“I can just sit down and say, ‘I don’t want to have anything to do with it, it’s an account that spends a lot and doesn’t help in a targeted way,'” said Murkowski. But instead, she explained: “I have to look at it from the perspective of ‘okay, it may not go through with my support. But if it does, are there ways to be shaped’? ‘”
Asked about Alaska on Thursday, Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), No. 3 Republican Party leader, unearthed a paper cut from a Washington Post story about Murkowski.
“Sen. McConnell was very clear about that, for all Republicans. The goal is to present a united front against this huge spending bill, ”said Barrasso. “I hope all Republicans will vote no when we are in a 50-50 Senate.”
Murkowski is unique, however, as is his home in Alaska. The state is suffering economically, the pandemic has exacerbated the state’s problems, and it has repeatedly complained that Biden’s less favorable fossil fuel energy policies are hurting Alaskans. In addition, his state recently changed his primary system to dilute the possibility of a conservative or Trump-inspired challenger, giving him room to legislate in the middle.
The center senator has been in talks with the Biden government about her state’s unique situation for several days. She also voted on the committee to support Rep. Deb Haaland (DN.M.) to be secretary of the interior on Thursday, even after her party portrayed Haaland’s energy policies as radical and despite some of her own reservations. naming policies.
But the $ 1.9 trillion stimulus account is a much bigger issue than Haaland. And Murkowski’s approach to this is clearly on the minds of Republican Party leaders.
“Her vote is her vote, but I’m hoping she’s there. And I think all of our members are going [oppose the bill] in the end, ”said Senator John Thune (RS.D.), the second leader of the Republican Party.
Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Who leads the opposition to the bill, said he “crossed his fingers” for Murkowski to join the opposition. Technically, Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) is also not a rigid, although she is unlikely to support the bill.
Murkowski called himself “listening to Lisa” on Wednesday, admitting that she was divided about what to do with Covid’s legislation and talking to members of both parties. The moderate Republican is frustrated that Democrats ignored bipartisan pleas and drafted a bill that no longer focuses on spending on coronavirus aid.
However, Murkowski also acknowledged that his state is in a dangerous situation that complicates the direct party calculations involved in opposing the massive recovery measure. She said she wants Democrats to explain why the bill is good for Alaska and clearly wants some changes to the legislation.
“We are a 50-50 Senate. I am not the majority, but it is a very narrow division, so I want to make sure that I can still be an effective legislator for my state – a majority or minority,” she said on Thursday. “But the way I do it is to talk to people and tell them what is going on.”
The Alaskan senator can be difficult to read and even more difficult to predict. She voted against the repeal of Obamacare, opposed confirmation by Supreme Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh and supported Supreme Court Judge Amy Coney Barrett – even while protesting the process used to confirm Barrett.
Neera Tanden and the Biden government lobbied Murkowski for his vote while Tanden struggled to become Biden’s head of budget, an appointment that was withdrawn earlier this week. Many of his discussions focused on Alaska.
But compared to earlier moments of uncertainty about Murkowski, Republicans are nudging her more directly to stay in her corner on the coronavirus bill.
“Hope so. Obviously, it is a very toxic bill, ”said Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.). “Alaska is definitely a unique state, to say the least. But it is still part of a $ 2 trillion long-term consequence for the entire country. ”
“We all look at our own states. And none of us envy the fact that she is going to look at that. We are hopeful that she will decide that the amount of harm in the bill is sufficient to decide that it is not appropriate to support it, ”said Sen. Mike Rounds (RS.D.).
The Biden administration’s rejection of the pleadings of 10 Republican senators for a negotiation to cross the corridors “has a role to play in that,” added Rounds.
But local politics too. Murkowski is running for re-election in 2022 and wants to defend the interests of his state. And to anyone who asks, she’ll say: Alaska needs help.