Press Releases
Sullivan, Commerce Committee Advance Maritime Administration Legislation
WASHINGTON, DC - This week, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) joined his colleagues on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee in voting to approve the Maritime Administration (MARAD) Authorization and Enhancement Act, authorizing appropriations for MARAD for Fiscal Year 2020, including several provisions pushed by Sullivan. "Alaska's unique geography and lack of infrastructure mean that my constituents rely on maritime transportation as a lifeline," said Senator Sullivan. "A… Continue Reading
05.17.19
ICYMI: Senator Sullivan Counters Dangerous Iranian Narrative
WASHINGTON, DC - Yesterday, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) spoke on the Senate floor about the threat that Iran poses to our troops, personnel and allies in the Middle East. In his remarks, Senator Sullivan countered what he believes is a dangerous narrative being promulgated by some of his colleagues, and former Obama administration officials about Iran being an "innocent" country that the Trump administration is trying to prod into war. "Over 2,000 of our troops were killed and wounded by … Continue Reading
05.16.19
Sullivan Fights to Protect Patients from Surprise Medical Bills
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) yesterday cosponsored the bipartisan STOP Surprise Medical Bills Act, legislation introduced with Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Todd Young (R-IN), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Tom Carper (D-DE) to protect patients from surprise medical bills. "Through no fault of their own, too many Americans get hit with outrageously expensive medical bills as a result of a confusing and opaque health care b… Continue Reading
05.16.19
Sullivan Statement on White House Telecommunication Order
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan, chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Security, today released the following statement on the White House's executive order authorizing the Department of Commerce to secure America's information and communications technology supply chain, and placing Chinese manufacturer Huawei on the Bureau of Industry and Security Entity List, intended to inform the public of entities that could present a risk to national security. "As chairman of the C… Continue Reading
05.15.19
Sullivan Moves to Protect Law Enforcement Heroes
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) has introduced the Protect Our Heroes Act, legislation to make it a federal crime to assault or kill a public safety officer and add a penalty in the event an officer is lured to a location for an ambush attack. "We ask so much of our men and women in law enforcement - sending them into precarious, often dangerous situations to resolve disputes, enforce our laws, hold criminals to account, and protect the safety of our families," said Senator Su… Continue Reading
05.13.19
Senators Introduce Creig Sharp Funeral Honors for Veterans Act
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) have introduced the Creig Sharp Funeral Honors for Veterans Act, to ensure that all veterans have access to full military funeral honors. Specifically, the legislation requires military installations to develop a plan to utilize both on-base and off-base resources for funeral ceremonies for veterans, even when government resources may not be available. "Kathryn Sharp … Continue Reading
05.10.19
Senators Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Support Fishing Safety Programs
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Angus King (I-Maine), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) this week introduced the Funding Instruction for Safety Health, and Security Avoids Fishing Emergencies (FISH SAFE) Act. The bipartisan bill restores the federal share of fishing safety training and research grants back to 75 percent, fixing the decrease to 50 p… Continue Reading
05.10.19
SPEECH: IRI Freedom Award Dinner
1) Creative Power of American Democracy It is a great honor to be here with you tonight as the new chair of IRI. I want to thank Dan for his energized leadership, the IRI Board, and so many of my Senate colleagues for being here tonight. And of course, the many supporters of IRI who have made this such a successful evening. One of the honors of my lifetime was having John McCain as a friend and a mentor. Like most things with Senator McCain, it was not a subtle experience. In fact, a lot of t… Continue Reading
05.08.19
Sullivan, Durbin Introduce Due Process Protection Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced the Due Process Protection Act, legislation to reinforce the constitutional right of defendants to access favorable and relevant evidence obtained by prosecutors. "Our Constitution and Supreme Court have long established fundamental, commonsense protections for citizens facing prosecution - including the evidence disclosure obligation outlined in the case, Brady v Maryland," said Senator Sullivan. "Unf… Continue Reading
05.03.19
Sullivan Honors Alaskan of the Week: Danielle Riha
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) spoke yesterday on the Senate floor in recognition of Danielle Riha, middle school educator at the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School in Anchorage, who has helped pioneer culturally-relevant curriculum in her classroom while also instilling the values of Alaska's First People into her students. Riha was honored this week in Washington as Alaska's Teacher of the Year and one of four finalists for National Teacher of the Year. Senator Sullivan r… Continue Reading
05.03.19
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