Great to visit and play bingo with our amazing seniors in Palmer during Colony Days!

Schumer Shutdown Episode I We’ve reversed the Biden “Last Frontier Lock Up” and we are on a path toward the Alaska Comeback. But one threat we keep facing in the Senate? The Schumer Shutdown. The Minority Leader of the Senate, Chuck Schumer, has been the most anti-Alaska Senator for nearly half a century, opposing bill after bill that would help our state. I’m fighting back every day on behalf of Alaskans.

I had a great time at Colony Days in Palmer this past weekend! Colony Days celebrates the Matanuska Colony settlers who first arrived in the Valley in 1935. Each year, Colony Days starts with a ceremonial ringing of the St. Mihiel ship’s bell. The St. Mihiel transported some of the earliest colonists from the Lower 48 to Alaska, and later brought troops to defend Alaska during World War II!

More icebreakers where the ice is! Our great state will soon be home to FOUR icebreakers—two in Kodiak, one in Seward, and the Storis in Juneau. This is great news for our communities and for Arctic and national security.

I had a good discussion with KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun today. I’m a strong advocate for the US-Taiwan relationship, regardless of politics in Taiwan. But, as I told her, we need KMT to join with the DPP to finish the defense budget and support the Alaska LNG project.

BIG NEWS FOR ALASKA! Four icebreakers are being homeported in our great state! Two will be in Kodiak and one in Seward, on top of the Storis in Juneau. This is something I’ve been working on my entire career in the Senate. We need icebreakers in the state with the ice—now, we’re finally getting them!🧊⛏️

OVER A DECADE OF ICEBREAKER ADVOCACY🧊⛏️ For 10 years, I’ve been fighting to homeport icebreakers where the ice is—Alaska. Now, that fight is paying off. MORE ICEBREAKERS ARE COMING TO ALASKA! This is not only great for our national security, it’s great for our state’s economy, too. 🙌

Today we celebrate Alaska’s late, great Congressman Don Young, the Dean of the House and a true man of the people, who was ceaselessly invested in improving the lives of Alaskans. Don was a friend and mentor to so many, Julie and me included. Don’s spirit—authentic, tenacious, indomitable—lives on in the great state he loved so much. Happy Don Young Day, Alaska!

A huge part of the Alaska Comeback is big infrastructure projects like the Cooper Landing Bypass Bridge! I’ve been working on this for nearly a decade. 70% of through traffic will be redirected onto the bridge, providing major traffic relief, improved traffic safety, and faster travel for Alaskans. We’re doing big things again in Alaska.💪

It’s a great day for Alaska! My ARTIST Act has passed the House and now heads to @POTUS' desk to become law. The ARTIST Act protects the right of Alaska Native ivory art to be sold anywhere in America. I have been working alongside Alaska Native Artists on this for years! For thousands of years, Alaska Native Artists have created some of the most beautiful art in the world. The ARTIST Act ensures they will be able to share it with the rest of America!

We’re undergoing what is possibly the largest military buildup in our state’s history: ✅ $7B recapitalization effort for JBER that will create 4,000 jobs ✅ At least 3 new icebreakers homeported in AK ✅ 4 new KC-135 tankers at Eielson ✅ A new Marine ANGLICO unit This is not only great for our national security, but great for Alaska’s economy.

Historic win for Alaska Native artists! My ARTIST Act has passed through the House and now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law. For eight years, I have been working on this legislation to protect the legal rights of Alaska Native artists who use lawfully harvested walrus ivory in traditional handicrafts, art, ceremonial regalia, and clothing. Thank you to the Alaska Native leaders who first brought this issue to my attention and who worked relentlessly with me to correct this injustice. Together, we are delivering this big victory for Alaska! More 👇 sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom…

The Russians have said publicly that they are at war with Alaska fishermen, flooding markets to drive down prices. I led the effort to fight back and impose a comprehensive ban on Russian seafood imports. In a @SenateCommerce hearing I chaired, I asked Jeremy Woodrow w/ @Alaska_Seafood how this ban is impacting Alaska’s world-class seafood harvesters.

I’m leading an effort with @SenAshleyMoody to uncover improper health care billing practices that lead to high levels of medical debt, impacting Alaskans and millions of Americans across the country. We’ve directed @HHSGov to investigate the root causes of these improper billing practices and to identify ways Congress can help fix this issue. sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom…

I chaired a great hearing today on the ‘Blue Economy,’ covering important issues ranging from shipbuilding, to fisheries, to ocean technology. We had four excellent witnesses, three of whom are Alaskans: Jeremy Woodrow from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Nathan Wardwell with JOA Surveys LLC, and Tommy Sheridan with UAF’s Alaska Blue Economy Center. It’s always great to see Capitol Hill dominated by Alaskan experts!

ICYMI Alaska: NSA Alaska is expanding! Last week, I participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for NSA Alaska at JBER—to celebrate new investments in facility renovations and additional personnel. NSA Alaska has a critical focus on monitoring Russia’s military operations and is the only air space operations center in the United States.   Alaska is the most strategic place on the planet and critical for America’s national security. These investments are a sign that Alaska’s role in defending America is growing, and deepening. In fact, we are undergoing the largest military buildup in our state since WWII, maybe ever. This is not only great for our country’s national security, but also for Alaska’s economy!

We’re undergoing the largest military build-up in our state since WWII, maybe ever. The military investments at JBER and in bases across the state are historic, including $7 billion for a recapitalization project at JBER, which will bring 4,000 private sector jobs. At least three, and maybe more, icebreakers homeported in our state. The list goes on. I attended a ribbon cutting at JBER for the expansion of NSA Alaska. NSA Alaska includes top Russian experts, Russian linguists, cryptologists, and is the premier watch hub for the Arctic, with a critical focus on Russia. Already this is the most impressive and professional group of Russian analysists in the world. And it’s going to get even stronger! This is great news for our country’s national security. Great news for our state’s economy. Bad news for Russia!

Last week, during a @SASCGOP hearing, I pressed Secretary Cao, the acting U.S. Secretary of the Navy, on working with me to reopen the Navy base at Adak—1,100 miles west of Hawaii and one of the most strategic places in the world. I was able to get $115 million in the Working Families Tax Cut Act to reopen the base, but that’s just a down payment. Secretary Cao agreed to work with me on reopening the base and to come to Adak with me to tour the island himself!

A very Seward "Good Morning." 🦅

It was great to see the entrepreneurial spirit and craftsmanship of our youth in the Valley at Ken’s Garden Center’s Little Sprouts Entrepreneur Day! I even got to take home some delicious baked goods.