In the News/Op-eds
Save Our Seas 2.0 tackles global marine debris crisis
by Sen. Dan Sullivan, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse & Sen. Bob Menendez
OPINION - We may have plenty of political differences, but we come from coastal states. That means we have a front-row seat to the peril of plastic waste and marine debris flowing into our oceans at the rate of around 8 million metric tons per year. We understand what it will mean for our fishing and tourism industries when the weight of plastic in our oceans equals the weight of fish in the sea - something projected to happen by mid-century. We don't have a moment to lose in confronting this pr… Continue Reading
10.26.19
EDITORIAL: Every human should be alarmed by the plastic crisis in our oceans
by Editorial Board
"WITHOUT CHANGE," warns a bipartisan group of senators, "there will be more plastic by weight than fish in the oceans by 2050." Some of the signs of this growing crisis are visible: sea turtles caught in discarded fishing nets; piles of trash floating in the ocean; birds and fish stranded in plastic six-pack rings. But much of the trash in the ocean is not so obvious. National Geographic reports that the iconic Great Pacific Garbage Patch - also known as the Pacific trash vortex - is … Continue Reading
06.27.19
Sullivan launches new bipartisan effort to clean up oceans
by ALISTAIR GARDINER
KODIAK - U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) introduced a new bill Wednesday aimed at cleaning up the marine debris crisis affecting America's oceans, shorelines and inland waterways, as well as other coasts across the globe. At a press conference in Washington, D.C., the three senators unveiled new legislation that looks to build on the Save Our Seas Act, a marine debris bill that was sponsored by Sullivan and Whitehouse and signed into law last … Continue Reading
06.27.19
Senate 'odd couple' returns, this time in search of a genius
by Rob Hotakainen
When President Trump signed a bill aimed at cleaning up plastic trash last fall, he noted the unlikely pair of senators standing by his side: Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, and Dan Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska. "The president remarked on us being a rather odd couple," Whitehouse said yesterday at a Capitol Hill news conference, recalling the Oct. 11, 2018, ceremony. The duo is back with a sequel: Eight months after the president signed the Save Our Seas Act into law, W… Continue Reading
03.29.19
Trump has not been ‘soft’ on Russia. He’s been tougher than Obama.
by Senator Dan Sullivan
Now that the Mueller investigation is over, we can put to bed the persistent and erroneous allegations that President Trump's campaign colluded with the Russians to get him elected. Likewise, we should also put to bed another persistent and pernicious narrative: that the president and his administration have been "soft" on Russia. This narrative has been continuously promulgated by a host of former Obama administration officials (see, for example, the recent Post op-ed by a former U.S. ambassad… Continue Reading
06.13.18
PoliticoPro: Trump's talk of Korean pullout could echo across Asia
by Jacqueline Klimas and Wesley Morgan
Republicans and defense experts are warning that President Donald Trump's idea of pulling American troops from South Korea would undermine stability across Asia and weaken the U.S. against China. One GOP senator, Alaska's Dan Sullivan, is pushing legislative language touting the importance of the U.S. military presence in deterring North Korean aggression - in contrast to Trump's repeated calls for withdrawing American forces someday. And other Republicans have sounded that theme since Tuesday'… Continue Reading
06.26.17
The Missile Defense Imperative
Liberal opposition to missile defense has persisted since the 1980s, but the politics may be changing with technological progress and the rising threat from North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's nuclear weapons. Congress has an opportunity this summer to notch a rare bipartisan deal that enhances U.S. security. Kim has already overseen more nuclear and missile tests than his father and grandfather combined, and the Defense Intelligence Agency warns that "if left on its current trajectory" Pyongya… Continue Reading
02.02.17
Don’t ‘tear up’ the Iran deal. Let it fail on its own.
by Sen. Dan Sullivan
As a candidate, Donald Trump said he would "tear up" the Iran nuclear deal once elected. Many of us in the Senate strongly opposed this deal on substance - it provides the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism a pathway toward to nuclear weapons inside of a decade - and also on process. The Obama administration sought the approval of the U.N. Security Council, but essentially ignored the constitutional role of the Senate in seeking to finalize the deal as an executive agreement, not a treat… Continue Reading
12.05.16
How to Put Building Permits on a Fast Track
by Sen. Dan Sullivan
President-elect Donald Trump has made investing in U.S. infrastructure a priority. This country urgently needs to build and repair roads, bridges, airports, pipelines and rail lines. But a huge roadblock is the federal permitting system. Even with a more business-friendly administration, a trillion-dollar infrastructure plan won't accomplish much unless Congress reforms the way public-works projects are approved. America used to be the envy of the world in building great projects responsibly, e… Continue Reading
05.06.16
The truth about our continuing combat role
by Sen. Dan Sullivan
When the president is in open disagreement with the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on one of the most critical issues our nation faces - whether to send our sons and daughters into combat - it should be cause for significant national concern. President Obama has repeatedly told the American people that U.S. troops are not in combat in the Middle East. In 2010, he announced that "our combat mission is ending" in Iraq. He used the same words in 2014 regarding A… Continue Reading
04.26.16
Military investments should help Alaska weather economic challenges
by Sen. Dan Sullivan
Alaska is facing tough economic times. Budgets are being squeezed, workers are being laid off and families are making due with less. But it's important to understand that we've been here before, and we've come out stronger because of it. It's also important to remember that just like in past recoveries, the federal government has a significant role to play in Alaska. Working together again, Alaska's congressional delegation is united on this issue. We are making sure that Alaska gets its f… Continue Reading
03.17.16
Alaska must have clear path to pursue justice for young women in Allen case
by Sen. Dan Sullivan, Alaska AG Craig Richards
As many Alaskans know, the state still hasn't fully recovered from the corruption scandal that beginning in 2006 rocked the state and sowed the seeds of mistrust between the people and their government. Certain prior actions by the U.S. Department of Justice -- the most powerful guardian of justice in our country -- have contributed to that lingering mistrust. However, there is a new opportunity for U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to right past wrongs. That's why we announced last month tha… Continue Reading
02.21.16
Pentagon recognizing Alaska's strategic value
by Sen. Dan Sullivan
World leaders are justifiably on edge about North Korea and its leader Kim Jong-Un. From executing senior members of his government and military to rocket launches and nuclear tests, the irrational and paranoid Kim Jong-Un has combined his nuclear goals and ballistic-missile ambitions into a volatile mixture of regional and global instability. In response, Congress has stepped up to lead by recently passing bipartisan legislation to broaden sanctions and punish North Korea for its nuclear progra… Continue Reading
02.02.16
Sullivan proposes new method of VA appeals
by Juneau Empire
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, is cosponsoring the Express Appeals Act for Veterans Benefits Administration clients, his office announced by email Monday. According to figures provided by the federal government, there are 400,000 pending cases from veterans disputing benefit determinations made by the Veterans Administration. The Express Appeals Act would create a voluntary "express appeal" process that cuts several steps from the traditional appeals process. The Express Appeals Act has been ref… Continue Reading
01.31.16
Overstepped bounds on game management: Federal government goes too far in attempting to limit hunting in refuges
by Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Editorial Board
News-Miner opinion: President Jimmy Carter remarked at the signing ceremony of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act on Dec. 2, 1980 at the White House that the act "without a doubt is one of the most important pieces of conservation legislation ever passed in this Nation." The late Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, among the members of Congress invited to speak after the president, had a polite but different view. He noted that neither side achieved what it wanted. "So, we're not f… Continue Reading
01.22.16
Senator moves to halt proposed ban on Alaska predator hunts
by Associated Press
FAIRBANKS - U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan is looking to stop a proposed U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ban on some bear, wolf and coyote hunts on federal wildlife refuges in the state. An amendment to Sullivan's Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2015 would prohibit the federal agency from enacting hunting restrictions the agency announced earlier this month, The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported. Federal wildlife officials on Jan. 8 proposed changes to hunting and trapping rules for national wildlife r… Continue Reading
01.11.16
My Turn: Support the RED Tape Act
by Curtis Thayer
As the president of the Alaska Chamber of Commerce, I read with interest Rich Moniak's criticism of Sen. Dan Sullivan's fight to combat federal overregulation ("Regulations in an imperfect people's democracy," Jan. 1, 2016). The Alaska Chamber supports public regulation and regulatory reforms that encourage responsible development of Alaska's communities and natural resources. Topping both the Chamber's state and federal lists of policy positions is an entire category of initiatives advocating … Continue Reading
12.23.15
Sullivan focuses on economy, regulation reform
by Elizabeth Earl
Economics, regulation and the military ruled the conversation during Sen. Dan Sullivan's speech to the joint Kenai and Soldotna chambers of commerce luncheon on Wednesday. Sullivan, who has just completed his first year in Washington, D.C., presented a crowd of about 80 with a rundown of his views on the current national political situation. Because it is the holiday season, he said he wanted to focus on the positive while still touching on future challenges. "Believe it or not, you can someti… Continue Reading
12.13.15
Obamacare hurts Alaska most
by Sen. Dan Sullivan
Recently, while home in Anchorage, in the course of two hours, three people in three different places - a gas station, Carr's and Lowe's - talked to me about how Obamacare is wiping them out. Hardly a day passes when I don't hear from or read about Alaskans harmed by Obamacare. One Alaska family tells me they now pay $1,200 per month in premiums with a $10,000 deductible. Another couple pays more than $3,000 per month in premiums, almost $38,000 per year. Here's an excerpt from a constitue… Continue Reading
11.12.15
Senate OKs Sullivan bill to promote free lawyers for domestic violence, sexual assault victims
by Casey Grove
FAIRBANKS-The U.S. Senate passed a bill Wednesday introduced by Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan that would encourage lawyers to provide free legal assistance to victims of domestic violence or sexual assault. It is Sullivan's first standalone bill to pass the Senate. If signed into law, the Pro bono Work to Empower and Represent Act would require U.S. attorneys in all 94 judicial districts across the country to hold at least one event every year promoting pro bono legal work on domestic viole… Continue Reading
