Video Clips
Quoted moments from Alaska public meetings, hearings, and press conferences.
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
Jennifer Gray
“I'm curious if the Division of Elections has ever asked other candidates to respond to questions under oath. And this was a June 8th request to Dan J. Sullivan. Through the chair— Chair Gray, so you are referring to the request from the Lieutenant Governor's investigation? Yes, that is correct. The division has not requested that prior to my knowledge.”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Carol Beecher
“This was an unprecedented and unique situation, and to my knowledge, this has not occurred before. We also do not anticipate it would happen again.”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Carol Beecher
“we have been doing this for a while as part of the voter list maintenance. However, this was a larger list than we had anticipated, as well. So it was very concerning, but this is the process that we do we move— if we get a list of individuals from DMV, which usually is more like 200 names, then we send those individuals the notices, same letter, and ask them to confirm their citizenship. And again, they can do that by email, they can call us.”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Ashley Carrick
“you mentioned that they simply have to tell you yes or no. That they are or are not a citizen, and then you'll move them back to active status.”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Ashley Carrick
“I'm not familiar with any race where someone has filed for office with a party affiliation requested to be on the ballot and then it not be listed on the ballot. So, do we have any examples where that has been the case?”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Carol Beecher
“the division continually works to make sure that the voter rolls are clear and only have legitimate registered voters on them. If we get information from a verified source and DMV collects information on citizenship, then the division must act on that, and to not act means that potentially these individuals would end up on the voter register and vote a ballot and not be a citizen.”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Clayton Holland
“My first question was the same question that Chair Carrick just asked, so I'm just going to go straight to the follow-up because I had the same concern about connecting the dots between the data that was released and how that was maybe going to be used, and maybe this was a manifestation of what we were all concerned about was that that would happen.”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Ashley Carrick
“isn't it already illegal for a noncitizen simply to register to vote?”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Jennifer Gray
“at least one constituent, the letter was dated June 16th, but they didn't receive it until 7/18. And so I'm curious if all the letters went out on the same day, or if you have any comment about the timing of the letters going out?”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Jennifer Gray
“in the email from Daniel J. Sullivan to the Lieutenant Governor on June 10th, he states, quote, 'Like the incumbent, I also go by Dan. I have publicly gone by Dan Sullivan as long as I can remember,' end quote. So my question is, why must he be listed as Daniel, but the U.S. senator will be listed as Dan.”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Carol Beecher
“This unprecedented and challenging situation arose when two candidates, incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., requested to appear on the ballot with identical names and party designations, indicating that Mr. Sullivan intended to confuse voters, creating the risk that voters would, in fact, be confused.”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Carol Beecher
“The Supreme Court specifically chose not to adopt the portion of the Superior Court's decision as to how the names should appear on the ballot, and that left the decision to the discretion of the Division. The Division distinguished between the two candidates by using Mr. Sullivan's full name, omitting his party affiliation and adding the incumbent designation for Senator Sullivan. This was done to maximize the differentiation between these candidates so that we, we did not want any voters to be confused between the two candidates.”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Carol Beecher
“The Division does not have a responsibility to specific candidates. It has a responsibility to the voters to make sure that the voter intent is clear, that we protect the integrity of the electoral process, and that we prevent purposeful manipulation of the ballot.”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Carol Beecher
“On this last time that we ran our list by the Department of Motor Vehicles, we received a large number of individuals had been indicated as noncitizens.”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Jennifer Gray
“Can you give us a ballpark figure about how many letters went out? I— my ballpark is around 3,500.”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Carol Beecher
“it's very clear that we have not heard from the DOJ regarding any list— or the list that we provided, that they identified noncitizens on that. We have not heard back from them.”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Ashley Carrick
“you've been given a list of people that are considered potentially non-citizens and therefore by law are not eligible to be registered to vote. So you're saying all they have to do is contact you and say, yes, I'm a citizen, or no, I'm not a citizen, and that's all you do. But at what point do you say, well, it says the evidence that I have indicates that they are not a citizen and then make that referral for further investigation to the Department of Law, the Attorney General's Office, to find out if they are breaking the law?”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Carol Beecher
“currently what we do is if we see that someone has voted and is listed as a noncitizen and doesn't respond back to us, then we would refer that to the Department of Law. If we have someone who is a— has been identified as a noncitizen, they're registered to vote, but they haven't voted— or I said that backwards. So, if somebody is not a citizen, got registered, but didn't vote, We would not refer that, but I don't have a good answer for you. If you could send that to me in writing, then I can provide you with a much more full answer for that.”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Ashley Carrick
“I think that the Division of Elections, having Dan J. Sullivan back on the ballot in this particular situation, has responded appropriately to the Supreme Court decision, but I'm still concerned that the amount of information that voters would like to see and that candidates would like to have on their ballot creates a precedence that is not necessarily in the greatest interest of transparency.”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Carol Beecher
“It is, it is not an onerous request from the division to simply contact us and confirm, and that is what we have asked them to do. We don't require paperwork, we're not requiring documentation, nothing like that. And if they call us and say they are a registered voter because I do know we're within that 30 days prior to an election for registration purposes, then we go back to their previous filing as the date so that for sure they are registered and will be on the registrar.”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Carol Beecher
“we are under the National Voter Registration Act, which does not allow the division to do really an investigation or to require documentation regarding citizenship. We go by the oath and affirmation. So when we get information like this, that's why it seems probably very simple on its face that all they have to do is contact us. That's all they have to do is let us know. And then we go by their oath and affirmation on the last registration that we have.”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Carol Beecher
“Evidence in the record showed that Mr. Sullivan had never previously used Dan Sullivan in state records. He had never affiliated before as a Republican in 40 years of Alaska voter history. His campaign website mirrored the incumbent's website design and branding, and he requested by email to appear as Dan S. Sullivan despite his middle initial being Gene J., even though he later corrected this himself.”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Clayton Holland
“how should we think about this question of whether someone is presumed to be a valid voter or presumed to be an invalid voter? It seems like in this case, and you've referred to him, I think, as kind of a trusted source, or indication, but it raises to me this fundamental question of can we trust that the voter rolls are good, or if anybody makes some allegation that there's some concerns with it, do we immediately take the position that they need to be removed from the active roll and placed into some sort of suspect category.”Alaska Legislature: MISC-20260722-1300 · Jul 22, 2026
Patty Murray
“a VA researcher's NIH grant for studying opioid use disorder among minority veterans was canceled. Why? It was deemed DEI. Large VA research sites are also reporting their non-VA federal funding is down a third or more compared to the previous year. And in one final blow to research, the Office of Management and Budget has proposed a— or published a proposed rule that would require all federal grants, including those for VA research, to be approved by political appointees.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine advancing the mission, focusing on evaluating the future of VA research. · Jul 22, 2026
Glenn Graham
“I think people in the VA by large, at least those that I work with, were dedicated civil servants. They felt that federal service was an honor and a privilege and a duty to veterans. But yet somehow the federal civil servants, even including in the VA, were treated somehow as a public enemy. And that created a hostile work environment that I did not understand.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine advancing the mission, focusing on evaluating the future of VA research. · Jul 22, 2026
Richard Blumenthal
“I'm concerned about the effects of staffing cuts, shortages in funds for research, various actions taken by this administration that may inhibit or impede the kind of research that is done by the VA in the past. The VA has been a pathbreaker, an innovative force in American medicine.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine advancing the mission, focusing on evaluating the future of VA research. · Jul 22, 2026
Glenn Graham
“I was struck by the fact that people who had gone through the entire recruitment process up to basically signing on would sometimes decline jobs. I tried to get a specific percentage of that, it's hard to know. Although one media source said that early in the first part of 2025, there were about 40% of jobs offered to physicians in the VA were declined.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine advancing the mission, focusing on evaluating the future of VA research. · Jul 22, 2026
Patty Murray
“I'm very concerned by the actions by this administration that have demoralized a lot of our VA research staff and created instability in research funding and really put up barriers that has slowed the research process. On the very first day of the Trump administration, all VA research staff became subject to a hiring freeze.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine advancing the mission, focusing on evaluating the future of VA research. · Jul 22, 2026
Patty Murray
“research at the Pittsburgh VA to predict stroke risk was put on hold. Enrollment into clinical trials for advanced cancer was delayed, and a clinical trial in Florida on preventing dementia and heart disease was canceled.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine advancing the mission, focusing on evaluating the future of VA research. · Jul 22, 2026
Glenn Graham
“No, in fact, Senator, I can't, particularly given the accomplishments of VA. I think this comes at a very bad time. It's already been alluded that other federal sources of funding, including NIH, are facing great uncertainties now. VA research being a constant, you know, reliable source of support for research helping veterans certainly would be, would be very welcome.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine advancing the mission, focusing on evaluating the future of VA research. · Jul 22, 2026
Patty Murray
“it is my intention to rip Trump's budget up and write a new one.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine advancing the mission, focusing on evaluating the future of VA research. · Jul 22, 2026
Patty Murray
“the president's budget proposes a substantial reduction to VA's research program, not only through cuts to dedicated research appropriations, but also through reduced support from medical care accounts and lower projected reimbursements that many of our research programs rely on. Those reductions raise very serious concern about VA's ability to sustain its ongoing research and continue developing new innovations that improve our veterans' care.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine advancing the mission, focusing on evaluating the future of VA research. · Jul 22, 2026
Patty Murray
“I just want to emphasize what I made— comment I made in the opening remark about the pending OMB rule that would really undermine our current system and allow— take away decision-making power from our experienced scientists and just allow political appointees, whether this administration or into the future, decide where research is going to go. That is really concerning to VA researchers. We need decisions based on science, not based on somebody's mad at somebody or political decision in any administration.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine advancing the mission, focusing on evaluating the future of VA research. · Jul 22, 2026
Patty Murray
“a planned study on RSV missed its enrollment window and could not even enroll participants. Another clinical trial closed after it took 6 months to hire a researcher. The study's principal investigator and its lead clinician both resigned from the VA after that debacle.”Senate Veterans' Affairs (Sullivan): Hearings to examine advancing the mission, focusing on evaluating the future of VA research. · Jul 22, 2026
Daniel Volland
“it says, the assembly intends to censure as its complete and proportionate response to this matter. Upon Assemblymember Martinez's full compliance with the commission's order, the assembly considers the matter closed and contemplates no further action arising from the conduct addressed in the commission's order. So for my part, I'm not ready to close the book on this, and I'm more interested in activities that are related to Assembly travel and activities related to an official capacity.”Anchorage Assembly: Assembly Regular - July 21, 2026 · Jul 22, 2026
Steve Daines
“Absolutely. Let's go a little left to right here. Yeah. Yes. Thank you.”Senate Energy and Natural Resources (Murkowski): An oversight hearing to examine the Federal Regulatory Commission. · Jul 22, 2026
Steve Daines
“Chairman Sweat, there are multiple large hydropower projects up for relicensing in Montana, including the Thompson DAM. Will you work closely with resource agencies and push back against indirect or costly mandatory conditions imposed by agencies on existing projects? Thank you, Senator. Yes, we are spending an inordinate amount of time on hydro during this commission right now, more than this commission ever has focused on it, because it is so important, because those licenses are coming up for renewal and I myself am personally actively pushing back on those types of conditions when I become aware of them and they hold our processes up.”Senate Energy and Natural Resources (Murkowski): An oversight hearing to examine the Federal Regulatory Commission. · Jul 22, 2026
Steve Daines
“There's one source of energy that has bipartisan cooperation, support is hydropower. Uh, it's a renewable source of energy. It's great baseload power. It's low cost. And this week I introduced the Hydropower Licensing Affordability Act with Senators Risch and Murkowski.”Senate Energy and Natural Resources (Murkowski): An oversight hearing to examine the Federal Regulatory Commission. · Jul 22, 2026
Steve Daines
“right now resource agencies can put mandatory conditions in hydropower licenses. While FERC is the agency that grants the permits for non-federal hydropower projects, resource agencies like the Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife Service can set mandatory conditions on a license that FERC, you all, issue. This can also happen during a relicensing of an existing project. Unfortunately, this process can be abused. Resource agencies can end up on a wish list of projects that have no direct connection to a hydropower dam.”Senate Energy and Natural Resources (Murkowski): An oversight hearing to examine the Federal Regulatory Commission. · Jul 22, 2026
Steve Daines
“with 40% of the nation's hydropower fleet being up for relicensing, 40% in the next 4 years, do you agree that we need to streamline and look for ways to simplify the hydropower licensing and relicensing process at a time when we are constrained brain as we look forward here. Just like to hear from each of you. Do you think we need to simplify and streamline it?”Senate Energy and Natural Resources (Murkowski): An oversight hearing to examine the Federal Regulatory Commission. · Jul 22, 2026
Steve Daines
“This bill is very simple. It requires all conditions to be directly related to a project.”Senate Energy and Natural Resources (Murkowski): An oversight hearing to examine the Federal Regulatory Commission. · Jul 22, 2026
John Barrasso
“it's critically important that Wyoming's concerns are thoughtfully and carefully considered in this process. So, Madam Chairman, I would ask you and others if you would commit to taking a renewed look at the state's comments and consider their incorporation into your final decision?”Senate Energy and Natural Resources (Murkowski): An oversight hearing to examine the Federal Regulatory Commission. · Jul 22, 2026
Catherine Masto
“your own data shows increased demand for hydro licensing activities in the next decade, right? With more than 40% of the non-federal hydropower fleet due to be relicensed, I think by 2035. For that reason, Senator Daines and I, actually working together, introduced S. 3500, which is the Hydropower Licensing Transparency Act, and it requires annual FERC reports to Congress on pending projects and action plans.”Senate Energy and Natural Resources (Murkowski): An oversight hearing to examine the Federal Regulatory Commission. · Jul 22, 2026
Mike Lee
“Yes. You know my answer, Senator. Yes. Okay, nobody said heck yes or more than that, but good. I'm glad to hear yes.”Senate Energy and Natural Resources (Murkowski): An oversight hearing to examine the Federal Regulatory Commission. · Jul 22, 2026
Tammy Baldwin
“This bipartisan amendment would restore a pilot program for uninsured patients to access insulin for $35 a month and a resource center to help patients afford and access affordable insulin. Both of these policies were in the original text of the Insulin Act, but unfortunately are not in the manager's amendment before us today.”Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (Murkowski): Business meeting to consider S.2355, to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for hospital and insurer price transparency, S.4189, to reduce the price of insulin and provide for patient protections with respect to the cost of insulin, S.4974, to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to food safety, S.5026, to require warning labels on sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, foods and beverages containing high-intensity sweeteners, ultra-processed foods, and foods high in nutrients of concern, such as added sugar, saturated fat, or sodium, to restrict junk food advertising to children, S.1414, to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide that clinical studies required for licensure of biological products as biosimilar shall not be required to include the assessment of immunogenicity, pharmacodynamics, or comparative clinical efficacy, S.3788, to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require drug labeling to include original manufacturer and supply chain information, S.3794, to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to further regulate compounding pharmacies and outsourcing facilities, S.494, to establish a national plan to coordinate research on epilepsy, S.4110, to revise and extend health workforce programs under title VII of the Public Health Service Act, S.1874, to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize certain nursing workforce development programs, and S.380, to improve obstetric emergency care. · Jul 22, 2026
Tammy Baldwin
“As drafted, the legislation could require many dairy products, including milk, cheese, and yogurt to carry an FDA warning label unless the FDA chooses to exempt them through its regulatory authority. This places tremendous weight on agency discretion rather than providing a clear direction in statute. I oppose this bill today because I think we have more work to do to get this right.”Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (Murkowski): Business meeting to consider S.2355, to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for hospital and insurer price transparency, S.4189, to reduce the price of insulin and provide for patient protections with respect to the cost of insulin, S.4974, to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to food safety, S.5026, to require warning labels on sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, foods and beverages containing high-intensity sweeteners, ultra-processed foods, and foods high in nutrients of concern, such as added sugar, saturated fat, or sodium, to restrict junk food advertising to children, S.1414, to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide that clinical studies required for licensure of biological products as biosimilar shall not be required to include the assessment of immunogenicity, pharmacodynamics, or comparative clinical efficacy, S.3788, to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require drug labeling to include original manufacturer and supply chain information, S.3794, to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to further regulate compounding pharmacies and outsourcing facilities, S.494, to establish a national plan to coordinate research on epilepsy, S.4110, to revise and extend health workforce programs under title VII of the Public Health Service Act, S.1874, to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize certain nursing workforce development programs, and S.380, to improve obstetric emergency care. · Jul 22, 2026
Susan Collins
“I support this amendment and pleased to be the principal co-sponsor. The original bill that we reintroduced in this Congress had this provision in it in an attempt to move the bill along. We agreed to take it out and decide it at the committee level. But I think it's important that we not leave this population, the most vulnerable population, behind.”Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (Murkowski): Business meeting to consider S.2355, to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for hospital and insurer price transparency, S.4189, to reduce the price of insulin and provide for patient protections with respect to the cost of insulin, S.4974, to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to food safety, S.5026, to require warning labels on sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, foods and beverages containing high-intensity sweeteners, ultra-processed foods, and foods high in nutrients of concern, such as added sugar, saturated fat, or sodium, to restrict junk food advertising to children, S.1414, to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide that clinical studies required for licensure of biological products as biosimilar shall not be required to include the assessment of immunogenicity, pharmacodynamics, or comparative clinical efficacy, S.3788, to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require drug labeling to include original manufacturer and supply chain information, S.3794, to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to further regulate compounding pharmacies and outsourcing facilities, S.494, to establish a national plan to coordinate research on epilepsy, S.4110, to revise and extend health workforce programs under title VII of the Public Health Service Act, S.1874, to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize certain nursing workforce development programs, and S.380, to improve obstetric emergency care. · Jul 22, 2026