Video Clips
Quoted moments from Alaska public meetings, hearings, and press conferences.
Donald Trump
“In the last 12 months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted into the United States. We cut the flow of fentanyl across our border by almost 60%.”White House: President Trump Signs the Secure America Act · Jun 10, 2026
Donald Trump
“we'll give the heroes of ICE and Border Patrol, and that's what they are, they're heroes, they have to go through to keep us safe, the support and resources they need to defend our borders, protect our homeland, and to keep America safe.”White House: President Trump Signs the Secure America Act · Jun 10, 2026
Donald Trump
“The Secure America Act provides $38 billion to ICE, $26 billion to Border Patrol to ensure these critical law enforcement agencies have the necessary resources to do their jobs, protecting our borders and getting criminal aliens out of the country.”White House: President Trump Signs the Secure America Act · Jun 10, 2026
Donald Trump
“what we're signing today has been amazing, but they tried to extort us. And eventually— and they were losing tremendous support because they're extorting on law and order, and they can't win on law and order.”White House: President Trump Signs the Secure America Act · Jun 10, 2026
Donald Trump
“the bill provides crucial funding for domestic law enforcement investigations and combating child exploitation, continuing our work to restore law and order across our nation and to protect America's youth.”White House: President Trump Signs the Secure America Act · Jun 10, 2026
Donald Trump
“our great Republican majorities voted to protect law-abiding American citizens. I mean, they voted to raise your taxes. They voted for men in women's sports. They voted in favor of men participating in women's sports.”White House: President Trump Signs the Secure America Act · Jun 10, 2026
Donald Trump
“the numbers came out two days ago. That for 11 months, not one person came into our country illegally through the southern border. We had 25 million people come in over a 4-year period.”White House: President Trump Signs the Secure America Act · Jun 10, 2026
Donald Trump
“For more than 100 days, congressional Democrats tried to block all funding for the Department of Homeland Security in a reprehensible attempt to throw open the borders of the United States of America.”White House: President Trump Signs the Secure America Act · Jun 10, 2026
Donald Trump
“This morning, I'm thrilled to sign the Secure America Act to immediately and fully fund the Department of Homeland Security through the end of my term.”White House: President Trump Signs the Secure America Act · Jun 10, 2026
Shelley Capito
“do I have your commitment to work with the Office of Surface Mining, state regulators including West Virginia's EPA, and the mining industry on a path forward that allows ESA consultations to take place in an efficient manner and avoid unnecessary delays in the permitting process after this court decision?”Senate Environment and Public Works (Sullivan): Hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2027 for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. · Jun 10, 2026
Whitehouse
“Your IPAC database helps developers quickly determine if a project could affect a protected species. IPAC has received bipartisan praise, but in July of last year, you banned wind and solar projects from using the online IPAC system. Who does that help? Developers can once again access the system, but that thanks to a court order.”Senate Environment and Public Works (Sullivan): Hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2027 for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. · Jun 10, 2026
Speaker C
“The FY27 budget proposes an increase of $5.1 million for ESA Section 7 consultations for energy projects. With this funding, the service will be able to accelerate the review of priority energy projects, and we anticipate being able to reduce consultation timeframes from 30 to 14 days. The budget also reflects a commitment to the recovery of listed species. We are requesting a $2.6 million increase for work to support the development of recovery plans, 5-year status reviews, and rulemakings.”Senate Environment and Public Works (Sullivan): Hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2027 for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. · Jun 10, 2026
Whitehouse
“Not cutting all funding for endangered species conservation, including iconic species such as elephants, rhinos, and great apes. Not cutting science support, which provides technical assistance to local communities. For wildlife and habitat conservation, not cutting state and tribal grants which help conserve fish and wildlife before they require protection under the Endangered Species Act.”Senate Environment and Public Works (Sullivan): Hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2027 for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. · Jun 10, 2026
Shelley Capito
“I would remiss not to mention the recent decision out of the D.C. District Court that invalidated the 2020 programmatic biological opinion issued by the service for the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation Enforcement's mining regulation program. This decision will negatively impact coal production in the 24 states that have primacy That includes my state. I'm extremely disappointed by this court decision and very concerned about what it will mean for projects in my state moving forward.”Senate Environment and Public Works (Sullivan): Hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2027 for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. · Jun 10, 2026
Speaker C
“this is a recent development. This is a pretty recent court decision. We are aware of it in the Department of Interior, and we've already begun looking at what the options may be in order to ensure that this doesn't disrupt our abilities to issue those permits that previously state primacy was able to address. So I don't have specific options identified here today, but please know that we are working on those, and myself as well as senior officials in the department are very well aware.”Senate Environment and Public Works (Sullivan): Hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2027 for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. · Jun 10, 2026
Shelley Capito
“I was pleased to see that the Service is requesting an increase in funding for energy project reviews, including the development and use of programmatic tools to automate ESA compliance. Known as the Information for Planning and Consultation System, or IPAC. IPAC has been a game changer in our state for our projects, dramatically cutting down the timeframes for Section 7 consultations.”Senate Environment and Public Works (Sullivan): Hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2027 for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. · Jun 10, 2026
Speaker C
“specific to the ranking member's questions regarding clean energy projects, you know, I think that that folks are aware that this administration directed a review process for all energy projects, and part of that review process included initially a prohibition from those particular energy proponents from being able to submit their projects. That's— those reviews are ongoing, and I don't have much more on that.”Senate Environment and Public Works (Sullivan): Hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2027 for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. · Jun 10, 2026
Shelley Capito
“Several years ago, my staff began holding monthly calls with the services staff at the Elkins field office because of delays with the consultation processes for critical projects. As a result of these calls, progress has been made, and many of these projects have started moving forward. But now, under your leadership, Director Nesvik, there are significantly fewer projects facing delays”Senate Environment and Public Works (Sullivan): Hearings to examine the President's proposed budget request for fiscal year 2027 for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. · Jun 10, 2026
Kiel
“if we're talking about building the whole thing to have a viable project, why wouldn't the cost of a Fairbanks spur be spread across all purchasers of gas, including foreign LNG buyers?”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Grier Hopkins
“We're currently paying between $24 and $26 per MCF here in Fairbanks, which comes out to mid-$3.50 or so equivalent for diesel, if I remember correctly, for our BTU basis.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Grier Hopkins
“I would support that. I was looking at it from where I am, as my main concern is making sure we can get that, um, the most affordable gas to Alaskans.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Grier Hopkins
“The biggest impact we would see in terms of road usage would be our emergency medical services, our EMS services along the road. And that is something that we hear provide locally through our 5 fire service area contractors. We have a tax mill rate that covers almost the majority, almost the complete area of our Fairbanks North Star Borough plus the city of Fairbanks for those EMS services. And that's going to cover accidents along the highways and along the roads that is bound to happen when you're adding upwards of 1,000 trucks.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Grier Hopkins
“ensuring that we're able to get those impacts monetarily supported to be able to support our roads, our fire service areas, and the ancillary impacts is what's important. And so the— I don't— we were not able to exactly calculate what those impacts would be to our community. Because we're not able to say this is what, how many accidents we would have or what an estimate would be. But we are able to look at the, how we can handle our trash and solid waste disposals, which would increase substantially. We have an enterprise system here where we are, we pay for what you bring across our landfill waste stations.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Suzanne LaFrance
“That's why we support the approach in this bill to provide a community impact fund as well as ADT revenue sharing on a per capita basis. Impact funds would help us prepare for increased service and housing demand. Revenue sharing would close the gap between our local tax revenues and the delivery of services.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Edna DeVries
“The Borough Assembly has adopted a resolution that supports a volume tax, protects education funding— that's very important to us— by exempting the increased property values from new project infrastructure, ensures effective municipalities receive the associated tax revenue”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Speaker C
“We support the Fairbanks spur line for many of the reasons the mayor mentioned, the primary one being this would That spur line would provide our utility, Golden Valley Electric Association, better access to gas to offset their diesel— what is likely their highest cost of power, which would be their diesel generation. So we strongly support this, the Fairbanks spur line.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Speaker C
“many of these are indirectly supported. We're a limited local government, so many of our critical services that our residents and visitors depend on are provided by local nonprofits with support, supplemental support from the borough. And so those include mission-critical fire and EMS services up and down the Parks Highway. Solid waste service is one of our responsibilities.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Grier Hopkins
“my understanding, which is exceedingly limited, is FERC deals with interstate gas transmission. This being an intrastate line, they would not be dealing with it, but I'm no expert in that route. During our conversations in developing this language, we only had to stop the necessary— only thought it necessary to deal with the Regulatory Commission of Alaska.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Speaker C
“We really support the mitigation fund. And I do have concerns about the way SB 2001 is written.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Speaker C
“We know the impacts are going to be immediate. And I think as written, the— excuse me— the bill, you know, it looks as though revenue wouldn't flow until the, the ABT is flowing to the state, which could be up to 5,000 or 5 million units of throughput or 5 years, and those impacts are going to be immediate. And so I would encourage you in your deliberations working with Glenfarm, see this as this mitigation and impacts as an investment in the overall project, an investment in the state, an investment in municipalities so that we're better suited to meet the needs of the project when they occur, the impacts as they occur, fire and EMS service, road impacts, the demand for housing and healthcare, things like that.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Edna DeVries
“However, we have concerns with proposal to redistribute tax revenues away from the jurisdictions directed impacted by the project infrastructure.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Suzanne LaFrance
“Over the 9-year project period, New service costs would exceed revenues by tens of millions of dollars. Since we rely on property taxes, we don't get new tax revenues from an influx of people until new homes and commercial properties are built and added to our tax rolls, and that takes years. But there will be immediate pressure on public safety, emergency response, transportation systems, parks, and other municipal services.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Suzanne LaFrance
“The Anchorage Community Development Authority, ACDA, commissioned a report from economist Jonathan King who analyzed the fiscal impacts on the municipality. The analysis shows that providing services to workers and to their families will cost more than locally generated revenues can support.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Grier Hopkins
“the— anywhere between the $180 million that was estimated 12 years ago and the $245 million that was put into the fiscal note instead of finance would be unaffordable for the community here.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Grier Hopkins
“That postage stamp rate language in the legislation also requires it to be approved by the RCA, making it— with acute conditions, making it a decision that is not, you know, your cost payer, cost— or cost cause or cost payer, because we're not directly causing the impact of this furlough. It was out of our control that it was created there.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Grier Hopkins
“That language is currently in Senate Bill 2001 and has been agreed to between the Fairbanks North Star Borough and Glenfarm, the developer. We worked closely with them to come up with language that would not prohibit the project from moving forward, not create roadblocks, but at the same time be able to ensure that a spur line was going to get built.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Grier Hopkins
“There was an estimate in House Finance, I believe, during the regular session that Ua Wai'a Consultant estimated that spurline tariff addition on top of the entire line would be a 2-cent increase. So we're looking at fractions of the the overall tariff.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Grier Hopkins
“we here in the Fairbanks North Star Borough don't have road towers, but we have 103 different road service areas. So depending on where the developer and the contractors and the railroad agree to have an off— a pipe offload yard, it's going to be a big impact”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Grier Hopkins
“About 12 years ago, when the current route was selected, uh, the KPC and permitted, it was routed about 30 miles outside of, uh, what we'll call our city gate, our interior gas utility infrastructure. So we don't have any access to one molecule of gas off of this mainline without that spur line. And with only approximately 3,500 ratepayers to pay for that gas and to monetize, to pay the tariff for that spur line, it is essential that we would be seeing that a postage stamp rate across the whole gas line itself to pay for access for everybody along the rail belt who would be be able to get access to that natural gas.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 10, 2026 9:00am · Jun 10, 2026
Speaker G
“I move to approve the Resolution 2026-601 to allow a home occupation at 500 Utamack Street, subject to conditions of approval”Petersburg Borough: Planning Commission Meeting 6.9.2026 · Jun 9, 2026
Jim
“a slight change of subject, but it also occurs to me if we're going to put the, um, FCC compliance, that we can also put FAA compliance about, um, lighting and tower height.”Petersburg Borough: Planning Commission Meeting 6.9.2026 · Jun 9, 2026
Speaker B
“My impression of the reason why it's coming back on the agenda is, um, public requests, public outcry directed at active assembly members, probably primarily Member Muchi, um, you know, heard people being cross that it wasn't continuing and requested that it be put back on in a new form.”Petersburg Borough: Planning Commission Meeting 6.9.2026 · Jun 9, 2026
Speaker B
“We can do under Commissioner comments next time. That'll be after 2 readings, and then we'll be ready or not to move it as an action item in August.”Petersburg Borough: Planning Commission Meeting 6.9.2026 · Jun 9, 2026
Speaker B
“I move to recommend to the Borough Assembly to approve a special use permit for 10,000 square feet of the Lake Street right-of-way for access to 1205 Lake Street, subject to conditions of approval”Petersburg Borough: Planning Commission Meeting 6.9.2026 · Jun 9, 2026
Speaker B
“the main one that was important to them was there's a creek that they used to drink well water from. They don't anymore, but it's a good drinking water creek that gets muddied up with construction. Um, and so they are hoping to preserve that as much as possible and not include the rock pits in the overlay.”Petersburg Borough: Planning Commission Meeting 6.9.2026 · Jun 9, 2026
Jim
“could we bring that over from the, uh, um, what we're requiring for, uh, in the cell tower code to some degree. I mean, some things would be limited, but we want to make sure they're putting it on a big enough parcel that it's not an issue, right? We could bring over the— what is it, 110% or something? 110% Of the height of the tower, unless there's a breakpoint, right?”Petersburg Borough: Planning Commission Meeting 6.9.2026 · Jun 9, 2026
Jim
“I like the idea of including that. That's my favorite part of the ordinance, I think, is the 110%. It just makes a lot of sense, and it seems to be a pretty repeated criticism that people in the community have of proposed designs is a short setback.”Petersburg Borough: Planning Commission Meeting 6.9.2026 · Jun 9, 2026
Speaker B
“I think there was— yeah, I don't have it in front of me either, but I'm remembering that there was like, um, maintenance and keeping it within FCC standards for emissions. It's kind of basic language, which is basically making sure they follow whatever the FCC standards are.”Petersburg Borough: Planning Commission Meeting 6.9.2026 · Jun 9, 2026