Alaska Democrats are launching a swift and vocal response to the recent passage of former President Donald Trump’s federal budget bill, turning their focus toward Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Sen. Dan Sullivan for supporting the controversial legislation.
On Tuesday, Murkowski voted in favor of the bill, which narrowly passed the Senate in a 50-50 tie, broken by Vice President JD Vance. In response, the Alaska Democratic Party announced an emergency town hall scheduled for Wednesday to “hold Republicans accountable” and “let the people of Alaska know exactly how Murkowski and [Sen. Dan] Sullivan (R-AK) sold them out,” according to an advisory obtained by Notus.
“Following Murkowski selling out the people of Alaska to give billionaires another tax break, Democrats are holding vulnerable House Republicans and Senate Republicans accountable for supporting the Trump/Murkowski budget proposal,” the advisory stated.
The budget has drawn criticism for provisions that analysts say will harm low-income families and working-class Americans. Among them are strict work requirements for Medicaid recipients and rollbacks in food assistance programs.
According to a report from CNN, Murkowski negotiated her support for the bill in exchange for key concessions tailored to Alaska. These include a provision allowing the state to suspend Medicaid work requirements amid persistent unemployment, as well as a delay in new rules penalizing states with high food stamp payment error rates.
Despite voting for the bill, Murkowski acknowledged its flaws, posting on X: “The bill is not good enough for the rest of our nation, and we all know that.” Democratic leaders were quick to condemn her support. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin issued a scathing statement: “Donald Trump, Lisa Murkowski, and Dan Sullivan sent a clear message to the American people today: Your kids, your job, and your elderly relatives don’t matter.
This is one of the worst bills in the history of Congress. It’s a massive scheme to steal from working folks, struggling families, and hell, even from nursing homes — all to enrich the already rich with a tax jackpot.”
The Alaska Democratic caucus says it will use Wednesday’s town hall to inform voters about the real-life implications of the budget. As public backlash continues to grow, party leaders hope the event will galvanize opposition and send a warning to GOP lawmakers ahead of the 2026 election cycle.