Press Releases
Currently showing results in the 114th Congress
Sullivan Statement on President Obama’s Budget Proposal
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) released the following statement today in response to President Obama's FY 2017 budget proposal: "I appreciate that the President's visit to Alaska is reflected in his budget. As he saw with his own eyes, an investment in Alaska's Arctic is vital to our country's interests. Although much more needs to be done, I'm pleased that the President included $150 million for planning and design of a single icebreaker, funds for the Denali Commission, as… Continue Reading
02.05.16
Alaska Attorney General Seeks to Pursue Allegations Against Bill Allen
February 5, 2016 (Anchorage, AK) - Alaska Attorney General Craig Richards announced today that, in accordance with an amendment sponsored by U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan, the state will seek authority to prosecute under the Mann Act. The Alaska Attorney General is seeking this authority so the Alaska Department of Law may evaluate whether to file charges against Bill Allen, the government's main witness in the case against the late Senator Ted Stevens. Allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor … Continue Reading
02.03.16
Sullivan, Daines Introduce Measures to Split the Ninth Circuit Court
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Steve Daines (R-MT) have introduced two bills to address failures in America's system of justice by restructuring the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which, because of its size and scope, denies citizens in its jurisdiction equal access to justice. The Federal Courts of Appeals Modernization Act would establish a commission to study the Federal Circuit Courts of Appeals system to identify the changes needed to be … 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
02.01.16
Coast Guard Bill Passes House, Heads to President’s Desk
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today heralded the U.S. House of Representative's unanimous passage of the Coast Guard Authorization Act, which included several key provisions vital to Alaskans' interests. The legislation, which heads to the President's desk for signature, authorizes funding to support the mission and needs of the U.S. Coast Guard through 2017. "The members of the U.S. Coast Guard are al… Continue Reading
02.01.16
Senators Introduce Bill to Fix Backlog of VA Appeals
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Bob Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Dean Heller (R-NV), and Jon Tester (D-MT) have introduced S. 2473, The Express Appeals Act, legislation establishing a new, voluntary five-year pilot program to help reduce the large backlog of appeals made by veterans to the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). "It is astonishing to me that an average veteran waits nearly 1,000 days - or almost three years - for the VA to resolve an appeal of one of their benefit decisi… 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
01.30.16
Sullivan Statement on U.S. Navy Freedom of Navigation Operation in South China Sea
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), a member of the Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today on the U.S. Navy's recent freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea: "I am encouraged by reports of a second recent U.S. freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea, an area that is home to some of the busiest transit routes in the world. Freedom of navigation and the U.S. operations that safeguard it are vital to ensuring the safe and… Continue Reading
01.28.16
Senator Sullivan Statement on Moda Health
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) released the following statement in reaction to news that Moda Health will be leaving the state of Alaska's individual marketplace and will not be issuing new insurance policies for other plans. "I'm extremely disappointed that the health care of thousands of Alaskans will be negatively affected by the inability of Moda Health to issue new insurance policies in the state and its exit from the individual exchange and other markets in Alaska. Eve… Continue Reading
01.27.16
Sullivan Honored to Announce 2016 Military Service Academy Nominations
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) had the honor and privilege of nominating 33 outstanding young Alaskans to four of our country's U.S. Military Service Academies. "This year's selection of candidates exhibited the characteristics that will help them to succeed as leaders in our nation's military: academic excellence, demonstrated leadership, and a commitment to serving their community and nation," said Senator Sullivan. "This was my first opportunity since becoming senator to … 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
01.21.16
Bill to Support Hospitals in Smaller Communities Passes Senate
WASHINGTON, DC - Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski today thanked their colleagues for passing S. 607, a bill they cosponsored that was introduced by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), which extends the Medicare Rural Community Hospital (RCH) Demonstration Program. "The RCH demo programs are critical for the bottom line of health care institutions serving smaller populations, like the Kenai Peninsula and Juneau," said Senator Sullivan. "The program has allowed several Alaska hospitals to expa… Continue Reading
01.21.16
Secretary of Army nominee commits to work to keep troops in Alaska
WASHINGTON, D.C. - At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing today, Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) received a commitment from Eric Fanning, the Secretary of the Army nominee, to cut troops that aren't capable of fighting before cutting our "trigger puller" troops, including the 4-25 Airborne Brigade Combat Team currently stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage. (Click the image above to watch Sen. Sullivan at the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing) "If confirmed,… Continue Reading
01.20.16
Sullivan Attends Sturgeon Supreme Court Oral Arguments
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), along with other Alaskans - including Senator Lisa Murkowski - attended oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court today for Sturgeon v. Frost, a case that cuts to the heart of Alaska's sovereignty. Alaskan John Sturgeon is suing the National Park Service after being forced off the Nation River for using a hovercraft to hunt moose. The Park Service claimed it controlled that stretch of land, even though the Alaska National Interest Lands Conserv… Continue Reading
01.20.16
Sullivan Amendment Halts Proposed USFWS Changes to Wildlife Management on Alaska Refuges
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee's Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife, today successfully added an amendment to S. 659, the Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2015, prohibiting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from implementing a recently proposed rule that preempts state management of fish, wildlife, and their habitats on national wildlife refuges in Alaska, as guaranteed in the Alaska Statehood Act and the Alas… Continue Reading
01.19.16
Sullivan Seeks to Work with President Obama on Solution to Overregulation
WASHINGTON, DC - Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) sent a letter to President Obama today in an effort to work across party lines toward a solution to onerous and outdated federal regulations, which the President identified as an issue he wants to address with members of Congress in his final year in office. "I believe a thriving private sector is the lifeblood of our economy," President Obama said in his final State of the Union address. "I think there are outdated regulations that need to be change… Continue Reading
01.16.16
Sullivan Issues Statement on Release of American Hostages
WASHINGTON, DC -- Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) issued the following statement regarding the announcement that five American hostages in Iran have been released: "We are all relieved that five Americans, unjustly imprisoned by Iran, are on their way home. I can only imagine the joy and relief being felt by the families of Amir Hekmati, Saeed Abedini, Jason Rezaian, and two other Americans whose imprisonments were not previously disclosed. But I'm outraged that it appears that at least one America… Continue Reading
01.15.16
Sullivan: President Obama’s war on coal is also war on the middle class
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Member Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) issued the following statement regarding the Obama Administration's coal lease moratorium on federal lands: "In 2008, President Obama said that he would propose an energy plan where 'electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.' Unfortunately, he's kept his word. The president's unprecedented war on coal is also a war on the middle class. Further, we'll be sacrificing one of our country's most … Continue Reading
01.13.16
Sullivan: Obama Administration's Response to Iranian Detention of 10 American Sailors is a Disgrace
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) released the following statement today about Secretary of State John Kerry expressing "gratitude" to Iran for releasing ten American sailors which it took hostage: "In the aftermath of ten U.S. sailors being taken hostage and then released by the Iranians, Secretary of State John Kerry expressed 'gratitude to Iranian authorities for their cooperation.' Expressing gratitude-after Iran takes ten American service members hostage and publishes phot… Continue Reading
01.13.16
Sullivan Responds to President’s Final State of the Union Address
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) released the following statement tonight in response to President Obama's final State of the Union address: "I've always appreciated President Obama's considerable oratorical skills. Tonight, I was heartened that he spent some time highlighting what's good about our country and emphasizing America's unique optimistic spirit. We can never forget that for our resources, our hardworking citizens, our collective big heart, and our form of governm… Continue Reading