Senator Lisa Murkowski’s SNAP vote benefited Alaska as she extracted significant concessions before backing a controversial Republican tax bill. In the final hours before the ballot, Murkowski paced the Senate halls visibly anxious while her republican colleagues pressed for her support.
Knowing her vote could tip the balance, she demanded Alaskan exemptions that softened the blow of planned federal spending cuts. Murkowski also won a delay in new SNAP cost-sharing rules targeting states with high payment error rates.
Alaska, with a 24.66% error rate, became eligible for the exemptions. Other high-error states, like New York and New Jersey, also qualified under the adjusted formula. She also secured a provision excluding Alaska from new SNAP work requirements, which apply only to non-contiguous states with unemployment 1.5 times the national average.
While Alaska’s rate of 4.7% did not meet the full threshold, it remains closer to Hawaii’s 2.8%. Additionally, the legislation adjusts SNAP benefits for local grocery costs in Alaska and Hawaii without offering the same for expensive mainland regions.
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar criticized the carveout, suggesting that other high-cost states deserved similar treatment. Despite labeling the bill “agonizing,” she backed it after Republican leaders added multiple Alaska-focused provisions.
These include tax breaks for Whalers oil leases and rural Medicaid support measures she viewed as vital for her remote state. Colleagues like Senator Susan Collins defended her by calling Alaska’s needs a unique complex.
Most Alaskan communities remain off the road system, with high costs for healthcare and food flown into remote villages. Murkowski emphasized that she prioritized the constituents, not politics.
