Video Clips
Quoted moments from Alaska public meetings, hearings, and press conferences.
Michael Kratsios
“I'm well aware of that, and I'm also well aware that no one at OSTP is involved in individual grant-level decisions.”House Science, Space, and Technology (Begich): Unleashing the Golden Age of Science · Jul 22, 2026
Zoe Lofgren
“Big new initiatives and promises mean nothing when agencies act capriciously, canceling grants midway, delaying awards for months even after they've been selected through the rigorous merit review process, and blacklisting educational and research institutions. And if anyone has any doubt as to intent, just look at the proposed OMB rule effectively codifying all of these regrettable practices.”House Science, Space, and Technology (Begich): Unleashing the Golden Age of Science · Jul 22, 2026
Michael Kratsios
“I am not personally involved in any individual grant. That is a different answer to what I asked. I'm not aware of anyone at NS— at OSTP that is working on individual grant approvals. I have never asked for that, and I will I would never condone that, and I don't think any of us are.”House Science, Space, and Technology (Begich): Unleashing the Golden Age of Science · Jul 22, 2026
Michael Kratsios
“The Genesis Mission is the crown jewel of American AI for Science and already well underway.”House Science, Space, and Technology (Begich): Unleashing the Golden Age of Science · Jul 22, 2026
Michael Kratsios
“Just this morning, in a convening of science teams across the federal branch— the executive branch, my office affirmed that the Genesis Mission will be the —central hub for the entire federal government to revolutionize the conduct of American science with AI. Joining DOE's ongoing efforts are initiatives from NSF, DOW, HHS, NASA, USDA, NIST, DHS, and DOT, mobilizing more than $5 billion in total commitments to producing the premier AI for science ecosystem in the world.”House Science, Space, and Technology (Begich): Unleashing the Golden Age of Science · Jul 22, 2026
Suzanne Bonamici
“In May, OMB proposed a seismic overhaul of the federal grant system. It requires that award reviews by It requires award reviews by political appointees. It allows agencies to subjectively terminate grants, and it bars funding that supposedly promotes topics the president doesn't like in favor of those that advance his policy priorities. Did OSTP consult with OMB in developing this proposed rule?”House Science, Space, and Technology (Begich): Unleashing the Golden Age of Science · Jul 22, 2026
Michael Kratsios
“As this rulemaking is progressing, the— you know, our office is working closely with OMB and OIRA to ensure that all the federal research enterprise remains rule world class and is trustworthy and accountable.”House Science, Space, and Technology (Begich): Unleashing the Golden Age of Science · Jul 22, 2026
Zoe Lofgren
“Where is the nearly $1 billion that we know is being clawed back from NSF directorates? And what is the reported $1.5 billion project, to quote Nature's reporting, is a brainchild of the White House OSTB? And if you could be specific, is any of the $5 billion that you announced today for Project Genesis coming from the money appropriated to NSF?”House Science, Space, and Technology (Begich): Unleashing the Golden Age of Science · Jul 22, 2026
Suzanne Bonamici
“OMB proposed a rule to defer research funding to the whims of political appointees instead of experts. And now the administration is moving funds Congress appropriated to NSF and other science agencies without congressional authorization to Genesis, which was created without congressional authorization. And I think you mentioned about $5 billion.”House Science, Space, and Technology (Begich): Unleashing the Golden Age of Science · Jul 22, 2026
Michael Kratsios
“I think the most important thing to consider as, as we disperse grants is that we have to make sure that, um, the, the, the process by which we do these selections and ultimately lay them out are aligned with the president's budget.”House Science, Space, and Technology (Begich): Unleashing the Golden Age of Science · Jul 22, 2026
Richard Merrick
“I'm concerned that this well-intentioned act will really do little to recover West Coast salmon.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Val Hoyle
“Whatever Peniped management system we're using, would you agree that it wouldn't— that it is more strategic to have that management system operating on both sides of the river as opposed to just one side of the river?”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Nate Pamplin
“research by NMFS estimates that 20 to 44% of upriver spring and summer Chinook in the lower Columbia died due to pinniped predation annually. Congress amended the MMPA in 2018 to provide the co-managers greater flexibility, and the subsequent permitted removal efforts show signs of success.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Nate Pamplin
“Prior to lethal removal, listed winter steelhead faced an 89% risk of extinction. After 2 years of targeted removals, the risk of extinction fell to 11%. Future work should expand authorities to predation hotspots This bill increases flexibility by addressing the method of take and the geographic area where removals can occur.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Melanie Stansbury
“New Mexico is truly on the front lines of the new— of the new world screwworm outbreak, and our ranchers and our farmers deserve to know that Congress has their back.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Jared Blankenship
“the surveillance, the continued whole of government is the phrase that you used. I appreciate that sentiment. Which is why this particular bill makes sense, because we have a cooperation of agencies. USDA involved with the livestock, Department of Interior with wildlife.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Jared Blankenship
“We need cooperation with Mexico. We need transparency with Mexico. We need cooperation with Mexico.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Nate Pamplin
“the bill has ceilings on the number of pinnipeds that can be removed. There's a potential biological removal under the MMPA and there's a cap of 10%. And even there, for instance, for California sea lions or Steller sea lions, I don't see us approaching that cap.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Richard Merrick
“an up-to-date study of harvest seal diets in the Salish Sea that was published just this year indicates that salmon make up a very small portion of harvest seal diets.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Nate Pamplin
“I want to characterize this as not something that is going to just be— sometimes I hear from the opponents, it's going to be like a rampant, you know, widespread cull. This would be a very focused removal.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Richard Merrick
“Well-established science has shown that habitat loss is a primary factor that limits recovery of most depleted fish stocks. While it's true that predation on adult salmon will reduce subsequent recruits, the size of salmon stocks is most limited by the habitat that's available for adult spawning.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Jared Blankenship
“I am here today to voice Texas Farm Bureau's strong support for H.R. 7466, The SAFE Cattle Act, authored by my own Congressman, Ronnie Jackson, and co-led by Chairman Hagerman and Representative Soto, who serve on this subcommittee.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Jared Blankenship
“on behalf of Texas Farm Bureau, I respectfully urge the subcommittee to advance the SAFE Cattle Act and move this legislation to the full House of Representatives.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Richard Merrick
“I'm concerned that because habitat remains limited and ocean conditions are not favorable, It's unlikely that widespread removal of seals and sea lions will have little measurable effect on overall salmon stocks.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Jared Huffman
“The SAFE Cattle Act, H.R. 7466, Responds to the threat of this screw worm, the New World screw worm. The larvae of this worm feeds on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, causes severe infection, suffering, and, and can be fatal.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Jared Blankenship
“By bringing these agencies together under a formal agreement, the SAFE Cattle Act strengthens joint surveillance, supports coordinated eradication strategies, and improves engagement with state animal health and wildlife officials. It also increases transparency to ensure Congress can provide responders with the resources that are needed to eliminate this devastating pest.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Jared Huffman
“the U.S. last experienced a major infestation in Texas in 1976. If an outbreak —of that scale of economic loss, which totaled billions of dollars for the Texas economy alone, were to spread elsewhere, obviously that's a big problem for Texas and for so many other states. So the interagency coordination called for with this bill will help speed up the critical efforts of federal agencies to address the threat before it gets out of control.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Melanie Stansbury
“the fundamental programs that help to support monitoring and to stop the screwworm in the very beginning were gutted and, what they were unable to ultimately stop it from crossing the border.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Timothée Petty
“the work that we have done with our partners in this and with the tribes who have given us clear historic impact that's taken place, the invasives that have come up the river that they have not seen historically in all of their knowledge, gives us clear information that that, uh, we need to be addressing it. We are so focused on trying to manage the salmon. We need to take that same application and also manage the pinnipeds in the same way because it has a direct impact.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Harriet Hageman
“Representative Jackson's bill would direct the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior to work together to establish a memorandum of understanding to eradicate the New World Screwworm and prevent its spread on federal lands. This will ensure effective coordination to address this urgent current problem.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Jared Blankenship
“The legislation would establish a formal partnership between USDA and the Department of Interior to support surveillance, monitoring, and eradication activities in wildlife species coordinated with state officials and regular reporting to Congress as we work collectively toward eradication.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Val Hoyle
“I'm disappointed that Oregon tribes and the communities in my district affected most by this legislation were not included in this development. The people who fish these waters, manage these resources, and depend on healthy salmon populations deserve a real seat at the table. And sea lions cross both sides of the river. They go from Washington to Oregon and back again. So we can't have a one-state solution.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Jared Blankenship
“we know the game plan: ramp up sterile fly production.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Richard Merrick
“Reducing the pinniped population in Washington waters would allow Pacific hake stocks to expand, increasing their predation on smolts. And a consequence of the reduction in the Salish Sea pinniped population would be its impact on ESA-threatened transient killer whales, Bigg's killer whales, which are known to rely on seals for prey.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Val Hoyle
“I also believe tribes in both Washington and Oregon must be at the center of this conversation. Tribes have managed these waters since time immemorial, and they deserve to be respected as equal partners and resource managers. This is a management issue, which means Oregon tribes need to be consulted.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Harriet Hageman
“The bill at the center of this hearing, H.R. 9621, The Northwest Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act of 2026, led by Representatives Michael Bumgardner and Emily Randall. And the conflict between the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act is preventing the recovery of threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead in the Pacific Northwest.”House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries (Begich): Legislative Hearing · Jul 21, 2026
Jared Huffman
“H.R. 8121 By Delegate Stacey Plaskett would honor Peter G. Thurland, a key figure in the St. Croix community. I know honoring that legacy is very important to her constituents, and I'm pleased that we are advancing the bill.”House Natural Resources (Begich): Mark-up of · Jul 22, 2026
Bruce Westerman
“I thank the sponsoring members for the dedicated work on these bills. I thank Representative Huffman and the minority for working together with us on this package.”House Natural Resources (Begich): Mark-up of · Jul 22, 2026
Jared Huffman
“The Safe Swimmers Act, a good bill, would direct Interior Department to address lifeguard safety shortages at federal beaches by entering into agreements with local government to get more continuity and coverage. But this proposal is obviously— can't be the final solution to the problem. It doesn't address what Republicans in this administration have done to make this problem worse. And of course, the first rule of holes is you gotta stop digging. The National Park Service is reeling from President Trump's staffing cuts.”House Natural Resources (Begich): Mark-up of · Jul 22, 2026
Bruce Westerman
“With the cooperation of Ranking Member Huffman and the other members of the committee, we have worked out an agreement on 8 bills scheduled for markup today. As we have done before, rather than going through, through a formal markup process for each of the bills, I will make a single unanimous consent motion to report out the bills favorably with any amendments that have been filed and agreed to.”House Natural Resources (Begich): Mark-up of · Jul 22, 2026
Jared Huffman
“This is a good agenda today. I'm pleased that the majority has worked in good faith with us to reach consensus on these 8 bills. It is nice to have an all-UC markup, and I want to recognize the collaboration and hard work that it takes to make that happen.”House Natural Resources (Begich): Mark-up of · Jul 22, 2026
Jared Huffman
“If we really want safe swimmers, we have to find a way to fund and staff our federal beaches. Unfortunately, my colleagues have been silent and keep just pushing bills directing agencies to collaborate harder, to find a way to make something out of nothing. We need to do better.”House Natural Resources (Begich): Mark-up of · Jul 22, 2026
Bruce Westerman
“H.R. 8454, To provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain federal land in the state of California and for other purposes, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute offered by the gentleman from California, Mr. McClintock, designated McClintock 92 ANS. Without objection. So ordered.”House Natural Resources (Begich): Mark-up of · Jul 22, 2026
Bruce Westerman
“I ask unanimous consent that this notice be extended to all measures considered at the markup under House Rule 11, Clause 2L. This notice extends to all members. Without objection. So ordered.”House Natural Resources (Begich): Mark-up of · Jul 22, 2026
Bruce Westerman
“H.R. 6021, The Archie Kavanaugh Migratory Bird Treaty Amendment Act, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute offered by the gentleman from Alaska, Mr. Begich, designated Begich 174 A&S.”House Natural Resources (Begich): Mark-up of · Jul 22, 2026
Bruce Westerman
“H.R. 4931, The National Park System Long-Term Lease Investment Act, introduced by Representative Murphy of North Carolina, extends certain national park leases to encourage long-term investment. H.R. 5063, The Safe Beaches, Safe Swimmers Act, introduced by Representative Kiggins, helps ensure adequate lifeguard staffing at federal beaches.”House Natural Resources (Begich): Mark-up of · Jul 22, 2026
Bruce Westerman
“Mr. Huffman, you're recognized. Mr. Chair, I give notice of my intention to file supplemental additional dissenting or minority views on the measures just considered.”House Natural Resources (Begich): Mark-up of · Jul 22, 2026
Bruce Westerman
“Representative Begich's H.R. 6021, Archie Kavanagh Migratory Bird Treaty Amendment Act, protects the cultural heritage and economic rights of Alaska Native artists by requiring clarifications to the Migratory Bird Treaty with Japan and corresponding updates to domestic regulations. To allow for the use of bird parts to create native articles or handicraft. H.R. 8454, Introduced by Representative McClintock, reduces the checkerboard ownership of federal land in California to better manage wildlife habitat, grazing operations, and ecological resources.”House Natural Resources (Begich): Mark-up of · Jul 22, 2026