By Katherine Tinsley
8:29am PDT, Jul 2, 2025
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Senator
Rand Paul painted Lisa Murkowski's vote on the "Big, Beautiful Bill" as selfish and harmful to the nation.
"Sen. [Rand] Paul
said that your vote was a bailout for Alaska at the expense of the country,"
Ryan Nobles told Lisa Murkowski in an interview
shared on X on Monday, July 1.
"Oh my…" Murkowski replied while visibly shocked.
"That's what Sen. Paul said," Nobles repeated.
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Ryan Nobles continued to press Lisa Murkowski for an answer.
"I didn't say it, ma'am. I'm just asking for your response," Nobles noted.
"My response is, I have an obligation to the people of the state of Alaska, and I live up to that every single day," Murkowski said, noting that dealing with the bill has become an "agonizing" experience. "I fight for my state's interest and I make sure that Alaskans are understood. I work hard to take care of a state that has more unique situations, more unique people and it's just different. So when people suggest the federal dollars go to one of our 50 states in a quote, 'bailout,' I find that offensive."
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Lisa Murkowski stressed her commitment to Alaska despite the implication of Rand Paul's comments.
"I advocated for my state's interest. I will continue to do that, and I will make no excuses for doing that. Do I like this bill? No. I tried to take care of Alaska's interests, but I know that in many parts of the country there are Americans that are not going to be advantaged by this bill. I don't like that," she fumed.
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Lisa Murkowski pointed out how the bill has been pushed through the Senate at a rapid pace.
"I don't like the fact that we moved through an artificial deadline, artificial timelines to produce something to meet a deadline, rather than to actually try to produce the best bill for the country," the politician admitted. "But when I saw the direction that this was going … you can either say I don't like it and not try to help my state or you can roll up your sleeves."
