Press Releases
Sullivan Reacts to U.S.-China Diplomatic Meetings in Anchorage
WASHINGTON-On Friday, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) spoke with Mike Ross on Alaska's News Source to give his reaction to the senior-level diplomatic meetings that took place in Anchorage between Chinese and U.S. officials. Senators Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) were briefed on the discussions by Secretary of State Tony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan immediately following the meetings. Transcript ROSS: Senator Dan Sullivan was briefed by Secretary of… Continue Reading
03.19.21
Alaska Congressional Delegation Welcomes Decision to Add New KC-135 Tankers for Eielson
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski, and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, today sent a letter to Acting Secretary of the Air Force John Roth and Air Force Chief of Staff General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. welcoming an announcement by the Air Force that four KC-135 refueling tanker aircraft will be added to the existing squadron at Eielson Air Force Base. The plan adds an active duty component to the unit, bringing the squadron's total KC-135s to 12, and will also bring up to … Continue Reading
03.18.21
Alaska Congressional Delegation Welcomes U.S. Army’s First-Ever Arctic Strategy
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski, and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, today commended the U.S. Army for releasing its first-ever strategy for the Arctic this week, the third service-specific strategy document released for the region. The strategy, titled "Regaining Arctic Dominance," comes as a result of a provision Sen. Sullivan, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), included in the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) requiri… Continue Reading
03.18.21
U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $2.28 Million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance to Aid Reopening of Alaska's Tourism Economy
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $2.28 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the Alaska Travel Industry Association, Anchorage, Alaska, to implement emergency efforts needed to aid in the reopening of the state's tourism economy. This EDA grant will be matched with $570,566 in local investment. "President Biden is committed to unleashing the full power of the federal gove… Continue Reading
03.17.21
NORAD Commander “Extremely Concerned” About U.S. Missile Defense Capacity
WASHINGTON-The Commander of U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), General Glen D. VanHerck, yesterday expressed concern about the nation's capacity to defend itself against a nuclear missile attack from a rogue threat, like North Korea, in the coming decade. Gen. VanHerck acknowledged that reducing the budget for the next generation interceptor (NGI) program-the replacement for the existing ground-based interceptor (GBI) technology-could weaken th… Continue Reading
03.15.21
Sullivan Statement on Confirmation of Congresswoman Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior
I. Introduction Every vote I take in this Chamber, I try to cast based on what I think will be best for the constituents I represent, my state and our country. Sometimes, of course, that's not always so easy to discern. The vote to confirm Congresswoman Deb Haaland was one of the most difficult I have made during my time in the U.S. Senate. In normal times, I would have firmly opposed the confirmation of Congresswoman Haaland. As a congresswoman, Haaland took positions publicly-cosponsoring… Continue Reading
03.12.21
Alaska Delegation Welcomes $2 Million CARES Act Grant for Pipeline Training Center
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, welcomed an announcement yesterday by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo that a $2 million Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Recovery Assistance grant is being awarded to the Fairbanks Pipeline Training Center Trust. The grant, authorized by the Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA), is to acquire heavy-duty equipment needed to expand workfor… Continue Reading
03.11.21
Sullivan Votes “No” on Regan EPA Nomination
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, yesterday voted against confirming Michael Regan as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In a speech on the Senate floor shortly after the vote, Sen. Sullivan lauded Mr. Regan for his experience, qualifications, approach to the job, and the productive exchanges they have had both in the EPW committee and in meetings. But Sullivan expressed deep concerns tha… Continue Reading
03.11.21
Sullivan Cosponsors Resolution Condemning China’s Aggression in the South China Sea
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) yesterday joined Senators Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) in introducing a resolution to condemn the Chinese Communist Party's actions to militarize the South China Sea, applaud members of the United States Navy and Coast Guard for their efforts to ensure freedom of navigation operations, and send a clear message that the United States will not tolerate China's extension of power into waters… Continue Reading
03.10.21
Sullivan Welcomes Planned U.S.-China Senior Diplomatic Summit in Alaska
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, a top White House official briefed Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) on the upcoming foreign ministers meeting between the United States and China that will take place in Anchorage, Alaska on Thursday, March 18. In response to the announcement of the meeting, Senator Sullivan released the following statement: "Alaska is at the center of the strategic crossroads of the world and I am glad that the Biden administration has recognized this by selecting Anchorage as the site… Continue Reading
03.09.21
Sullivan Cosponsors Cramer’s Fair Access to Banking Act
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) recently signed on as a cosponsor of the Fair Access to Banking Act, legislation introduced by Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) to prevent discrimination by banks and financial service providers against constitutionally-protected industries and law-abiding businesses. "As we work to build momentum toward a robust and lasting economic recovery from this pandemic, the last thing our country needs is America's large financial institutions blacklisting w… Continue Reading
03.05.21
Murkowski, Sullivan Introduce Legislation to Help Alaska Cruise Season
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) today introduced the Alaska Tourism Recovery Act to alleviate the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) restrictions for cruise ships transporting passengers between the State of Washington and the State of Alaska. This legislation will allow cruise ships to sail to Alaska without requiring that they stop in Canada, as U.S. law normally would require. Canada's Interim Order No. 5 Respecting Passenger Vessel Restrictions Due … Continue Reading
03.05.21
Sullivan Honors Drs. Ellen Hodges and Elizabeth Bates as “Alaskans of the Week”
WASHINGTON-On the floor of the U.S. Senate this week, Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) recognized Dr. Ellen Hodges and Dr. Elizabeth Bates, both of Bethel, for leading the nationally-renowned COVID-19 vaccination effort in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region of Alaska. Under the leadership of Drs. Hodges and Bates, vaccines are being distributed to roughly 50 remote villages in the region by any means necessary, including dogsleds, snow machines, small planes and boats. According to the Centers for … Continue Reading
03.04.21
Sullivan Announces Opposition to Democrats COVID “Relief” Package
WASHINGTON-Today, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) voted against proceeding to consideration of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the COVID-19 relief package proposed by the Biden administration and congressional Democrats. Sullivan also announced his opposition to the bill, which is being considered through the budget reconciliation process, which allows Senate Democrats to advance the legislation without meaningful bipartisan cooperation. The bill totals $1.9 trillion, a majority of wh… Continue Reading
02.27.21
OP-ED: Even during a pandemic, the iconic Iditarod continues
by Sens. Dan Sullivan & Lisa Murkowski, and Rep. Don Young
The Iditarod - the Last Great Race - captures the imagination and the hearts of many Alaskans, as well as people around the world. Teams of mushers and their dogs racing roughly 1,000 miles across the state of Alaska toward the finish line in Nome, in some of the harshest conditions and across some of the most difficult and rugged terrain on the planet. It is quintessentially Alaskan. There are other sled dog races around the world and throughout Alaska, but the Iditarod is the most renowne… Continue Reading
02.26.21
Senators Sullivan, Markey, and Van Hollen to Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Promote Affordable, Safe, and Healthy Transportation Options
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) yesterday announced their introduction of the Connecting America's Active Transportation System Act. This bipartisan legislation will dedicate $500 million in federal funds annually for grants to local, regional, and state government entities to connect walking and biking infrastructure into active transportation networks that allow people to reach destinations within a community, as well a… Continue Reading
02.26.21
Alaska Delegation Rebukes Fish & Wildlife Service for Misleading Public on “Failed” ANWR Polar Bear Surveys
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, (all R-Alaska) today issued a statement rebuking the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) for engaging in a bad faith permitting process with Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation (KIC), an Alaska Native Village Corporation seeking to conduct a seismic survey on land it owns within the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). "We are appalled to learn that the U.S. Fish and Wildlif… Continue Reading
02.26.21
Former legislator Bud Fate remembered as Renaissance man
by Amanda Bohman
Hugh "Bud" Fate died late Thursday. The U.S. Army veteran, who used the G.I. Bill to study dentistry and brought dental care to rural Alaska, served in the Alaska Legislature representing Fairbanks in the early 2000s. While the 91-year-old lived an accomplished life, many people knew him as the husband of the late Mary Jane Fate, originally of Rampart, who co-founded the Breast Cancer Detection Center of Alaska and the Fairbanks Native Association. She was the first woman to co-chair the Alaska… Continue Reading
02.25.21
Sullivan, Manchin Reintroduce Bill to Address Veterans’ Burn Pit Exposure
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), both members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, yesterday re-introduced the Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Recognition Act, legislation which addresses a barrier currently preventing many veterans from getting U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care and benefits for illnesses and diseases related to exposure to burn pits. The bill would recognize and concede their exposure during deployed service. Notabl… Continue Reading
02.25.21
Sullivan, Murphy to Introduce Bill to Better Coordinate Health Care & Social Services
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced today they will be introducing the Leveraging Integrated Networks in Communities (LINC) to Address Social Needs Act, legislation that would offer grants to states to establish statewide or regional partnerships to better coordinate the work of health care and social service providers, and improve the health and well-being of Americans as a result. The senators' bill would enable states to leverage local expert… Continue Reading