In themes familiar to Alaskans, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan on Tuesday spoke in Alaska’s Capitol to a joint session of the Alaska House and Senate, calling on Alaskans to help him fight to keep the promise of Alaska alive, and to lean into the purpose of our state for the greater good of all of America.
He challenged legislators and all Alaskans to rise to the call of citizenship in a Republic, and to engage in the arena, hearkening back to the words of President Teddy Roosevelt in his famous “Man in the Arena” speech.
Sullivan was positive about Alaska’s potential and pivotal place in national security.
He was not so bullish on the Biden Administration, saying he felt no need to be present at President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday evening in Washington, D.C., when he could be with Alaskans.
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in world than right here, right now with the people who really matter,” he said.
He also criticized President Biden for issuing 44 executive orders relating to Alaska — more than any other state, in the two years since he took office. Sullivan described the Biden Administration’s “war on Alaska,” as running counter to Sullivan’s top priorities for Alaska: Revitalizing Alaska’s economy and growing jobs for Alaskans, and providing security to the United States in a time of rising global tensions.
“No other state has gotten this kind of unwarranted attention,” Sullivan said of Biden’s executive orders, adding that even Democrats senators are stunned when they find out how much Alaska has been targeted by the Biden Administration.
Sullivan described the Willow and Pikka oil projects on the North Slope and National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska as on the cusp of bringing a renaissance in jobs and activity to the state, not to mention over 200,000 barrels per day of oil into the Trans Alaska Pipeline System and billions of dollars in revenues to local, state, and federal coffers. If only the Biden Administration won’t spike the projects.
He praised the activation of the Army’s 11th Airborne Division, first formed in 1943, and now activated in Alaska as of 2022. He described how he has nearly nailed down a new icebreaker that will be home-ported in Juneau soon, bringing a crew of 200 and hundreds of related jobs, while also finally having an icebreaker located in the state.
Sullivan said that while America has two icebreakers, one of them is broken, which leaves just one operational. Russia, on the other hand, has 54 icebreakers, many of them with nuclear capabilities. Even Singapore has more icebreakers than the United States, he added, with a note of exasperation, considering it is one degree north of the Equator. But change he has pushed for is on the horizon, with icebreakers now being built at shipyards in America.
He warned of the rise of authoritarian governments around the world, such as in Russia and China, and how important Alaska is to protecting the nation during an era of global power dynamics he predicted will continue well into the future.
When asked during a brief question and answer period following his speech, Sullivan praised the military personnel stationed in Alaska for tracking the Chinese spy balloon that went across Alaska last week. He said that data about the aircraft was transmitted to the Department of Defense, where decisions were made to allow the spying device to continue on its path across America. Sullivan said he thought it should have been shot down earlier in its journey, rather than later. He also indicated that he needed to be careful about what he said publicly about the incident, and said that others speaking on the record have probably overshared knowledge that is or could be classified.
In addition to the usual Alaska topics of energy, mining, fishing, and tourism, Sullivan talked about the problems of addiction, domestic violence, and the mental health crisis, particularly as it impacts many young people, who are hooked on social media and are becoming depressed and suicidal.
But he ended on a positive note — where he started — by reminding lawmakers that Alaska is like no other place on earth, and that the people of the state are not too divided to be able to work together to move the state ahead. Alaskans share with each other and pull together during tough times, and have a unique generosity of spirit. He once again called for Alaskans to dig deep to create a place where a sense of purpose is preserved, and where the spirit of community is interwoven with endless possibilities.
America is not fully America without Alaska, Sullivan concluded, and Alaska has a strong purpose and a place in America.
Senator Sullivan’s speech in full can be read at this link.
