Press Releases
Currently showing results in the 114th Congress
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
01.08.16
Sullivan deeply concerned over USFWS proposed changes to wildlife management on Alaska refuges
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) expressed deep concern over the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) proposed regulatory changes to wildlife management on national wildlife refuges in Alaska, which would restrict access and limit hunting, fishing and trapping activities, preempting the State of Alaska's authority and science-based management regime. In all, Alaska has 16 national wildlife refuges comprising 76,774,229 acres. The proposed rule would erode state wildl… Continue Reading
01.06.16
Sullivan: North Korean Nuclear Test Emphasizes Alaska’s Strategic Importance
WASHINGTON, D.C -- U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) released the following statement on the recent reports of a hydrogen bomb test by North Korea late last evening. "The disturbing news out of North Korea, if confirmed, further illustrates the strategic short-sidedness of removing America's only Airborne Brigade Combat Team in the entire Asia-Pacific. "Alaska's strategically placed forces are critical to our nation's Arctic and Asia-Pacific security. With an unstable North Korean dictator with… Continue Reading
01.05.16
Sullivan Statement on USFWS Decision to Not List the Alexander Archipelago Wolf
ANCHORAGE, AK - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) released the following statement on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's decision that the Alexander Archipelago wolves in Southeast Alaska do not warrant protection as an endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA): "I commend the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for following sound science, instead of the political whims of Outside interest groups, to determine that the wolves in Southeast Alaska do not warrant protect… Continue Reading
01.05.16
Sullivan Reacts To Whittling Away of Alaskans’ Right to Bear Arms
ANCHORAGE, AK - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) released the following statement today in reaction to President Obama's announced gun control measures via executive action: "Like most Alaskans, I'm extremely troubled by President Obama's executive actions that limit our Second Amendment rights. The president failed to get a gun control bill through a Senate controlled by his own party in 2013. Now he's decided to take certain actions to bypass Congress. Make no mistake, these actions are a dir… Continue Reading
12.28.15
Sullivan Commends Leaders of Republic of Korea and Japan on ‘Comfort Women’ Settlement
WASHINGTON, D.C--Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) released the following statement on the settlement of the dispute between the Republic of Korea and Japan over World War II-era "Comfort Women." "I commend the leaders of both the Republic of Korea and Japan for directly addressing the painful and difficult issue of 'Comfort Women' during World War II and the involvement and responsibility of Japan's military. This agreement should further help healing and reconciliation between two of our most impor… 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
12.18.15
Senate Unanimously Passes Coast Guard Authorization Bill
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, today welcomed unanimous passage of the Coast Guard Authorization Act, which included several key provisions vital to Alaskans' interests. "Today's unanimous passage of this important legislation demonstrates Congress's strong commitment to the U.S. Coast Guard, which serves countless Alaskans in every corner of our state," said Senator Sullivan. "Working with members of… Continue Reading
12.18.15
Sullivan Votes Against 2,200 Page $1.8 Trillion Spending and Tax Reform Bill
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) released the following statement today after voting against H.R. 2029, the Omnibus Appropriations Act, a $1.8 trillion spending and tax reform bill: "This was a difficult vote for me. This 2,200 page $1.8 trillion spending and tax reform bill contains several provisions that I have advocated for, and will continue to press for, that benefit some Alaskans, small business owners, and the energy sector. However, voting in favor of such a massive an… Continue Reading
12.14.15
Sullivan Reacts to EPA’s Illegal Use of Lobbying and Propaganda to Promote WOTUS Rule
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) released the following statement today regarding the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) legal decision that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) broke laws when it pushed for public support for the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) Rule in 2014 and 2015. Specifically, the GAO's report said that the EPA had unlawfully used taxpayer dollars to use social media for lobbying and propaganda purposes. "The EPA consistently earns it's moniker… 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
12.09.15
Sullivan Supports Major Education Reform Bill
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) released the following statement today after voting in support of the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA), which passed the U.S. Senate on a vote of 85-12. This bipartisan bill is the most significant education reform since 2001, and will replace the outdated and ineffective standards that were forced on states under the No Child Left Behind Act. The ESSA removes control of education from the federal government and rightfully returns it bac… Continue Reading
12.04.15
Sullivan Applauds Passage of Long-Term Highway Reauthorization Bill
WASHINGTON, DC - Yesterday evening, Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) joined 82 of his colleagues in passing the bipartisan Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which provides funding for our nation's surface transportation needs over the next five years. "Passage of a long-term highway bill will provide Alaskans with much-needed certainty in infrastructure investments throughout our state," Senator Sullivan said. "Building off Congressman Young's work as a past chairman of the House T… Continue Reading
12.03.15
Sullivan Lambastes VA Leadership Over Missed Alaska Healthcare Deadline
WASHINGTON, DC - At a Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing yesterday, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) changed his tone and lambasted the Deputy Secretary and the Undersecretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on the lack of progress on the Alaska Pilot Program for the Veterans Choice Program. After conducting a field hearing and a series of listening sessions throughout Alaska in August - held at the request of Senator Sullivan - the VA announced the pilot program wo… Continue Reading
12.03.15
Sullivan on Obamacare: “No state has been hurt more by the law than Alaska”
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) spoke on the Senate floor today, calling on his colleagues to pass the Restoring Americans' Health Care Freedom Reconciliation Act, which would repeal the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare. If it passes, it will be the first time a bill to repeal will end up on the president's desk. During his remarks (available here, with excerpts below), Senator Sullivan talked about how the act was hurting the country, but no place more t… Continue Reading
12.02.15
Sullivan Responds to Senate Democrats’ ANWR Legislation
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) today responded to legislation introduced by 34 Senate Democrats to designate the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as Wilderness: "Let me be clear: This bill will never pass this Congress, and those who are offering it know that," said Senator Dan Sullivan. "So why are they doing it? The only explanation is that it must be fundraising season again. But it's disappointing no matter what the reasoning. In offering this … Continue Reading
11.23.15
Alaska Delegation Files Supreme Court Amicus Brief in Support of John Sturgeon Case
WASHINGTON, DC - The three members of Alaska's congressional delegation today filed an amicus curiae brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Alaskan John Sturgeon, who is suing the National Park Service over being forced off the Nation River for using a hovercraft to hunt moose, something that he had been doing for decades. The National Park Service claimed it controlled that stretch of the Nation River because it is part of the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. The State of Alaska… Continue Reading
11.19.15
Alaska Delegation Responds to FDA Approval of GE Salmon
Washington, D.C. - After years of pushback from consumers, scientific experts and fishing interests, today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the first ever "approval for a genetically engineered animal intended for food, AquAdvantage Salmon." The Alaska Congressional Delegation, who has consistently fought to keep genetically engineered (GE) fish off the nation's dinner plates and away from our nation's oceans, today shared their disappointment in the FDA's ill-advised decisi… Continue Reading
11.18.15
Senators Sullivan and Schatz Work To Pass NOAA Sexual Harassment And Assault Prevention Legislation
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the Senate Commerce Committee unanimously approved S. 2206, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Act. U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) introduced the legislation with bipartisan support from U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John Thune (R-S.D.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.). The bill directs NOAA to develop and adopt policies to… Continue Reading
11.17.15
Senate Votes to Block EPA Climate Regulations
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate today passed two bipartisan resolutions disapproving of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) climate regulations. "I'm pleased that the Senate affirmed what the American people have been saying about President Obama and the EPA's national energy tax. The tax has been challenged in court by 27 states, 24 national trade associations, 37 rural electric cooperatives, 10 major companies an… Continue Reading