Video Clips
Quoted moments from Alaska public meetings, hearings, and press conferences.
Chris Coons
“This year, more than most, this subcommittee understands and must understand your goals in building this budget, whether or not it's realistic to grow this fast, and the smartest ways to reprioritize your budgets in the case that reconciliation does not occur.”Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Department of Defense (Murkowski): Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the Department of the Air Force. · Jun 9, 2026
Mitch McConnell
“Also glad to see the fiscal year '27 request begin to address the issue of operational readiness rates by investing more in F-35 spares. But the department will continue to step on its own tail if it insists in housing procurement with new airframes, primarily in one-off reconciliation spending.”Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Department of Defense (Murkowski): Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the Department of the Air Force. · Jun 9, 2026
Mitch McConnell
“If fielding the F-35 remains an operational necessity, both for the United States and for our allies, there's really no excuse for not placing it squarely in full-year appropriations.”Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Department of Defense (Murkowski): Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the Department of the Air Force. · Jun 9, 2026
Mitch McConnell
“It's also a recipe for major disruptions in the very possible event that party-line reconciliation fails. The administration's choice to structure an ambitious $1.5 trillion request in this way is yet another missed opportunity to put key aspects of our common defense on a stronger and more enduring fiscal footing.”Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Department of Defense (Murkowski): Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the Department of the Air Force. · Jun 9, 2026
Cole Scandaglia
“The Teamsters Union continues to support strong prescriptive regulations where warranted. Innovation, regulation, and the workforce need not be in conflict with each other”Senate Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety (Sullivan): Hearings to examine how technological advances are driving transportation innovation. · Jun 9, 2026
Ian Jeffries
“other agencies in the DOT have embraced performance-based regulations, whether it's FAA, whether it's FHWA, whether it's FTA. The FRA, for some reason, has not, you know, really come around to that concept.”Senate Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety (Sullivan): Hearings to examine how technological advances are driving transportation innovation. · Jun 9, 2026
Laura Chase
“Digital technologies must be treated as core transportation elements. They are fundamental to how the system operates and how it performs, and how it delivers outcomes for the American public.”Senate Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety (Sullivan): Hearings to examine how technological advances are driving transportation innovation. · Jun 9, 2026
Laura Chase
“Atlanta, Georgia has actually the largest current deployment in the country all throughout the metro area and extending now to the Port of Savannah and actually giving freight signal priority, which is been very successful. Maricopa County, Arizona has a large deployment. Salt Lake City in Utah is coordinating with Colorado and Wyoming.”Senate Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety (Sullivan): Hearings to examine how technological advances are driving transportation innovation. · Jun 9, 2026
Chris Spear
“Trucks are business to business, whereas cars are business to consumer. If you're buying a car, you're going to pick the things that you want on that car. If you don't want things that drive technology, you know, you're going to come up short on that. Businesses to businesses will design systems around moving freight more efficiently, more safely, more environmentally friendly.”Senate Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety (Sullivan): Hearings to examine how technological advances are driving transportation innovation. · Jun 9, 2026
Chris Spear
“Congress should establish and implement a federal framework for autonomous commercial vehicles. These systems hold real promise to enhance safety, improve productivity, and strengthen America's economic competitiveness, but only if deployment is governed by a clear national strategy.”Senate Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety (Sullivan): Hearings to examine how technological advances are driving transportation innovation. · Jun 9, 2026
Ian Jeffries
“when policymakers consider technology, I ask that they take a mode-neutral approach to transportation technology. Advanced tools are reshaping freight movement across not only rail, but trucking, maritime, and logistics writ large. And rail should not be treated differently simply because it's an established industry”Senate Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety (Sullivan): Hearings to examine how technological advances are driving transportation innovation. · Jun 9, 2026
Laura Chase
“Federal leadership plays a critical role. A clear national approach to transportation technology will provide direction reduce fragmentation, and give public agencies and private partners alike greater confidence to invest. Establishing consistent national frameworks for areas such as automated vehicles, data privacy, and system interoperability can help ensure that innovation is deployed safely and at scale”Senate Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety (Sullivan): Hearings to examine how technological advances are driving transportation innovation. · Jun 9, 2026
Chris Spear
“Congress should solidify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's role as the primary authority over motor vehicle safety standards. Trucking is a national industry, and vehicle standards must remain national as well. When states or courts impose equipment standards beyond federal law, it creates a fragmented regulatory landscape”Senate Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety (Sullivan): Hearings to examine how technological advances are driving transportation innovation. · Jun 9, 2026
Speaker A
“autonomous vehicles, or AVs as we call them, a solution to mobility and safety challenges our roadways have faced for decades. AVs will provide mobility for seniors and those with disabilities while increasing the safety of our roads by drastically reducing the number of crashes that are often caused by human error.”Senate Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety (Sullivan): Hearings to examine how technological advances are driving transportation innovation. · Jun 9, 2026
Ian Jeffries
“rail needs a regulatory system to keep pace with innovation. Much of today's regulatory structure was developed 5 decades ago and does not reflect modern technologies or operating practices.”Senate Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety (Sullivan): Hearings to examine how technological advances are driving transportation innovation. · Jun 9, 2026
Speaker A
“we're often slow at the federal level when it comes to expanding proven technologies past the pilot program stage. So to fully realize the benefits of these innovations, we'll need to provide certainty to the private sector and develop pathways to commercialization”Senate Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety (Sullivan): Hearings to examine how technological advances are driving transportation innovation. · Jun 9, 2026
Speaker B
“I believe we must pass a federal AV framework to harness the safety benefits of this technology, ensure that it is deployed responsibly, and cement U.S. leadership in the development, manufacturing, and deployment on our roads.”Senate Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety (Sullivan): Hearings to examine how technological advances are driving transportation innovation. · Jun 9, 2026
Chris Spear
“Congress should repeal the 12% federal excise tax on heavy-duty trucks, trailers, and tractors. The century-old tax punishes the purchase of the very vehicles that come with the latest technologies. Adding tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of new equipment discourages fleet turnover, keeps older equipment on the road longer.”Senate Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety (Sullivan): Hearings to examine how technological advances are driving transportation innovation. · Jun 9, 2026
Cole Scandaglia
“One is robust premarket standards at NHTSA, figuring out what has to be on the vehicle to make it safe before it hits the road. The second piece is substantial oversight tools at Federal Motor Carrier Administration to make sure that once there are deployments of these vehicles in a meaningful sense, that Federal Motor Carrier has an idea of how they're functioning and how they're operating”Senate Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety (Sullivan): Hearings to examine how technological advances are driving transportation innovation. · Jun 9, 2026
Laura Chase
“what would happen if we don't have federal leadership is we will continue to see fragmented, uneven deployments across the country that really struggle to deliver the system-wide benefits that we know they can to the American public. On the private sector side, right now you have a situation where the private sector is actually asking for that unified national marketplace.”Senate Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety (Sullivan): Hearings to examine how technological advances are driving transportation innovation. · Jun 9, 2026
Cole Scandaglia
“Continuing to permit the unfettered and unregulated operation of autonomous vehicles is a no-win situation for the country. We continue to call Congress to create a binding framework that prioritizes safety, the workforce, and goes beyond weak self-certification regimes.”Senate Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety (Sullivan): Hearings to examine how technological advances are driving transportation innovation. · Jun 9, 2026
Warren
“It is also unclear why Secretary Hegseth has also now blocked the appointment of 9 Air Force colonels. He has also reportedly delayed the promotion of at least 2 dozen senior Air Force officers, quote, while the Pentagon reviews their ties to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.”Hearings to examine the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2027. · Jun 9, 2026
Warren
“I am particularly disturbed by Secretary Hegseth's taking unprecedented actions to intervene in military promotions. In DOD's latest list of 22 Navy promotions to become one-star admirals. Zero of these promotions were women, and reporting indicates that the last time the Navy promoted a woman to a one-star role was last June. And Secretary Hegseth reportedly removed the nominations of two women and two Black men from the original promotion list.”Hearings to examine the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2027. · Jun 9, 2026
Lisa Murkowski
“S. 630, the Quapaw Tribal Settlement act, sponsored by our former colleague, Mark Wayne Mullen, would implement a $137.5 million U.S. court of Claims recommended settlement between the United States and the Quapaw Nation.”Senate Indian Affairs (Murkowski): Hearings to examine S.630, to authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to make payments to the Quapaw Nation and certain members of the Quapaw Nation in accordance with the recommendation of the United States Court of Federal Claims, S.1514/H.R.2389, to take certain land in the State of Washington into trust for the benefit of the Quinault Indian Nation, S.2796, to provide for a land exchange in San Bernardino County, California, S.2871/H.R.2400, to take certain Federal land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Pit River Tribe, S.3219, to transfer certain Federal land into trust for certain Indian Pueblos in the State of New Mexico, and S.3475/H.R.2916, to authorize, ratify, and confirm the Agreement of Settlement and Compromise to Resolve the Akwesasne Mohawk Land Claim in the State of New York. · Jun 3, 2026
Speaker B
“You cannot go straight to community care as a veteran. That's just false. You can't just— I can't tomorrow just decide to go to community care.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2027 and 2028 advance appropriations requests for the Department of Veterans Affairs. · May 20, 2026
Speaker A
“more than $8 billion of the $10.9 billion increase for healthcare services in FY '27 is for community care. The difference is even more significant in the department's FY28 advance request, with the VA asking for a $17 billion increase in community care and near stagnant levels for direct care.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2027 and 2028 advance appropriations requests for the Department of Veterans Affairs. · May 20, 2026
Speaker A
“I don't believe you did this alone, Mr. Secretary. I think somebody told you to do it.”Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development (Murkowski): Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation. · May 20, 2026
Speaker A
“Secretary Tell, you, you just moved $1.4 billion out of other fund, out of other projects to the Everglades?”Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development (Murkowski): Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation. · May 20, 2026
Speaker A
“Did I understand you to say earlier that the Corps doesn't understand— doesn't know how many total projects you have?”Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development (Murkowski): Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates and justification for fiscal year 2027 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation. · May 20, 2026