Dear Alaskans,
It's been a busy few weeks in Washington, D.C., and it is good to be back home in Alaska! I have been very active and working hard on behalf of all Alaskans, and wanted to take a moment to update you on some of my recent efforts in Congress. It is my great honor to represent you in the House. I encourage you to share this newsletter with your friends and family. As always, don't hesitate to contact me to share your views on public policy or legislation before Congress.
Sincerely.
Don Young
Congressman for All Alaska
Securing Passage for Employees of Alaska's Goldbelt, Inc
I can now share details of my office’s work during last month’s evacuation from Afghanistan.
It was difficult to watch what happened last month, particularly when our brave U.S. servicemembers were killed in the line of duty. As I have previously said, what happened in Kabul reminded me of what we saw in Saigon as the Vietnam War ended. The botched withdrawal created conditions that endangered lives and resulted in the deaths of American soldiers and countless innocent civilians.
Perhaps most egregious was the fact that so many were left behind; this was unacceptable. Among those left behind were employees of Alaska's Goldbelt, Inc, making the situation even more perilous. As conditions deteriorated, my staff and I worked around the clock to secure these employees’ safe passage. I am both pleased and relieved that Goldbelt’s employees successfully escaped Afghanistan, and safely landed in Qatar.
This was a herculean effort, and I want to thank the Goldbelt team, in addition to Air Force veteran Michael Songer, my Senior Legislative Assistant and Defense Policy Advisor, for his unyielding commitment to getting them out of harm's way.
The sad fact is that this is not over, and there are still Americans and Afghan allies facing the Taliban's brutality. I will continue pushing the Administration to do the right thing and get them to safety.
Read more here.
Strengthening our Tourism Economy
This year’s summer cruise season was nearly cancelled by Canada’s refusal to allow cruise ships to make technical stops in Canada. The Alaska Delegation wasn’t asking for much, and cruise passengers wouldn’t have even disembarked the ship. But the Canadian government wouldn’t work with us. We secured a big win in the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act, which exempted cruises from the Passenger Vessel Services Act’s (PVSA) foreign stop requirement. After the President signed our bill into law, cruise lines returned. But we cannot allow Canada to continue having de facto veto authority over Alaska’s economy.
This summer, I introduced the Tribal Tourism Sovereignty Act so that our cruise ships are no longer required to stop in Canada. My proposal is simple yet powerful: Large foreign-flagged passenger vessels that call on ports or places in the United States owned by Tribes or Alaska Native Corporations would be compliant with the PVSA’s foreign-stop requirement. In Alaska, this would mean that voyages would no longer have to stop in or originate in Canada. Cruises could start and end in Alaska, maximizing their time in our state and opening new economic development opportunity for Alaskans. My bill also benefits tribal communities in the Lower 48 states by creating port development opportunities for tribes in Washington State, Oregon, the Great Lakes, and the Northeast.
I penned an op-ed in the Vancouver Sun so that our Canadian neighbors could hear directly from me. Click here to read it.
Supporting Alaska's Working Families
Supporting Alaska's working families has always been one of my highest priorities in Congress. One of the best ways to support families is to expand access to quality child care. For many parents, particularly women, a lack of child care reduces workforce participation and stifles upward economic mobility.
This month, I joined my colleague, Congresswoman Nikema Williams, as we introduced the bipartisan Care is an Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) Act. This is a crucial bill to help ensure the needed expansion of child care in Alaska and across our nation. I will continue working alongside parents, employers, and child care advocates to secure an economy that helps working parents thrive. Read more about our bill here.
Legislation Approved by the Natural Resources Committee
I’m very pleased to report that TWO of my bills were approved by the House Natural Resources Committee at this week's virtual markup.
The first one is my Indian Buffalo Management Act – a bill to assist Tribes and Tribal organizations restore and protect American Buffalo populations.
The American buffalo, a North American species of bison, once roamed freely across the United States, and served as a reliable source of food, shelter, clothing, and economic mobility for Indigenous peoples across the American west. The tragic decimation of these iconic animals remains one of the darkest chapters in America’s history, and we must be doing all that we can to reverse the damage to this species and to the way of life of Native peoples across our country. It may surprise some, but Alaska is home to a thriving herd on Sitkalidak Island, managed by the Alutiiq people. My bill will help their herd – and eligible herds across the country – secure the support necessary to thrive. I am grateful to my colleagues for helping it unanimously move out of committee on a bipartisan basis.
My second bill, the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium Land Transfer Act, also received unanimous support today. This legislation will help the Consortium continue to provide high-quality, comprehensive health care to Native communities throughout Alaska’s panhandle. This bill will transfer nearly 11 acres of federal land to the Consortium for necessary updates and improvements in healthcare services. This is crucially important for Southeast Alaska and I urge my colleagues for their support.
To watch my remarks from the markup, click here or on the image above.
Fighting Food Waste and Insecurity
I've always known Alaska to be a place where we look out for one another. This is why I am grateful to everyone in our state fighting against food insecurity and food waste. This month, I visited the Fairbanks Community Food Bank for a hands-on update on their current operations. I also had the opportunity to discuss my efforts in Congress to fight hunger across our state. Over the years, I have been a proud supporter of the Fairbanks Community Food Bank, and worked hard to help them secure a non-profit designation from the Department of Defense. With only 5% of funding coming from federal grants, this is a true community-driven operation.
No person, and certainly no child, should ever go hungry, which is why fighting food insecurity – particularly among military-connected families – will continue to be one of my highest priorities. I want to thank the Fairbanks Community Food Bank staff, including CEO Anne Weaver and Community Development Director Samantha Kirstein, for hosting this very productive visit.
Celebrating an Alaska Native Artist
This month, USPS Government Liaison Mary Ann Simpson stopped by my office to present a framed copy of the new Raven Story stamp. Raven stories are central to the Tlingit and many other Indigenous groups in Alaska and around the region. This is the first USPS stamp designed by an Alaska Native artist. I want to thank Rico Lanáat' Worl, the Tlingit/Athabascan artist who designed the artwork for the stamp. He has made history and should be very proud.
To create the original art, Rico used formline, the traditional design style of the Indigenous people of the northern Northwest Coast. The stamp depicts a raven as he escapes from his human family and starts the process of transforming back into bird form. It is my great hope that this stamp proves to be a lasting tribute by telling the stories of Alaska's Indigenous people. If you need to stock up on stamps, Raven Story Forever Stamps are now on sale online and at USPS locations nationwide.
Honoring our Founding Documents
Our founding documents made this great country what it is, and continue to be central to us today. I am very proud that Wasilla is now home to a permanent display of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. The recent unveiling ceremony brought together our community to honor our founders and the heroic work they did in support of a new nation. I want to thank everyone who made the unveiling possible and for allowing my office to participate; I encourage you to visit. Click here to read more about Wasilla's Charters of Freedom display.
Standing with America's Allies
I have always said that you cannot make it far in life without allies, and Mongolia is a true friend to both Alaska and the United States. Recently, I hosted Zandanshatar Gombojav, the Speaker of State Great Khural – Mongolia’s legislature – at my office in Washington, D.C. Joining him were a delegation of Members of Parliament (MP) including Ganbaatar Sainkhuu and Aubakir Telukhan.
We had a wide-ranging discussion which covered topics including bolstering our shared security, strengthening our trade relationship, and promoting democracy. I was pleased that my fellow Congressional Mongolia Caucus Co-Chair, Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV) could join us via Zoom for this crucial discussion.
While it is far away, Mongolia looks to the United States as its third neighbor. Frankly, I welcome this distinction, given that they are sandwiched right between Russia and China. Securing peace around the globe requires dedicated leaders, and I am grateful to our friends in Mongolia for their commitment to a safe, free, and stable world in the 21st Century. As Co-Chair of the Congressional Mongolia Caucus, I will continue working to strengthen the bonds between our two nations.
Protecting Alaska's Wild Salmon
There truly is no salmon like Alaska’s wild salmon! Salmon is an economic powerhouse for our state, and there is no better time to enjoy it than during Bristol Bay Salmon Week. This year, Bristol Bay produced a record 66 million salmon. If you placed this incredible yield tail to mouth, it would be enough to wrap around the entire United States over two times! In my D.C. office, I was happy to host Dan Cheyette and Michael Jackson, representatives and salmon advocates from Bristol Bay, to discuss this year’s season and to get a taste of this quintessential Alaskan food. As Co-Chair of both the Wild Salmon Caucus and the House Oceans Caucus, I am committed to protecting this precious resource for future generations of subsistence, commercial, and sport fishermen to catch. Thank you for a productive meeting!
Supporting Alaska Native and Military-Connected Students
I’ve been a long-time supporter of federal Impact Aid, and as a former teacher, I know just how important it is to meet the needs of our children. Students in Alaska, particularly Alaska Natives, utilize Impact Aid for books, technology, staffing, and other needs. If we do not get this program on stable footing, our children will be worse off.
I recently introduced the Advancing Toward Impact Aid Full Funding Act with Representative Mike Levin (D-CA) to fully fund this vital program over the next five years. Our bill takes needed action to support our schools, increase funding for children with disabilities, and ensure that our military families have the resources necessary to thrive in school. Countless school districts operate on federally tax-exempt land; without Impact Aid to fill the funding gaps, the next generation's educational success is in jeopardy. Read more about our bill here.
