Politics

The Alaska House Resources Committee met on Friday to hear testimony on a resolution recognizing the longstanding partnership between Canada and the United States. It also acknowledges Canada’s sovereignty.

Two of Skagway’s elected officials participated and outlined how a trade war with Canada could, and perhaps already is, harming the Upper Lynn Canal.

Skagway Vice-Mayor Deb Potter had just two minutes to articulate her support for House Joint Resolution 11. She participated in the hearing telephonically.

“We are seeing very real effects here in Skagway,” she said. “One of our local restaurants, one of the few of them that is able to stay open year-round, received some calls from folks in Whitehorse expressing that because of actions that are being taken in Washington, D.C. they will be boycotting and no longer supporting our locally-owned restaurant that’s owned by a fantastic year-round family with a couple of young kids.”

Potter said that the Skagway Borough Assembly has received letters expressing a similar sentiment.

Assembly member Orion Hanson, who is also a builder, made the trek to Juneau to testify in person.

“We need our Canadian neighbors,” he said. “We need each other.”

Hanson shared numbers to illustrate how intertwined Skagway’s economy is with Canada.

“Skagway welcomes 1.2 million cruise ship tourists,” he said. “Nearly half of those tourists originated their cruise in Vancouver. At least half of the cruise ship tourists that come to Skagway take a shore excursion … Since the Gold Rush, millions and millions of tons of Canadian ore have traveled from the mines of the Yukon through Skagway and onto the world marketplace. In 2024, 24 million gallons of fuel was transported from Skagway’s Ore Dock to Whitehorse.”

Hanson, who often gets building supplies from Whitehorse, said that Skagway families rely on Whitehorse dentists, vets and grocery stores due to the remote location of his hometown.

“If a trade war ensues between the United States and Canada, the cost of living in Skagway will go up,” he said. “It’ll spiral up very fast.”

State Representative Chuck Kopp is a Republican from Anchorage and a co-sponsor of the resolution.

“What we are saying is that we recognize that there is a lot on the line here, besides a dollar value in a partnership that goes back thousands of years,” he said. “And that the mutual trust and support that Alaska and Canada specifically have with each other is unparalleled in modern times within a shared 1,100 mile border.”

Anchorage Republican Julie Coulombe is a member of the House Resources Committee. She asked Kopp about the purpose of the tariffs.

“The context in which these tariffs are being put forward, though, is in relation to border security and drugs,” she said. “Do you have any concerns about — maybe Canada is not doing all it needs to do to stop drugs coming through their border? Or is that not a concern for you?”

“I don’t have any such concern,” Kopp said. “So, the U.S. Border Patrol itself reports that less than 1% of all fentanyl comes across the Canadian border.”

Coulombe said she supports the partnership between the two countries, but has a “problem” with Canada’s leadership.

“I want to support that partnership, but this is basically, running against our own leadership and supporting the leadership of Canada, and that’s not something I’d like to do,” she said.

“Just in response, I would say this isn’t about the leadership of two countries,” Koff said. “This is about the people of two countries and standing together.”

The premier of Yukon, Ranj Pillai, also spoke telephonically. He introduced his location distinctly.

“In Canada, a country that is not and will never be the 51st state,” he said.

Pillai praised the relationship between his territory and Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration, calling it the strongest he can remember.

“We are pleased to be working with this administration on important issues like salmon conservation, justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women, as well as building up northern infrastructure, trade and tourism,” Pillai said.

Besides trade, Alaska has agreements with Canada for help with search and rescue and fire incidents near the borders.

The resolution’s next stop is a full House vote. It’s not yet clear when it might come up for debate.

A similar resolution is awaiting a floor vote in the Senate.

Former Alaska Congresswoman Mary Peltola and her former chief of staff have new jobs. They’re both working for Holland & Hart, a law and lobbying firm.

Peltola is now the senior director of Alaska affairs, based at the firm’s Anchorage office. Her former top aide in Congress, Anton McParland, is the senior director of federal affairs. He’ll be working out of the Holland & Hart offices in Anchorage and Washington, D.C., the firm said Monday.

“Mary and Anton are high-caliber influencers and government affairs professionals, and I’m looking forward to working with both of them on strategies for Alaska clients,” Anchorage Attorney Jon Katchen, a partner at the firm, is quoted as saying.

Former members of Congress and senior staff often work for lobbying firms after their public service ends. Members of the U.S. House are prohibited from lobbying Congress directly for at least a year after they leave office but they can still advise clients. Their senior staffers aren’t allowed to lobby at the office where they used to work for a year.

Holland & Hart have offices in several western states, generally those with vast public lands. Their lobbying clients include several mining companies, energy companies and the City of Kotzebue.

Peltola was the first Alaska Native person elected to Congress and the first U.S. House member to represent Alaska who was born in the state. She served from September 2022 until the start of 2025.

More than 100 Juneauites took to the sidewalk across the street from the Alaska State Capitol Wednesday afternoon to join a nationwide protest against President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders.  

In his first week in office, Trump signed dozens of executive orders that could have tremendous impacts on Alaskans — from climate change to oil exploration to birthright citizenship.

The Juneau protest on Wednesday afternoon was part of a nationwide movement called 50501, which stands for 50 protests, 50 states, one day. Thousands of demonstrators also marched at state capitols across the nation, including Minnesota, Texas and Montana.

Jamiann S’eiltin Hasselquist, a local advocate, led the chants and spoke to the crowd. She called on residents to band together to protect the rights of immigrants, Alaska Native people and other vulnerable populations impacted by the recent orders. 

“We’re asking our legislature to protect our democracy, protect our democracy, protect our democracy,” she said. 

Protester Luma Diaz wore an Argentinian flag wrapped around her like a cape. She held a sign that invoked the resistance fighters from the “Star Wars” movies with a picture of Princess Leia – and she had a matching hairstyle. Diaz said she showed up to support immigration and women’s rights.

“I’m Argentinian, so I’m an immigrant, and I believe that we do belong in this country, regardless of our social status or immigration status,” she said. “We are the ones that make America great.”

Juneau resident Paul Desloover held a tall sign that blended the names of the president and Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy. He said he feels like he’s experiencing déjà vu.

“Actually, I made this sign four years ago for a protest,” he said. 

Desloover said he came to push back against the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration and LGBTQ+ rights. He said he thinks Trump’s actions are influencing how Dunleavy acts here in Alaska — and that makes him nervous.  

“Our governor is just like Trump, his policies, his attitude toward government, is the same. It’s destructive to democracy,” he said. 

Another protester, Maggie Drapeaux, said she worries about Trump’s effort to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education and pull federal funds away from classrooms. Currently, Juneau has five designated Title I schools, meaning they receive a share of federal funding that the state allocates to districts to support students. 

“Honestly, Trump going after the Department of Education. That’s most concerning, because I have a son who’s in elementary and he receives services that he needs to be functioning,” she said. 

A few state lawmakers joined the crowd, including Juneau’s Rep. Sara Hannan, a Democrat. She said her constituents have expressed a lot of fear and anxiety since Trump took office. 

“A lot of concern in the state, the economics over cutting off federal grants and services is pretty significant in Alaska because we get a lot of federal money to keep us going,” Hannan said.

KTOO’s Jamie Diep contributed to this story.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced Thursday that she’ll vote against Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon.

“After thorough evaluation, I must conclude that I cannot in good conscience support his nomination for Secretary of Defense,” she wrote in a social media post.

She commended his combat experience and his advocacy for veterans, but cited his lack of significant job experience, and said she had doubts about his character.

“While the allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking do nothing to quiet my concerns, the past behaviors Mr. Hegseth has admitted to, including infidelity on multiple occasions, demonstrate a lack of judgment that is unbecoming of someone who would lead our armed forces,” she wrote.

Hegseth has denied a sexual assault allegation and other reports that he was abusive toward women, as well as accusations that he mismanaged the finances at two nonprofits he ran. He has promised that he’d abstain from drinking if he’s confirmed as secretary.

The Senate voted 51-49 Thursday to advance Hegseth’s confirmation toward a final vote. Murkowski and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine were the only Republicans to vote no.

This is a developing story. Please check back.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Lisa Murkowski has condemned President Trump’s pardons of some 1,600 people who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, making her one of the few Republicans in Congress willing to speak out against them.

“The Capitol Police officers are the backbone of Congress— every day they protect and serve the halls of democracy,” she wrote in a social media post Wednesday. “I strongly denounce the blanket pardons given to the violent offenders who assaulted these brave men and women in uniform.”

In a hallway interview with reporters at the Capitol Wednesday, she said she was disturbed that the pardons were so comprehensive, and she emphasized the impact on Capitol Police.

“I think our many friends, the fine men and women who serve us in this building, who have had decades of service and commitment to be here to protect us, to protect this institution — I think many of them feel very violated by this,” she said. “And I worry for that.”

Sen. Dan Sullivan declined multiple interview requests this week to talk about the pardons.

“We’ll send you a – whatever questions you have we’ll send you a statement,” he said Wednesday as he hurried to an elevator from the Senate basement.

A Sullivan aide emailed a statement. It said that Biden’s pardons and commutations were worse than Trump’s.

“I don’t know the details of each of the 1,600 individual cases—how long defendants have served related to the severity of their offense. So I won’t comment on the specifics,” his statement went on to say. “In general, however, as I have said since January 6—and as Vice President Vance said as recently as last week—if someone committed acts of violence against law enforcement officers, they should be held accountable.”

Alaska Congressman Nick Begich said many of the Jan. 6 defendants were non-violent. When asked about Trump’s decision to pardon people who had assaulted police officers, Begich also raised Biden’s use of the pardon power.

“I think for those folks that President Trump chose to pardon, you know, they’ve served their time. They’ve met their obligations within his capacity to make those pardons,” Begich said Tuesday. “I mean, I think we saw some very controversial and concerning, frankly, last-minute pardons for Joe Biden’s personal family members.”

Begich said the Constitution gives the president the power to pardon people at his discretion.

“And I think that many people will agree — me among them — that those 1,500 folks, by and large, deserve to be pardoned,” Begich said.

Meanwhile, some of the Jan. 6 attackers were back at the Capitol on Wednesday.

Reporters snapped photos of Stewart Rhodes eating lunch in the basement cafeteria in the Longworth House Office Building. Rhodes had been serving 18 years for seditious conspiracy until Trump commuted his sentence on Monday.

Some of the officers who were attacked four years ago told reporters they’re horrified to see their assailants back in the buildings they serve in.

“I was beaten, crushed, kicked, punched, surrounded. Someone reached underneath my visor, tried to gouge out my eye,” said Capitol Police Officer Daniel Hodge, whom the Jan. 6 mob crushed in a doorway in a widely seen video.

“The people who attacked us on Jan. 6 are free now they can try it again, and they’ll know if they try it again the next four years, they know they’ll get pardoned again,” he said.

Hodges was off-duty as he spoke to reporters and said he’d just finished four 12-hour work days at the Capitol, to ensure Trump’s inauguration was peaceful.

Some critics of the pardons said Trump has effectively unleashed a militia of people who’ve proven they’re willing to commit violence in his name.

Murkowski has more than once angered Trump and his supporters. Still, she said, even with the pardons, she’s not worried she’ll be a target of political violence.

“This is the United States of America,” she said. “Whether I am a United States senator or a citizen of Alaska, I have to believe that I am going to be free to speak my views without fear of political retribution or fear of harm.”

Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Wednesday welcomed a series of executive orders President Donald Trump issued shortly after taking office.

“Happy days are here again, to be perfectly honest with you,” Dunleavy told reporters at a news conference in Anchorage. “This is like unwrapping a gigantic sled of Christmas presents for the state of Alaska.”

Trump’s Alaska order, titled “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential” was one of dozens the president signed on his first day in office. Among other things, the order calls for new oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, reinstates approval of the controversial Ambler Road in Northwest Alaska, and instructs federal officials to reinstate a 2020 decision removing protections for more than 9 million acres of the Tongass National Forest.

Ahead of Trump’s inauguration, Dunleavy submitted a transition plan — something of a wish list — to the incoming administration requesting an “Alaska specific Executive Order” rolling back Biden-era decisions limiting resource development. Many, though not all, of those wishes were granted by Trump’s order.

The executive order did not directly address the Biden administration’s veto of the controversial Pebble Mine under the Clean Water Act. Dunleavy, a supporter of the copper and gold prospect whose administration has sued to overturn the veto, said he would continue to advocate for its approval.

“I see a path forward on discussions on Pebble, absolutely,” Dunleavy said. “We’re going to let the dust settle and really go through these (executive orders), but I think that conversation is going to happen.”

Whether those discussions will prove fruitful is unclear. The Trump administration denied a permit for Pebble in the waning days of his first term.

State lawmakers offered mixed reactions to Trump’s order.

Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, said she thought the state should take a bigger role in managing Alaska’s land and waters, a priority Dunleavy communicated in the transition plan. But she said casting aside environmental protections could be unwise.

“We’re not a colony to be pillaged,” Giessel said. “By throwing open all of the regulations related to resource development, we could be jeopardizing our own land and waters.”

House Minority Leader Mia Costello, R-Anchorage, said she was proud of what she said was Alaska’s record of responsible resource development and looked forward to the policy changes outlined in the order.

“We’re very pleased to see that action taken,” she said. “It actually puts Alaska on the map where it should be, which is at the tip of the spear, as far as providing energy for our country.”

State lawmakers were less divided on another of Trump’s orders, one renaming the mountain known as Denali to Mount McKinley.

“We want it named Denali,” Costello said by text message.

Rep. Maxine Dibert, D-Fairbanks, invoked her own Koyukon Athabascan heritage, saying Denali is one of many place names across the state that “reflect the diverse cultures, traditions and languages of Alaska.”

“Alaskans from all backgrounds and political persuasions embrace Denali as a rightful name for the tallest peak in America,” she said. “Changing the name of Mount Denali to Mount McKinley would be costly, and if enacted, would be disrespectful to Alaskans.”

Dibert and Rep. Ashley Carrick, D-Fairbanks, each introduced resolutions on Wednesday urging the federal government to retain the name Denali. The Obama administration officially renamed the peak to Denali in 2015.

Alaska’s U.S. senators, Republicans Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, have spoken out against renaming the mountain. Newly elected Republican Congressman Nick Begich III told Politico that “what people in the Lower 48 call Denali is none of my concern.”

Dunleavy, though, declined to share his thoughts on what the mountain should be called. He said he wanted to speak with Trump before offering up his own position.

“Until I have the conversation, I’m going to refrain from saying what it should be or shouldn’t be,” Dunleavy said.