Press Releases
Sullivan, Van Hollen Introduce Bill to Support Foreign Service Families
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), cofounders of the bipartisan Foreign Service Caucus, have introduced the Foreign Service Families Act. This legislation will help ensure that the State Department is able to attract and retain a world-class diplomatic corps by providing expanded career options and services to eligible family members. For many of these family members, the process of finding employment isn't easy -- frequent moves, language barr… Continue Reading
04.23.19
Alaska Congressional Delegation Welcomes Progress on Icebreaker
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, today welcomed the announcement from the Department of Defense Contracting Office that VT Halter Marine Inc., Pascagoula, Mississippi, has been awarded the contract to build the nation's first new heavy Polar Security Cutter (PSC) in more than forty years. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Karl Schultz called the delegation to share the news and thank them for their united efforts in support of t… Continue Reading
04.17.19
Alaska Congressional Delegation Announces Denali Commission Co-Chair
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, today announced that Jason Hoke, of Glennallen, has been appointed by the Secretary of Commerce as the Denali Commission Federal Co-Chair. Hoke will replace John Torgerson who has been serving in the role of Interim Federal Co-Chair. "The Denali Commission came to life under Senator Ted Stevens in 1998 and has since been a catalyst for much-needed development across the state. Transportation … Continue Reading
04.12.19
Sullivan Cosponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Bolster America’s Arctic Role
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan yesterday cosponsored bipartisan legislation introduced by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) aimed to increase the nation's presence in the Arctic by supporting responsible research and development in the U.S. Arctic while giving those who live in the region a greater voice on policy and research. The Shipping and Environmental Arctic Leadership Act (SEAL Act) addresses increasing shipping and maritime traffic by establishing a congressionally charted seaw… Continue Reading
04.12.19
Sullivan Honors Alaskan of the Week: Cynthia Erickson
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) spoke yesterday on the Senate floor in recognition of Cynthia Erickson, a small business owner in Tanana, who has taken it upon herself to provide safe haven and support to youth in need in her community, including victims of abuse. She hopes to take her "Setsoo 'Yeh" program, which means "My Grandmother's House" in Athabascan, to more communities across the Interior and throughout Alaska. Erickson also serves on the Alaska Suicide Prevention Cou… Continue Reading
04.10.19
Sullivan, Gillibrand Introduce Choose Respect Act to Combat Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) have introduced S. 1076, the Choose Respect Act. The bipartisan legislation is focused on spreading awareness and seeking to change the culture around sexual assault and domestic violence through a national advertising campaign. This bill is the first of what will be a three-part initiative focused on stemming sexual assault and domestic violence, and is a continuation of a similar initiative launched and championed… Continue Reading
04.05.19
Sullivan Honors Alaskan of the Week: John Sturgeon
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) spoke yesterday on the Senate floor to recognize John Sturgeon, of Anchorage. In 2007, John was told by the U.S. Park Service that he couldn't use a hovercraft on the Nation River in Alaska's Yukon-Charley National Preserve. He's been fighting the case in court ever since, winning in the U.S. Supreme Court twice. The most recent case was decided unanimously in his favor. The opinion, written by Justice Elena Kagan, will serve as a guide for how l… Continue Reading
04.05.19
Sullivan Chairs Hearing on Future of U.S. Maritime Agencies
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) yesterday chaired a hearing of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Security to review the state of the missions of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Maritime Administration, and the Federal Maritime Commission. The featured witnesses included Admiral Karl Schultz, commandant of the Coast Guard, Administrator Mark Buzby of the Maritime Administration, and Chairman Michael Khouri of the Federal Maritime Commission. The hearing covered a range of important … 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
03.27.19
Sullivan, Senators Support $750 Billion Defense Budget
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan, along with U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) sent a letter to the Senate Budget Committee today supporting the $750 billion defense request in President Trump's Fiscal Year 2020 budget and advocating for the funding necessary to ensure the military is prepared to provide for the national security challenges it faces today and in the future. Noting that "years of i… Continue Reading
03.26.19
Alaska Congressional Delegation Welcomes Supreme Court’s Unanimous Decision on Sturgeon Case
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, today welcomed a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Sturgeon v Frost, that the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) explicitly barred the National Park Service from prohibiting John Sturgeon from operating his hovercraft to hunt moose along the Nation River in the Yukon-Charley National Preserve in Alaska. In an opinion authored by Justice Elena Kagan, the court upheld … Continue Reading
03.26.19
Sullivan Votes Against “Green New Deal”
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) today voted against a resolution supporting a federal "Green New Deal." The resolution was originally introduced in early February in the House by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and in the Senate by Senator Ed Markey (D-MA). Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called the resolution up for a vote today. The resolution failed on a vote of 0 to 57. Forty-three senators in the Democratic minority, including the dozen Democratic sen… Continue Reading
03.26.19
Sullivan, Murkowski Resolution Recalls Exxon Valdez Tragedy
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) yesterday introduced a resolution in the U.S. Senate marking the 30th anniversary of the disastrous Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The collision of the Exxon Valdez tanker with Bligh Reef in the early morning of March 24, 1989 resulted in the release of roughly eleven million gallons of crude oil into the open ocean, impacting more than 1,300 miles of coastline. "The Exxon Valdez disaster marked a tur… Continue Reading
03.25.19
Sullivan Bill to Update and Permanently Reauthorize Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) today introduced the Spill Response and Prevention Surety Act, legislation to modify and permanently reauthorize the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. The fund was established under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to ensure the federal government is able to pay for the swift removal of spilled oil and compensate individuals, communities and businesses impacted by a spill disaster. "The Exxon Valdez oil spill taught us that speed and well-pla… Continue Reading
03.25.19
Senator Sullivan Applauds Successful “Salvo” Test of GMD Element of the U.S. Missile Defense System
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, applauded the successful "salvo" test of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) element of our missile defense system. During this salvo test, two Ground-based Interceptors (GBIs) launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base were fired at a single threat-representative ICBM target, the first GBI successfully intercepting the target and the second GBI intercepting the next "most lethal" object.… Continue Reading
03.15.19
Sullivan Honors Alaskan of the Week: Iditarod Winner, Pete Kaiser
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) spoke yesterday on the Senate floor to recognize Pete Kaiser, of Bethel, who won the 2019 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 9 days, 12 hours, 39 minutes, and 6 seconds. Kaiser is the first person from Bethel, the fifth Alaska Native, and the first person of Yupik descent to win the title. Senator Sullivan recognized Pete as part of his series, "Alaskan of the Week." TRIBUTE TO PETE KAISER: Mr. President, it is that time of day on the Senate… Continue Reading
03.15.19
Alaska Delegation Moves to Protect Native Craftsmen
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Congressman Don Young (R-AK) this week introduced the Empowering Rural Economies Through Alaska Native Sustainable Arts and Handicrafts Act, in the House and the Senate. The legislation would preempt states from banning walrus ivory, whale bone, and other marine mammal products that have been legally carved by Alaska Natives under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Additionally, the bill preempts states from issuing… Continue Reading
03.14.19
Sullivan Statement on National Emergency Resolution
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) released the following statement after voting today against the resolution of disapproval. "For weeks, I have extensively studied this emergency declaration-the underlying crisis, historical uses of executive authority, the statutes invoked by the President, and the role of Congress under our Constitution. After much reflection, I have concluded that today's vote was primarily about the underlying emergency and, as I have consistently stated, th… Continue Reading
03.12.19
Historic Alaska Native Vets Allotment Provision Signed Into Law
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) today thanked President Donald J. Trump for signing S. 47, the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. The legislation includes a version of Senator Sullivan's Alaska Native Veterans Land Allotment Equity Act. This provision will allow several thousand Alaska Natives who served during the Vietnam era (or their heirs) to apply for their congressionally-promised Native allotment after they missed their initial opportunity… Continue Reading
03.12.19
Senators Introduce Bill to Improve Access to Justice in the West, Create New Twelfth Circuit
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Steve Daines (R-MT), Martha McSally (R-AZ), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) have introduced the Judicial Efficiency Improvement Act of 2019, a bill that would codify the Judicial Conference's most recent recommendations as well as other important measures to enhance the effectiveness of the federal judiciary. The legislation would authorize 56 permanent district court judgeships, convert eight temporary district court judgeships into permanent posts,… Continue Reading