Tired of winning, Alaska?
It has been a landmark week for Alaska Congressman Nick Begich III, who has seen the first two bills he introduced since taking office passed by both bodies of Congress and signed by President Donald Trump on Monday. Begich is the first member of either the House or Senate to have multiple bills signed by the president. And it’s only been six months.
The two bills that are now law are intended to strengthen the general welfare of Alaska Native communities. They are House Resolution 42: Alaska Native Settlement Trust Eligibility Act, and HR 43: Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands Restoration Act of 2025.
HR 42, which amends the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, ensures that payments or benefits from settlement trusts to aged, blind, or disabled Alaska Natives (or their descendants) will not be counted as income or resources for the purposes of qualifying for need-based federal assistance programs such as Supplemental Security Income, SNAP, or housing aid. This exemption applies for a five-year period following enactment. The bill was passed by the House on Feb. 4 and cleared the Senate on June 24.
HR 43 lifts a longstanding requirement that village corporations must convey certain lands to the State of Alaska to be held in trust for future municipal governments. With the change, those lands may now remain under the control of village corporations, freeing up locally driven development and stewardship. This bill also passed the House on Feb. 4 and cleared the Senate on June 18.
Begich’s early success signals a deliberate focus on Alaska Native priorities that former Rep. Mary Peltola was not able to accomplish. These were bills left over from the Congressman Don Young era; Young died while in office in 2022.
The wins stand out and mark Begich as a hardworking and effective advocate, not only for advocating for America-first policies in the One Big Beautiful Bill, Alaska natural resource development, and the 70-30 royalty split with the federal government, but as a successful advocate for Alaska Native interests in his first six months on Capitol Hill.
Great work, Nick! Mary was too busy for two years taking victory laps, smiling for the camera, being on state with Jill Biden in Bethel and all the rest to really get any work done. She really didn’t buckle down and set priorities for the state that would advance our economy, energy independence, health, housing or anything else. She did have plenty of time to support any cockamamie protest and anti-American issue. No time for Alaskans. No time for Alaska Natives.
Mary Peltola was a pure oddity in RCV. A complete do-nothing and an invention of Scott Kendall to further fool the public. Peltola did nothing for Alaska or for her own people. She will only be remembered as a widow, with half a dozen prior marriages, who blew out of Bethel, to assist the hapless Joe Biden and the feckless Democrats occupy a small moment in the attempted ruination of our country.
That’s why the “uncles” support Nicholas. Thanks for your superb insight, Julia.
Nick Begich has really impressed me!! I hope that soon Alaska can take back the control from the Democrats who seem to insist on running this state into the ground!! I hope more Alaskans will wake up and see the damage that Democrats have done here and continue to try and implement!!
These were bills introduced by Peltola in a repub-controlled house that Begich later was allowed to push through in a repub-controlled house. Funny how that works!