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From offshore to online: Furie’s new Cook Inlet gas wells set for July launch

Suzanne Downing
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From offshore to online: Furie’s new Cook Inlet gas wells set for July launch

Furie Operating Alaska announced it wrapped up a successful offshore drilling season with the departure of the Spartan 151 jack-up rig, marking a key target met in its ongoing efforts to shore up Southcentral Alaska’s dwindling natural gas reserves.

The company announced that it met all operational goals during the season, which included drilling two new wells and performing a work-over on another in the Kitchen Lights Unit. The wells are expected to come online in July, delivering much-needed gas to Southcentral Alaska’s energy grid.

“It has been an incredible season working alongside you,” said Furie CEO John Hendrix in a message to the Hilcorp Spartan 151 team. “Your commitment and collaboration have been instrumental in making this season a success.”

Furie, the only fully Alaska-owned oil and gas operator, has invested more than $900 million into Cook Inlet development, including the construction of the newest offshore gas production platform. The company’s share of Cook Inlet’s total gas production rose from 5% in December 2024 to 7.5% by February 2025.

The spring drilling campaign, launched in April, was funded in part by a loan from the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, as part of a $50 million revolving credit line approved in May. The program boosted the major component of Furie’s strategy to confront the projected regional gas shortage expected to begin around 2027.

Southcentral Alaska, home to over half the state’s population, faces a critical energy contract shortfall in the coming years as production from the Cook Inlet basin declines. The region currently relies on the Cook Inlet for about 80% of its natural gas, which powers 90% of its electricity and heats the vast majority of homes. Without new sources, state officials warn the region could see a 20–30% supply gap by 2030.

While the state is exploring LNG imports as a contingency, imports are expected to be significantly more expensive than local production, which could drive up energy prices across Anchorage and Southcentral.

Furie’s drilling initiative represents one of the few major new development efforts in the Cook Inlet basin. The company has worked closely with other Alaska-based firms including Fairweather LLC and Maritime Helicopters to execute the program. In February, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources granted royalty rate reductions to Furie to help support a five-year gas supply contract with Enstar, though company leaders have emphasized that long-term production gains will depend more on access to capital than on regulatory concessions.

High costs, aging infrastructure, and a challenging regulatory environment have slowed new exploration in Cook Inlet, where longtime producers like Hilcorp and Furie currently carry the burden of ensuring regional energy stability.

Among the companies that worked this year to bring the project to a success were: M&H, Cruz Construction, Inc., Udelhoven, Fairweather, LLC, Weaver Bros., Inc., Parker Wellbore, American Piledriving Equipment Inc., Five Star Oilfield Services, LLC, Cook Inlet Spill Prevention and Response, AIDEA, and Hilcorp.

Furie gets jack-up rig into position at Kitchen Lights Unit for ambitious natural gas drilling program

Willie Keppel: A generational chance to clean House (and Senate) in Juneau

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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Willie Keppel: A generational chance to clean House (and Senate) in Juneau

By WILLIE KEPPEL

We have a once-in-a-generational opportunity to clean up the Alaska Legislature: The retirement of Lyman Hoffman, after 40 years — with the bonus of Senate President Gary Stevens throwing in the towel with 24 years.

The icing on top may yet appear with an announcement from Golovin-based Sen. Donny Olson, with 24 years, announcing retirement due to medical complications from a recent serious ailment.

These are just some of the poster politicians for why we need an opportunity to vote on a constitutional change that defines and mandates mandatory term limits.

It just gets better. The rumored possibility is if Donny resigns, Nome Democrat Neil Foster will apply for Donnie’s seat, or run in the next election.

With the retirement of Sen. Stevens, Kodiak Rep. Louise Stutes, with 10 years in the House, two of which she served as a speaker, has announced a run to succeed her buddy, Stevens in the Senate.

The icing on the cake gets thicker with Hoffman encouraging current House Speaker Bryce Edgmon to run for his seat. Edgmon will have 20 years in office at the end of the next session. The beauty is both Stutes and Edgmon will have to move out of the comfort zones they have created in their districts by throwing our PFD funds to their favorite special interests for as much as decades. This applies to Foster also.

The reason I am happy is we have an opportunity to wipe the slate clean of the power brokers in Juneau. No matter how you may want to slice the budgetary cake, these folks have already decided on the portion sizes for government and private economy, with wiggle room left on the size of the PFD to be stolen, before they even gavel into a new session. These are the folks that have controlled the Finance committees, the House and Senate gavel that steers new bills to committees, and have appointed the committees. Which has led us to what??

If you are already thinking, BILLION AND A HALF DOLLAR DEFICITS, you will not be alone in your thoughts. If you suddenly have a flashback to tens of thousands of your family’s PFD dollars being ripped out of your pockets, it’s not a bad dream — it’s theft by their design.

I see the opportunity for change. I see the opportunity for fresh faces to change juno. I see fresh faces that trust Alaskans to go to the polls and vote for term limits, constitutional PFDs and laws that define where a legislator is required to live and for how long.

I see a brighter Alaska, one where we live within our financial means. I say to those listed above, thank you for your service and do not let the door hit you in the rear on the way out.

Willy Keppel is a longtime trapper and fur trader in Western Alaska.

Willy Keppel: Defined benefits is a model that punishes families, fails students, protects bureaucrats

Search for missing airman in Chena River turns into recovery effort

Suzanne Downing
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Search for missing airman in Chena River turns into recovery effort

A 24-year-old United States Air Force staff sergeant has gone missing in the Chena River. On Friday, Christian Diaz of Houston, Texas was kayaking with three coworkers on the Chena River while they were off duty; Diaz was deployed to the Red Flag exercises at Eielson Air Force Base. All four went underwater. Three resurfaced, but Diaz did not.

The Fairbanks Police Department and Fire Department, along with other rescue teams, immediately began searching for him.

Christian is a Hispanic male, 5’11”, and weighs around 190 pounds. He was with the 35th Fighter Generation Squadron at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea, and was deployed to Eielson Air Force Base for training, according to the 8th Fighter Wing and Fairbanks’ fire and police departments.

Rescue operations have since been turned into recovery operations.

“I want to thank the Fairbanks Fire Department, Fairbanks Police Department, Village Public Safety Officers and PAWS Search and Rescue for diligently leading the ongoing efforts to locate Christian,” said Col. Kathryn Gaetke, 8th Fighter Wing commander. “We recognize the emotional hardship for both his family in the United States and here in the Wolf Pack, and we remain focused on supporting his family, colleagues, and all those affected during this challenging time.”

His mother is flying to Fairbanks on Sunday to be closer to the search efforts.

Palestinian flag flies over Anchorage Hillside home of UAA professor

Suzanne Downing
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78
Palestinian flag flies over Anchorage Hillside home of UAA professor

A large Palestinian flag flying from a luxury home on the Anchorage Hillside has raised eyebrows after local news outlet the Alaska Landmine identified the homeowner as Osama Abaza, a University of Alaska Anchorage professor who was born in Nablus on the West Bank and has deep ties to Palestinian academia.

Abaza, who teaches civil engineering at UAA, is a longtime figure in the civil engineering academic community both in Anchorage and in the West Bank. Before moving to Alaska at least 16 years ago, he held several high-level roles at An-Najah National University in the West Bank, serving as graduate coordinator for the transportation engineering department in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and as vice president for administrative affairs from 1999 to 2002. His career at An-Najah dates back to the 1980s, when he chaired the civil engineering department.

The massive flag, prominently displayed outside his Anchorage residence, is visible from a distance.

It’s unclear what the flag represents to Abaza. Several Palestinian organizations have been designated as terrorist groups by countries and international bodies due to their involvement in politically motivated violence. These designations do not apply to the Palestinian people as a whole, but to specific entities that represent many of them. Key terror groups include the Palestinian government, Hamas.

Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamist organization that has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, Canada, Israel, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, among others, due to its history of suicide bombings, rocket attacks, and other violent acts targeting Israeli civilians and military personnel. The October 2023 attack on southern Israel, which killed nearly 1,200 people and involved hostage-taking, was widely condemned as a terrorist act attributed to Hamas.

Hamas’s 1988 charter called for the destruction of Israel, though a 2017 document moderated some language while still rejecting Israel’s legitimacy.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad is a smaller, Iran-backed group focused on armed resistance against Israel. PIJ has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States, EU, Canada, and others for its rocket attacks and suicide bombings, particularly during the Second Intifada in the early 2000s.

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a Marxist-Leninist group involved in terrorist attacks since the 1960s, including aircraft hijackings and bombings. It is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, EU, Canada, and others.

Other groups include the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command, and the Abu Nidal Organization, which are designated as terrorist groups by various countries for historical acts of violence, including hijackings, bombings, and assassinations.

Read the professor’s biography at this UAA link.

Abaza is living in the United States, where the First Amendment protects even controversial forms of expression, including the flying of a foreign flag. The First Amendment protects unpopular speech and political dissent, and even protects symbols of anti-semitism, such as the Palestinian flag has become.

An-Najah National University, where Abaza spent much of his career, has in the past drawn scrutiny from international observers for its campus climate and political affiliations.

The Anchorage display comes at a time when the Palestinian flag represents Palestinian national resistance to some people, while for others, it evokes images of extremism and anti-Israel ideology and violent anti-semitism.

Alexander Dolitsky: ‘Free Palestine’ is a call to destroy Israel and exterminate Jews

‘No Independence Day’ grift joins the fray

Suzanne Downing
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‘No Independence Day’ grift joins the fray

A newly formed advocacy group that appears to be just one man with a penchant for social media is calling on Americans to sit out this year’s Fourth of July celebrations.

The “group,” The People’s Union USA, is urging supporters to forgo parades, fireworks, and flag-waving in what it describes as an “economic blackout” in protest of recent political and corporate developments, and especially in light of President Donald Trump regaining the White House.

The organization, founded in February by Chicago-based activist and meditation guide John Schwarz, who goes by the name “TheOneCalledJai” online, has framed the boycott as a response to a series of grievances, including recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests, rollbacks of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives by major corporations, imagined suppression of street protests, and the policies enacted under the Trump Administration.

Schwarz is a bit of a cult figure and there’s little evidence that there is actually a group behind him. Although he says chapters are popping up all over the country, there only seems to be one chapter besides his Chicago headquarters, and it’s in Portland, Ore.

He is also calling for a month-long boycott of major retailers including Amazon, Walmart, Target, Starbucks, and Home Depot — companies he has repeatedly targeted in past 2025 campaigns.

Schwarz’ People’s Union USA advocates economic resistance as a tool to combat what it calls “corporate greed, political corruption, and social injustice.” His rise has been rapid, largely fueled by Schwarz’s robust social media presence on Instagram and TikTok, where he has accumulated over 600,000 followers. The group raised $119,000 through GoFundMe by March to support its operations and has received public endorsements from celebrities such as Bette Midler and Stephen King. It may have funding from Hollywood stars, in addition to the GoFundMe

The July 4th boycott is the latest in a series of coordinated efforts by the People’s Union. Recent actions have included:

  • May 20–26: second Walmart boycott
  • June 3–9: Target boycott
  • June 24–30: McDonald’s boycott
  • All of July: Amazon, Starbucks, Home Depot boycotts

Instead of participating in national celebrations, The People’s Union USA wants Americans to eschew what it calls “performative patriotism.”

Meanwhile, the “No Kings” coalition — an alliance of groups including Indivisible, the ACLU, and the Service Employees International Union — is planning a major national protest on July 17 titled “Good Trouble Lives On.” 

The event commemorates the fifth anniversary of the death of Congressman John Lewis and aims to mobilize mass demonstrations against what organizers describe as attacks on democracy and civil rights.

The group is hoping to attract more black Americans to its cause. Previously, the No Kings movement has been almost exclusively white and remarkably elderly.

No Kings leaders continue to focus on long-term movement-building efforts such as:

  • One Million Rising: A leadership training campaign launched June 18 aiming to equip one million Americans to organize local, anti-Trump efforts.
  • Targeted Economic Pressure: Ongoing boycotts of companies like Tesla and calls to pressure its partners—including a “Musk Must Fall” protest staged on June 28, which was Elon Musk’s 54th birthday.
  • Grassroots Infrastructure: Community organizing, town halls, and candidate recruitment efforts driven by the 3.5% theory, which ways that just 3.5% of a population in sustained nonviolent protest can spark systemic political change.

As of this writing, there’s no indication that Alaskans will be sitting out the Fourth of July, with the exception of those who already skip the holiday for their own reasons.

Anchorage ‘reimagined’ police task force aims for kinder, gentler police and less enforcement

Suzanne Downing
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Anchorage ‘reimagined’ police task force aims for kinder, gentler police and less enforcement

Anchorage Assembly’s move toward “reimagining public safety” is being launched as the governing body for 40% of the population of the state authorized a task force aimed at reviving the former Public Safety Advisory Commission, but with a new mission.

While the effort is being promoted as a way to enhance community involvement in public safety decisions, it is actually part of a broader national trend toward replacing traditional policing with ideologically driven alternatives rooted in the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) movement. The goal is not law enforcement, so much as good relationships with criminals.

The task force was authorized under AR 2025-111, a resolution sponsored by Assembly Vice Chair Anna Brawley and Assembly Members Kameron Perez-Verdia, and Felix Rivera. The resolution calls for a diverse group of stakeholders, including law enforcement, municipal departments, school district representatives, and community organizations, to participate in developing recommendations for a new advisory commission. Political consultant Denali Daniels + Associates will be paid to facilitate.

Assembly Member Felix Rivera, a Democrat who first moved to Anchorage to work for former Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, will help lead the task force. He said the goal is to create a more inclusive conversation around public safety.

“It’s essential that the community helps shape the future of public safety in Anchorage,” Rivera said. The term “community” has variable meanings in the leftist political vocabulary.

The nationwide “reimagining public safety” movement gained traction in the aftermath of the George Floyd protests in 2020, after Derek Chauvin, a Minneapolis police officer who was subduing a violent and drugged criminal ended up being arrested, tried, and convicted for the man’s death. Chauvin is serving a 22-year federal sentence, even though subsequent evidence shows that George Floyd died from drugs, a fact still being disputed by Black Lives Matter agitators.

The reimagined police movement prioritizes reducing police involvement in many areas of public life and redirecting resources to alternative responses such as mental health professionals, social workers, and community mediators. There’s less focus on stopping crime or arresting criminals.

Supporters of the “reimagining” say it’s the police department’s job to address the root causes of crime, such as poverty, mental illness, and trauma, and that police must work to build trust between “marginalized communities” and public institutions.

This approach has led to dangerous gaps in enforcement, lower police morale, and less accountability in cities where similar reforms have been tried, such as San Francisco and Oakland. In Anchorage, where crime, drug use, and chronic vagrancy have grown to crisis levels, the task force’s probable “soft on crime” recommendations may further weaken already strained public safety systems.

The Assembly’s resolution aligns with key principles of the equity-driven model: Reducing police roles in non-violent incidents, emphasizing community-centered engagement, and investing in social services instead of law enforcement infrastructure.

Anchorage’s previous Public Safety Advisory Commission was dissolved in part due to its limited influence and unclear mandate. Rather than strengthening law enforcement oversight through improved structures, the Assembly’s new approach appears to seek a fundamentally different model, one centered on non-police voices and restorative justice frameworks, in line with the broader national campaign by Democrats to replace traditional public safety institutions with ideologically motivated alternatives.

Meetings began June 26. The next one is July 10, with information available at this Anchorage Municipality link.

Anchorage at a breaking point: Time to end the era of lawless encampments

Breaking: Court deals final blow to Kendall lawsuit over ranked-choice voting repeal petition

Suzanne Downing
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Breaking: Court deals final blow to Kendall lawsuit over ranked-choice voting repeal petition

The Alaska Supreme Court on Saturday upheld the Division of Elections’ handling of a 2024 ballot initiative that sought to repeal the state’s open primary and ranked-choice voting system—months after voters narrowly rejected the measure at the polls. The full opinion can be read here.

The legal challenge, brought by Alaska residents La quen náay Elizabeth Medicine Crow, Amber Lee, and Kevin McGee, alleged that the Division of Elections improperly certified initiative 22AKHE for the ballot by allowing its sponsors to correct errors in signature booklets after the statutory filing deadline.

The repeal initiative, sponsored by Art Mathias, Phil Izon, and Jamie Donley, aimed to overturn Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system, which was adopted by voters in 2020 and first used in 2022.

Represented by attorneys Scott Kendall (who was the primary author of ranked-choice voting in Alaska,) Jahna Lindemuth (attorney general under Gov. Bill Walker,) Samuel G. Gottstein, and C. Maeve Kendall of Cashion Gilmore & Lindemuth in Anchorage, the law-fare challengers, hoping to stop the petition from success, argued that the Division violated Alaska statutes and regulations by accepting post-deadline corrections to circulator certifications. They cited issues such as an expired notary commission having been used on a petition and claimed the Division’s actions undermined the integrity of the initiative process.

In an earlier ruling, Anchorage Superior Court Judge Christina Rankin had granted summary judgment in favor of the Division of Elections and the petition sponsors, holding that Alaska Statute 15.45.130 allows corrections to circulator certifications during the Division’s 60-day review period, as long as those corrections are made before signatures are counted.

The court also found that the Division’s actions did not violate regulatory requirements. It concluded that the certification issues identified by the challengers did not qualify as “patent defects,” meaning they were not clearly detectable during the initial review. Furthermore, the court ruled that the “single instrument” requirement for petition booklets did not bar corrections to individual pages. A mistake on one line in the petition should not invalidate the entire booklet.

Following a bench trial, some signatures and booklets were disqualified due to procedural errors, but the court found that enough valid signatures remained to keep the initiative on the ballot.

Initiative 22AKHE went before voters in November, 2024 and was narrowly defeated — by 743 votes. The repeal group was outspent and tied up fighting the lawsuit in court, or would likely have won. The group supporting the repeal of ranked-choice voting (Yes on 2 campaign) was outspent by the opposition (No on 2 campaign) by a margin of approximately 100 to 1. The Yes on 2 campaign raised around $489,000, while the No on 2 campaign raised nearly $14 million, nearly all from Outside dark money groups and wealthy out-of-state Democrats.

The challengers then appealed the Superior Court’s summary judgment decision to the Alaska Supreme Court. In its June 27 ruling, the high court unanimously affirmed the lower court’s interpretation of the relevant statutes and regulations. The justices agreed that the Division had acted lawfully in accepting certification corrections within the 60-day review window and confirmed that the initiative was properly placed on the ballot.

“The Court agreed with our statutory interpretation arguments about correcting petition booklet certificates after the petition is filed but before the review is complete. The Division of Elections administers elections with the highest level of professional integrity and fairness. I’m happy to see that reflected in this important court ruling,” said Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor.

The decision concludes a prolonged legal battle over the petition process and reaffirms the Division of Elections’ discretion in administering Alaska’s direct democracy procedures. Although the repeal effort was unsuccessful at the ballot box, the court’s ruling ensures that the process by which it reached voters will stand as a precedent for future citizen-led initiatives.

Another repeal effort is already under way, collecting signatures to submit to the Division of Elections and take the matter to the people for a vote once again on whether to return to normal voting in Alaska.

Kendall & Co. sue Division of Elections and lieutenant governor over validation of ranked-choice voting recall petitions

Joint district GOP hearing will now address censure of Kenai Sen. Jesse Bjorkman

Suzanne Downing
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Joint district GOP hearing will now address censure of Kenai Sen. Jesse Bjorkman

A joint hearing of the Alaska Republican Party’s House Districts 7 and 8 (Kenai Peninsula Senate Seat D) will convene on Thursday, July 3, at 5 p.m. at Paradiso’s Restaurant in Kenai to consider a formal request to censure State Sen. Jesse Bjorkman.

The hearing stems from a complaint formally filed in May by six registered Republican constituents — three from each district within Senate District D, which Bjorkman represents. The complaint alleges Bjorkman has violated party principles and rules outlined in Article VII of the Alaska Republican Party’s bylaws, and it calls for censure under those provisions.

The complaint was approved by the officers of both Districts 7 and 8 and hand-delivered to Senator Bjorkman on June 17 by District 7 Chairman Jim Reveal, along with an invitation to attend the July 3 hearing to defend his actions.

As of this writing, Bjorkman has not responded to the invitation.

At the hearing, district officers will consider three main charges against Bjorkman:

  1. Deviation from the Republican Platform: The complaint asserts that Bjorkman voted in favor of legislation inconsistent with the Alaska Republican Party’s principles, citing as an example his support of House Bill 57. The bill, nicknamed the “Big Brother Bill,” drew criticism from within the party for perceived government overreach and infringement on parental rights.
  2. Formation of a Non-Republican Majority Caucus: The complainants allege that Bjorkman joined a legislative majority led by non-Republicans, with 5 of its 14 members registered as Republicans, falling afoul of party rules that discourage Republican officials from joining coalitions dominated by non-Republicans.
  3. Conduct Allegedly Bringing Dishonor to the Party: The complaint further alleges that Bjorkman has made false and misleading public statements, including mischaracterizations of his legislative partnerships. 
House Bill 57 directs Alaska state government to track graduates for 20 years after they leave high school

Under ARP rules, a censure for non-statewide elected officials like Sen. Bjorkman requires a two-thirds vote by each of the affected district committees. Alternatively, a majority of organized districts may also vote to censure under statewide procedures. Sanctions may include ineligibility for party endorsement, recruitment of challengers, and prohibition from participating in party events.

The hearing will be open to the public unless moved into executive session with Bjorkman’s consent. Voting is limited to district officers and precinct leaders of Districts 7 and 8.

A meeting schedule is expected to be released over the weekend.

Bjorkman, elected to the Alaska Senate in 2022, replaced retiring Sen. Peter Micciche. Bjorkman has frequently drawn criticism from members the party for his Democrat positions and for caucusing with the Democrats in violation of the Republican platform.

The outcome of the hearing may have long-term political implications for Bjorkman, but his current term doesn’t end until 2029.

Kenai on the move: GOP grassroots move to censure Sen. Bjorkman over Democrat-led caucus enabling

Murkowski holds the line, then votes ‘aye’ and Big Beautiful Bill moves to final vote

Suzanne Downing
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Murkowski holds the line, then votes ‘aye’ and Big Beautiful Bill moves to final vote

On the Senate floor Friday evening, all eyes were on Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who emerged as a pivotal vote on the “Big Beautiful Bill,” holding out for hours before ultimately casting a decisive “Aye” that helped advance the Republican-led measure by the slimmest possible margin.

The Senate convened at 10 am Alaska time to begin a day of deliberations and voting on the controversial domestic policy package, which includes a sweeping array of tax, spending, and regulatory provisions. By 5 pm, the vote had been open for over an hour, and the count stood at 50 against and 46 in favor of the bill. All Democrats had voted “No,” joined by Republican Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Sen. Murkowski had yet to vote.

Murkowski remained in her seat during the high-stakes proceedings, at one point engaged in a long conversation with Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Her presence and silence loomed large in the chamber — she was, it seemed in that moment, in the rare position to either doom or deliver the bill’s path forward. The tension in the chamber was palpable.

At approximately 5:20 pm, Murkowski stood and made her way to the well of the Senate. She spoke briefly with the clerk, who then recorded her vote as “Aye,” nudging the tally to 47 in favor and 50 against. Her vote did not secure passage on its own, but it signaled to Senate watchers that the Republican leadership still had a chance to clinch the win, but only if the three remaining GOP senators could be brought on board.

Those three senators — Mike Lee of Utah, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, and Rick Scott of Florida — had not been on the floor during the early stages of the vote. Sources indicated they were involved in negotiations with the Trump administration, which had been working to secure final votes behind closed doors. Murkowski was not part of those negotiations, suggesting her support had been determined separately from the ongoing deal-making.

Roughly an hour after Murkowski’s vote, all three of the remaining Republican holdouts filed into the chamber and voted “Aye.” That brought the total to 50–50, setting the stage for Vice President J.D. Vance to cast the tie-breaking vote. He was sitting nearby ready to act.

Then Sen. Ron Johnson flipped his vote from “No” back to “Aye.” and the motion to proceed passed 51-49. Only Sen. Thom Tillis and Sen. Rand Paul were “No” votes on the Republican side.

The New York Times later reported that Murkowski’s support was won through “lavish” policy concessions to Alaskans written into the bill, but the story is more complicated. She did, however, win concessions in the SNAP program and Medicaid.

With the procedural hurdle now cleared, the Senate is expected to begin formal debate and amendment consideration on the bill. Murkowski’s vote to proceed to the main vote does not guarantee that she will support the bill.

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