Washington D.C.
RSSNews from Washington D.C., Alaska
A Washington pharmacy fight could hit Alaska's military families hardest
Alaska is full of military families on TRICARE — and a D.C. fight over its pharmacy contract could hit here hardest, where losing a local pharmacy means a plane ride or unreliable mail-order meds.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Murkowski presses Interior on who's paying for Trump's Smithsonian signs
Sens. Murkowski and Merkley are pressing Interior on who's paying for Park Service signs, ordered by Trump, that would criticize a Smithsonian museum's own exhibits.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAI
Space Force nominee warns China's counter-space buildup is moving at 'breathtakingly fast' pace
A Space Force nominee told senators China is building anti-satellite weapons at alarming speed, justifying a proposed $71.1 billion budget that would nearly double the service's spending.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min readAI
The CDC director vote is waiting on Lisa Murkowski
The Senate health committee couldn't vote on the next CDC director Thursday — Lisa Murkowski was out on a family emergency, and without her the votes weren't there.
by Alaska News3w ago1 min readAI
House Republicans examine $24.8M in federal attorney fees to environmental groups
House Republicans examined $24.8M in federal attorney fee awards to environmental nonprofits from 2019 to 2024. • Critics say uncapped fee-shifting laws let nonprofits bill at rates far above market rates, sometimes 700 percent markups. • Alaska mining, oil, and timber projects have faced years of litigation delays funded partly by taxpayer attorney fee awards.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago4 min readAI
Alaska veterans fly to Seattle for cancer care. The Senate is arguing over why.
Alaska has more veterans per capita than any state and no VA cancer center. A Senate fight over precision oncology money decides who gets care close to home.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
IHS proposes $93M sanitation cut as Alaska Native villages face sanitation gaps
Indian Health Service proposes cutting sanitation funding by 93 million dollars in Alaska Native villages that still use honey buckets. • Over 2,000 water and sanitation projects remain unfunded across Indian Country. • Senator Murkowski challenged the cut, saying sanitation prevents illness. • Congress rejected similar cuts last year and plans to fight again.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min readAI
Trump proposes federal AI equity stakes with public dividends
Trump proposed federal equity stakes in AI companies with public dividends, mirroring Alaska's Permanent Fund model since 1982. • Alaska's dividend fluctuates with oil markets and faces constant political pressure to redirect earnings. • Federal AI dividends would differ legally from Alaska's model, which rests on state-owned resource royalties, not private equity.
by Alaska News2mo ago2 min readAI
A record year for federal research-fraud enforcement — and Alaska's stake in it
Washington recovered a record $6.8B in false-claims cases last year. Alaska's universities run on federal research money, and Begich is on the oversight panel.
by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago3 min readAI
The promotions Warren says Hegseth is blocking would fill leadership at Alaska's strategically critical installations
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth blocked military promotions that fill command roles at Alaska installations. Senator Elizabeth Warren accused Hegseth of removing minority and female officers from the list. The delays affect leadership at JBER and Eielson. The Pentagon is reviewing officer ties to diversity policies.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska's senators voted to let a Medicare AI pilot keep running
Alaska's senators voted last week to let an AI-driven Medicare prior-authorization pilot keep running, and backed a defense bill that stalled anyway.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago1 min readAI
The sea lions in Congress's salmon bill breed in Southeast Alaska
A House bill would expand sea lion removals to protect Columbia River salmon. The Steller sea lions involved breed on rookeries in Southeast Alaska.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3w ago2 min readAI
Senate passes immigration enforcement bill 52-47, splitting Alaska delegation
Three years of ICE funding, a fight over the 'weaponization' fund, and Alaska's senators split
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Trump invokes Defense Production Act; makes way for new Alaska coal plant
Trump invoked the Defense Production Act and is trying to push $89m to help build a coal plant in Alaska
by Cale Green2mo ago3 min readAI
Federal highway chief commits to King Cove Road action
Federal Highway Administrator committed to finalize the Road, an 11-mile project connecting the community to Cold Bay's airport, and will visit Alaska in late June.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Murkowski previously questioned the Qatari Air Force One; Trump has now flown it
Trump took his first flight on the Qatar-donated Air Force One this week — a gift Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski was among the Republicans to question when it surfaced.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min readAI
Democrats challenge Sonderling on overtime rollbacks, education transfers at HELP hearing
Senate Democrats challenged Keith Sonderling's nomination as Labor secretary over his rollback of overtime protections for millions of workers and his transfer of education programs to his department.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min readAI
The Air Force wants $7 billion for fighter recapitalization at Elmendorf — but Alaska's military investments are riding on a partisan bill senators don't think will pass
The Air Force requested $7 billion for fighter jets at Elmendorf-Richardson in its 2027 budget, but half the F-35 funding and other Alaska-critical spending is routed through a partisan bill that Republican and Democratic senators say will not pass.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Anchorage health facility secures federal approval for land transfer to expand services
Senate approved 3.37 acre land transfer to Southcentral Foundation to expand mental health services for Alaska Native people. • Committee advanced eight tribal land bills nationwide for housing and wildfire management. • Administration proposed major cuts to tribal services including 32 percent reduction to Indian Education bureau.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Permanent daylight time would push Anchorage's winter sunrise past 11 a.m.
If daylight saving goes permanent, Anchorage's winter sunrise slides to 11:14 a.m. and Fairbanks nearly to noon. Darker mornings, later afternoons — pick your clock.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
The federal autonomous vehicle framework Congress is debating would apply to Alaska's roads — but Alaska wasn't part of the conversation
Congress is debating a federal framework for autonomous trucks that will apply to Alaska's roads, but Alaska's operating conditions like Arctic weather, wildlife, and cellular dead zones were not part of the Senate hearing.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min readAI
Alaska VA tech rollout faces staffing questions ahead of October launch
Alaska's VA converts to a new electronic health record Oct. 24 as the VA's IT chief acknowledges the department has lost experienced workers since the administration took office.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
The Air Force wants a $338.8 billion budget — a 34% jump that includes a 130% Space Force boost that flows to Clear
Air Force seeks $338.8 billion for fiscal 2027, a 34 percent increase with Space Force funding up 130 percent. • Clear Space Force Station in interior Alaska could receive part of the $71.1 billion Space Force request. • Funding also targets facility upgrades at JBER and Eielson Air Force Base, addressing a $50 billion maintenance backlog.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
VA budget seeks $488 billion with 60,000 Alaska veterans facing shift toward private care
VA requests $488 billion budget, shifting $17 billion toward private care while holding VA facility funding flat, affecting 60,000 Alaska veterans. • VA lost 50,000 employees in 2025 and 2026, raising concerns about workforce and direct care. • Budget cuts appeals processing and oversight despite rising caseloads. • Includes $10.4 billion for infrastructure and health records modernization.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min readAI
Federal SNAP changes could put Alaska food aid and state budget under new pressure
Federal rules will expand work requirements for Alaska SNAP recipients and tie state costs to payment errors, potentially costing Alaska $42 million to $53 million annually starting in late 2027.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
VA research is losing staff and trials as Senate panel presses on $43M cut
No state has more veterans per capita than Alaska, which makes a Senate fight over VA research cuts a fight about roughly 1 in 10 Alaskans.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readAI
House panel approves $580 billion transportation bill with rail safety provisions
House committee approved $580 billion five-year transportation bill with new rail safety rules. • Rail provisions require two-person crews, wayside defect detectors, and faster phase-out of older tank cars. • Bill funds $50 billion for bridges and $65 billion for rail over five years. • New fees on electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids generate first Highway Trust Fund revenue since 1993.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
Senate panel hears testimony on bill to ban youth gender care
A U.S. Senate committee heard testimony May 21 on a proposed federal ban of gender transition care for minors, as Alaska's State Medical Board simultaneously pursues a draft regulation that would label such care negligent and risk provider licenses.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
Trump's announced $64 billion DHS funding would touch Alaska Coast Guard, Arctic security, and fentanyl interdiction — but the underlying bill isn't in primary federal records
Trump announced $64 billion in DHS funding that would affect Alaska's Coast Guard, Arctic security, and fentanyl interdiction, but the bill he cited does not yet appear in public federal records.
by Alaska News2mo ago2 min readAI
