In the News/Op-eds
OP-ED: “Defense Is on the Ballot in Georgia”
by Sen. Dan Sullivan
The stakes in the Georgia U.S. Senate races on Jan. 5, 2021, between Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler and their respective challengers, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, are very high for a host of reasons. One that has not received enough attention is the readiness of our military. The U.S. faces rising threats from China, Russia and Iran, and continued robust funding of our military is clearly at stake in Georgia, which will decide the Senate majority. Nowhere is the divide between Democrat… Continue Reading
03.27.20
U.S. senators, congressman address COVID-19 pandemic
by Senator Dan Sullivan, Senator Lisa Murkowski & Congressman Don Young
We understand what a challenging and unprecedented time this is for Alaskans. The COVID-19 virus has been an evolving pandemic, spreading worldwide and severely disrupting life across America and our state. Alaskans are worried not only about their personal health and the impacts that Alaska's health systems may face, but also the potential short-and long-term economic impacts on working families, jobs and small businesses across the state. But in true Alaska fashion, folks in the state hav… Continue Reading
03.03.20
POLITICO: Senator slams lack of port infrastructure in the Arctic
by SARAH CAMMARATA
The chairman of a Senate Armed Services subcommittee sounded the alarm Tuesday on what he said is practically nonexistent port infrastructure in the Arctic, even though the Defense Department's Arctic strategy calls for enhancing port capability in the far north. Sen. Dan Sullivan noted that legislation from his subcommittee on readiness, as well as provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act, has long addressed a lack of strategic ports, specifically in the Arctic. The Alaska Republic… Continue Reading
01.24.20
OP-ED: Goldman Sachs to Native Alaskans: Drop Dead
by Harry Brower Jr.
As the mayor of Alaska's North Slope Borough, I represent about 10,000 people in an area larger than most states. Beneath our lands are some of the largest oil and gas reserves in the world, including Prudhoe Bay and the coastal plain of the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. Since the 19th century, when our Inupiat ancestors made initial contact with the West, we have worked to maintain a balance between the modern world and our rich cultural inheritance. Largely because of the oil and gas und… Continue Reading
01.17.20
EDITORIAL "The Senate—unanimously!—acts to improve the health of our oceans"
01.15.20
Sullivan-sponsored bill to address marine debris passes the Senate
by Sarah Lapidus
The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill co-sponsored by a bipartisan group, including two Alaska senators, on Thursday to address the threat of plastic debris impacting the country's coastline and fisheries. Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), along with Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) introduced the bill in June. The bill, Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, builds on a previous bill, Save Our Seas Act, signed into law by the president in 2018 and addresses the increasing amoun… Continue Reading
12.20.19
KTUU: “We’re gonna take this very seriously" - Murkowski, Sullivan react to impeachment
Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan both called the House impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump "rushed" but said they would take upcoming Senate hearings seriously. At the Holiday Luncheon sponsored by the Midnight Sun Special Events Committee in Anchorage on Friday, Sen. Murkowski said that it was not up for debate whether the House trial was rushed. "I don't think that that's any great secret, whether you're Republican or Democrat. It's very clear that they wanted to advance… Continue Reading
11.13.19
Ocean Plastics Bill Sails Through Senate Committee
by David Schultz
A bill that would combat plastic pollution in the ocean won approval in another Senate committee despite objections from one of the chamber's most active environmentalists. The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee approved S. 1982, also known as the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, on a voice vote at a Nov. 13 markup. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), would create a federal marine debris foundation, establish a "genius prize" to encourage the development of solutions … Continue Reading
11.13.19
Save Our Seas 2.0 tackles global marine debris crisis
by Sen. Dan Sullivan, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse & Sen. Bob Menendez
OPINION - We may have plenty of political differences, but we come from coastal states. That means we have a front-row seat to the peril of plastic waste and marine debris flowing into our oceans at the rate of around 8 million metric tons per year. We understand what it will mean for our fishing and tourism industries when the weight of plastic in our oceans equals the weight of fish in the sea - something projected to happen by mid-century. We don't have a moment to lose in confronting this pr… Continue Reading
10.26.19
EDITORIAL: Every human should be alarmed by the plastic crisis in our oceans
by Editorial Board
"WITHOUT CHANGE," warns a bipartisan group of senators, "there will be more plastic by weight than fish in the oceans by 2050." Some of the signs of this growing crisis are visible: sea turtles caught in discarded fishing nets; piles of trash floating in the ocean; birds and fish stranded in plastic six-pack rings. But much of the trash in the ocean is not so obvious. National Geographic reports that the iconic Great Pacific Garbage Patch - also known as the Pacific trash vortex - is … Continue Reading
06.27.19
Sullivan launches new bipartisan effort to clean up oceans
by ALISTAIR GARDINER
KODIAK - U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) introduced a new bill Wednesday aimed at cleaning up the marine debris crisis affecting America's oceans, shorelines and inland waterways, as well as other coasts across the globe. At a press conference in Washington, D.C., the three senators unveiled new legislation that looks to build on the Save Our Seas Act, a marine debris bill that was sponsored by Sullivan and Whitehouse and signed into law last … Continue Reading
06.27.19
Senate 'odd couple' returns, this time in search of a genius
by Rob Hotakainen
When President Trump signed a bill aimed at cleaning up plastic trash last fall, he noted the unlikely pair of senators standing by his side: Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, and Dan Sullivan, a Republican from Alaska. "The president remarked on us being a rather odd couple," Whitehouse said yesterday at a Capitol Hill news conference, recalling the Oct. 11, 2018, ceremony. The duo is back with a sequel: Eight months after the president signed the Save Our Seas Act into law, W… 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
06.13.18
PoliticoPro: Trump's talk of Korean pullout could echo across Asia
by Jacqueline Klimas and Wesley Morgan
Republicans and defense experts are warning that President Donald Trump's idea of pulling American troops from South Korea would undermine stability across Asia and weaken the U.S. against China. One GOP senator, Alaska's Dan Sullivan, is pushing legislative language touting the importance of the U.S. military presence in deterring North Korean aggression - in contrast to Trump's repeated calls for withdrawing American forces someday. And other Republicans have sounded that theme since Tuesday'… Continue Reading
06.26.17
The Missile Defense Imperative
Liberal opposition to missile defense has persisted since the 1980s, but the politics may be changing with technological progress and the rising threat from North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's nuclear weapons. Congress has an opportunity this summer to notch a rare bipartisan deal that enhances U.S. security. Kim has already overseen more nuclear and missile tests than his father and grandfather combined, and the Defense Intelligence Agency warns that "if left on its current trajectory" Pyongya… Continue Reading
02.02.17
Don’t ‘tear up’ the Iran deal. Let it fail on its own.
by Sen. Dan Sullivan
As a candidate, Donald Trump said he would "tear up" the Iran nuclear deal once elected. Many of us in the Senate strongly opposed this deal on substance - it provides the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism a pathway toward to nuclear weapons inside of a decade - and also on process. The Obama administration sought the approval of the U.N. Security Council, but essentially ignored the constitutional role of the Senate in seeking to finalize the deal as an executive agreement, not a treat… Continue Reading
12.05.16
How to Put Building Permits on a Fast Track
by Sen. Dan Sullivan
President-elect Donald Trump has made investing in U.S. infrastructure a priority. This country urgently needs to build and repair roads, bridges, airports, pipelines and rail lines. But a huge roadblock is the federal permitting system. Even with a more business-friendly administration, a trillion-dollar infrastructure plan won't accomplish much unless Congress reforms the way public-works projects are approved. America used to be the envy of the world in building great projects responsibly, e… Continue Reading
05.06.16
The truth about our continuing combat role
by Sen. Dan Sullivan
When the president is in open disagreement with the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on one of the most critical issues our nation faces - whether to send our sons and daughters into combat - it should be cause for significant national concern. President Obama has repeatedly told the American people that U.S. troops are not in combat in the Middle East. In 2010, he announced that "our combat mission is ending" in Iraq. He used the same words in 2014 regarding A… Continue Reading
04.26.16
Military investments should help Alaska weather economic challenges
by Sen. Dan Sullivan
Alaska is facing tough economic times. Budgets are being squeezed, workers are being laid off and families are making due with less. But it's important to understand that we've been here before, and we've come out stronger because of it. It's also important to remember that just like in past recoveries, the federal government has a significant role to play in Alaska. Working together again, Alaska's congressional delegation is united on this issue. We are making sure that Alaska gets its f… Continue Reading
03.17.16
Alaska must have clear path to pursue justice for young women in Allen case
by Sen. Dan Sullivan, Alaska AG Craig Richards
As many Alaskans know, the state still hasn't fully recovered from the corruption scandal that beginning in 2006 rocked the state and sowed the seeds of mistrust between the people and their government. Certain prior actions by the U.S. Department of Justice -- the most powerful guardian of justice in our country -- have contributed to that lingering mistrust. However, there is a new opportunity for U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to right past wrongs. That's why we announced last month tha… Continue Reading
