inaugural address in 1981, Ronald Reagan said: “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”
Senator Murkowski does not understand this now, if she ever did. The Senator is playing for the other team. She wants more government and more spending regardless of cost. She cares very little for Alaskans that work for a living.
If Murkowski thinks there is retaliation, she should try being a conservative at the head of the Anchorage Municipal Public Libraries. Please, your whining is sickening. You can’t imagine what you and your liberal friends have put most of us conservatives through over the years. We have every right as voting citizens to express our opinions when you do not vote Republican values. Please just leave the party if we scare you so.
Happy PM radio host? You did this.
In order to understand the term anxious, ove this “Big Beautiful Bill”, it seems like the cuts are nowhere near minor: coming from madam senator murkowski; and how this connects with your states current deficit that can’t even pay a full Permanent Fund Dividend since the time I used my sleeve to wipe my snot!
I’d like to see a petition labeled stay off our new gasline Permanent Fund Dividend, oh wait there won’t be one connected to it, because she’s anxious and secretly waiting for you to read her book for yourself
Watch, when everything needs the legislative branch to vote or veto positive gains from the third phase of the Liquefied Natural Gas deal: LNG PFD will not have uts own revenue distribution other than the current Permanent Fund Dividend
Lawsuits lawsuits, over the original Permanent Fund Dividend formula, because it’ll conflict with the state revenue budget for big beautiful export terminals that will need to be paid out via duplicate system of the current Permanent Fund Dividend formula
Who in my crazy esteem thinks this wouldn’t allow anxious dip in oh the PFD which may merge with LNG distribution will be riddled with back to the original formula
Then whose going to address something separate other than what this oil pipeline currently distributed this year other that what 3,500 the original formula, how much back since then!
Oh wait I’m limited as to how to address state revenue and other budget assets because I’m skeptical all Alaskans will complain in 56 month timeline on how to proceed with funds related to what was intended for whose interest, the senator in Washington or what’s best for legislative input of her knowing already how the PFD formula currently syands
She is a disaster. Look girl, you are a Republican and Trump is a Republican president. This should be easy but she acts like a rejected pouty teenager. The article must misstate that she supports Medicaid fraud but able bodied individuals should work for their Healthcare. Alaska, please vote this jerk out.
Princess: If you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen. In fact, just get out! Please. 🙏
Nancy and I might go to her book signing if she comes to Wrangell. Since Lisa didn’t ask me to write the Forward to her book, we aren’t talking.
Her personal writing skills aren’t very strong, so her ghost writer did all the major writing. Lisa was my favorite child, but academically there are smarter kids in my brood. I still can’t believe I chose Lisa to be senator back in December 2002. Life has been miserable for us ever since.
Don’t you ignorant peons realize that it’s Lisa’s DUTY to do exactly what we didn’t vote for? Because she’s smarter and more moral than we are.
If WE were so smart, OUR daddies would have made US senators!
Fearful? Could be worse you could be an unborn native kid leaving with the likely hood your heroes at blabbed murderhood will terminate you. Just saying.
In this article, and in Senator Murkowski’s words, “….an estimated 37% of the state’s budget tied to federal programs, which makes her concerned about proposed cuts under Trump’s new budget plan, the Big Beautiful Bill, now in front of the US Senate for consideration.”
This is the OPPORTUNITY for Senator Murkowski to rise above her self-interest and LEAD!
Instead, she makes false claims of being a victim of President Trump, instead of an elected leader. As if she is now a martyr, fighting on behalf of us poor, dumb natives. Celebrating our culture by wearing the highest price of our Regala, showing up in the villages (for the election season).
Blaming President Trump and anyone else for her powerlessness as she concurrently elevates herself as a HERO. (With a ghostwriter hired to document and create her exist strategy out of the Senate)…Spoiler alert her exit strategy does not benefit the people that put her there.
She will never get the point, because she does not know the savvy of our Alaska Native Ancestors. We are the largest private indigenous landowners on EARTH.
We are not afraid of less government.
We are positioned to stop relying on the government and make our damn lives better.
If Senator Murkowski chooses to use her sound bites for a “more of the same” message, then we know that is the total capacity of her vision.
Leadership is about vision. I do not care who runs against her, but somebody better, because she has demonstrated she has reached capacity.
well said
Only the guilty live in fear
Dangerous jobs, I just Grok’ d it, I didn’t see conress on the list, I did see loggers, fishers, roofers, and ICS and Law Enforcement, God bless them. Murkowski seems to be full of pooh.
If she is a anxious and fearful she could do the citizens of Alaska and herself a Huuuuuge favor and resign.
Lisa says, ” it’s been a rocky, rocky five months with dealing with some of what we saw with the DOGE effort”
DOGE revealed how the swamp or deep state or whatever name you assign to it funds itself fraudulently and rewards its friends via NGO’s with $ from the public treasury. In addition, Dodge revealed horrific fraud within Social Security payments. How can Lisa find the revelations made from DOGE troubling? One can only deduce that Lisa is a co-conspirator of this fraud. Prove me wrong.
I’m glad DJT has moved away from the nepotism of his 1st term.
I’m sad that nepotism gave us this failed senator.
PS: Did you know that New Jersey had their Senator, Bob Menendez, put in jail today, but his son, Bob Menendez Jr., sits in the US Congress? Is this Democracy?
She showed us her profound affection for the penis piano player from Ukraine when He came to panhandle for more cash for Joe Biden’s proxy war with Russia.
She would look a lot happier and feel more appreciated sitting in Zelenski’s music room polishing his piano keys for him.
Alaskans want resource development. Murkowski wants renewable energy. How goes that help people in the remote villages throughout Alaska? Wouldn’t we all benefit from developing oil and gas reserves, mining rare earth metals or buildings roads into the interior? Think Permanent Fund for the past 45 years.
Poor Lisa, I feel so sorry for you…NOT
Time for poor Lisa to go
Lisa needs to retire. She’s a pure 100% democrat. Do the right thing Lisa, you have damaged Alaska enough.
This Rank Choice Voting scheme, thank you Mitch for that one, that keeps democrats in power, needs to be eliminated. Stop stacking the deck, stop shutting the conservative voters of Alaska out.
The democrat legislature seem to be tone def, stop wasting the resources of Alaska. The legislature should be held accountable, and have consequences for their left wing, bad voting record. Keep your hands off of the dividend fund, it’s not there for you to deplete or waste. Stop abusing the Alaska taxpayers.
Lisa you created this mess. Now you own it.
If Lisa tried to clean up the mess she helped create maybe there wouldn’t be such a big impact now on federal workers in Alaska. Also in Medicaid. Does Lisa need to be investigated and see if any of the Medicaid fraud went her way? Are her beloved native corporations committing fraud with Medicaid? We need to find out.
Funny, if she would behave like the Republican we voted for instead of a Democrat we didn’t vote for, she might feel a little more comfortable. She has no difficulty saying that she had to vote her conscience. She seems to have totally forgotten she was elected as a Republican to vote OUR conscience. If she is that fearful, she should resign now and retire from “public service.” She would feel much better and so would her constituents. She has done very little of late to help the situation in Alaska–Ranked Choice Voting commercials to keep a system that can only be touted as a perfect way to cheat, for one. Alaskans deserve better.