Congressional candidate Nick Begich sent a letter to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise this week regarding the prioritization of Alaska’s interests in the budget reconciliation bill, which allows for consideration of specified changes in law to align spending and revenue with certain budget targets that include policy priorities.
It’s a chance for pro-Alaska provisions to get into law, something Rep. Mary Peltola has ignored while she throws parties in Alaska that advertise “free beer” and “free food.”
In response to the letter from Alaska’s Republican candidate for House, Rep. Scalise released the following statement on Tuesday:
“Energy production in our country has been crippled by the Biden-Harris Administration and Alaska’s production capacity is no exception. Democrat leadership and their failed policies have stunted growth. While Mary Peltola has enabled the Left’s radical agenda for two years, Nick Begich is already committed to securing a prosperous future for Alaska. In every conversation we have, he’s reaffirmed his commitment to correcting the failed Biden-Harris agenda by passing as many pro-energy policies as possible in the first reconciliation bill of the new Congress. We need Nick in Washington to lower prices, fix our economy, and unleash American energy.”
Scalise has been a vocal critic of the Biden-Harris Administration’s draining of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, with is now at its lowest levels since its inception, as Biden used the reserve oil to change the outcome of the 2022 election cycle. He has not replenished the SPR, as he had promised to do.
The letter from Begich asked Scalise and the leadership of the House to prioritize Alaska and move away any and all obstacles to the state developing its vast natural resources in the 119th Congress’ first budget reconciliation bill.
“This is more important than ever, particularly after the Biden-Harris Administration has weaponized the administrative state to limit Alaska’s ability to produce and manage our resources,” Begich wrote. “The Biden-Harris Administration has taken 66 actions, through executive orders and otherwise, that have limited our ability to make decisions in not only our own best interests, but those of the country. I seek to work with House Republican Leadership through the reconciliation process to provide certainty for generations of Alaskans to come.”
Begich said that he understands the limitations of the reconciliation process but he emphasized, “it is time for us to be bold and, as such, I request to collaboratively work with your team to include as much as possible within the parameters of the reconciliation process subject to the support of the House Republican Conference. After the reconciliation process, our work will not be done. As you know, energy security is national security, and it is critical for the 119th Congress to prioritize unleashing American energy. Therefore, I respectfully request to continue to work with your team through the Congress on subsequent legislation to further unburden Alaska from federal government overreach.”
Begich is running to replace Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola, who has taken credit for the Willow drilling project on the North Slope, while doing nothing to stop the 66 executive orders by the Biden Administration that have hobbled Alaska’s economy. Biden vowed to his base that Willow was a bargain he had struck with the environmental lobby and that it would be the last oil to ever come from Alaska. Peltola does not mention this part of the Willow bargain.
“Alaska’s resource development is critical to the state’s economy and nation’s energy security. The uncertainty created by certain executive actions has stalled essential projects, reduced investment, increased energy costs, and contributed to the increase in costs on everyday goods. Codifying protections for Alaska’s resource industries will stimulate job creation, ensure regulatory clarity, and boost national economic growth,” Begich wrote to Scalise.
“We have a rare opportunity to decisively end decades of political maneuvering that have impeded Alaska’s economic potential. By leading this charge, House Republicans can demonstrate their commitment to economic growth, energy dominance, and limiting executive overreach. I am confident that with your leadership, we can unify Alaska and Congress around our shared principles, benefiting all Americans for generations to come,” the candidate wrote.