Happy New Year, Alaska! As we look to 2026, we have challenges, but we also have enormous opportunities, many of which we’ve been pursuing for decades: an oil production boom on state and federal lands; historic progress on the gasline; bringing icebreakers to our state; billions of dollars of military, Coast Guard, and infrastructure investments; […]
I recently delivered my annual address to the Legislature in Juneau. I spoke about the success we’ve had in continuing our military build-up, including the possibility of re-opening the U.S. Navy base in Adak, to counter the unprecedented number of Russian and Chinese incursions near our air and waters. I spoke about our veterans and how we’re […]
There’s been a lot of talk about President-elect Trump’s idea of buying Greenland. But one U.S. state offers all of Greenland’s benefits: Alaska. The problem is that the Biden administration has spent its time trying to turn the Last Frontier into a giant national park rather than recognizing it as a great strategic asset. Greenland […]
A recent story spoke to the alarming statics regarding Alaska drug overdoses, especially related to fentanyl. Such opioids killed a record number of Alaskans in 2023 as Alaska’s percentage of drug overdoses increased by 40% — the largest increase of any state for ’23. Alaska had 123 drug overdose deaths in 2014, 105 in 1018 […]
On Monday I will go to New York with a group of senators to meet with foreign leaders at the United Nations General Assembly. President Biden will likely give his last major foreign-policy speech on Tuesday, a final opportunity to correct course. It’s hard to deny that the world is more dangerous today than when […]
Nearly every leader I spoke with during this week’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit agrees: The world has become consumed by chaos. Dictators in Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are working together to undermine the free world. There’s little doubt why they feel emboldened: Under the Biden administration, U.S. military readiness has significantly diminished […]
While I don’t always agree with the News-Miner’ editorials, I have long respected its professional work, especially getting the facts right. But the recent editorial, “The media rush that sparked a flag frenzy and got it all wrong,” misses the mark in so many ways, I felt compelled to respond personally. But before recounting the […]
We are in one of the most dangerous period in U.S. history since World War II—a new era of authoritarian aggression led by the dictators in Moscow, Beijing and Tehran. This difficult reality faces us nearly every day: joint Russian and Chinese naval flotillas operating off Alaska’s coast, the barbaric attack by Iran-funded Hamas terrorists […]
There is no doubt that our state and nation are facing many challenges. Inflation is eating into paychecks. The wide-open southern border is fueling thousands of fentanyl overdoses. The cost of energy is skyrocketing. At every turn, it seems that the Biden administration is determined to shut down our state. Here is another challenge: Alaska’s […]