A Temporary Flight Restriction called for the Anchorage airspace by the Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday was violated at least three times by small-plane pilots, Must Read Alaska learned.
Fighter jets were scrambled to check on at least one of the errant pilots, as Air Force Two landed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, before First Lady Jill Biden continued on to Bethel for what has all the looks of a campaign stop that was thinly disguised as a rally for broadband for rural Alaska, part of infrastructure spending.
Also, separately, President Joe Biden’s Air Force One stopped in Anchorage on its way to Japan, where he was scheduled for a G-7 Summit meeting, which he has ended up cutting short. Onboard with him were Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. The president’s jet landed at about 2:24 pm at JBER, refueled, and was gone by 4 pm. Although he will meet with leaders in Japan, he will not complete the second part of his trip, which included Australia and Papua New Guinea.
Jill Biden traveled on a Boeing C-32A, similar to a Boeing 757; later Wednesday, the First Lady disembarked in Bethel in chilly mid-30s weather with a brisk wind. At the school gymnasium, a sign welcomed her and much of the community had turned out to do the same, as she appeared with Rep. Mary Peltola and Interior Sec. Deb Haaland.
Sen. Dan Sullivan issued a statement regarding the visit:
“While I’m pleased to see Biden administration officials visiting Bethel and our rural communities to promote federal broadband investments authorized by Congress, I hope the First Lady and Secretary Haaland take the time to listen to Alaskans who have been harmed by the Biden administration’s policies,” Senator Sullivan said. “Unfortunately, that was not the case the last time Secretary Haaland visited Alaska and met with residents in King Cove as well as with Alaska Native Vietnam Veterans. Following that trip, Secretary Haaland not only further delayed and complicated land allotments that Alaska Native Vietnam Veterans were promised under the law, but also proceeded to reverse course on a land exchange that would have provided King Cove residents life-saving medical care access.
“In total, there have been 48 executive orders and actions singularly targeting Alaska under the Biden administration. Many of these were done without any consultation from Alaskans. The Biden administration needs to do better and listen to the people of Alaska,” Sullivan said.
The last time Jill Biden was in Alaska was for a refueling stop in 2021 on the way to the Tokyo Olympics. This is the first visit to Bethel by a wife of a sitting president.
