Sullivan Celebrates Passage of Appropriations Package, Including Significant Funding for Alaska

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) today celebrated the Senate's passage of the Fiscal Year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development; and Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies funding bills. The appropriations package funds the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and Interior, several other federal agencies, including the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as a variety of programs and infrastructure projects that are important to Alaska.

"This latest bipartisan government funding package is filled to the brim with wins for Alaska," said Sen. Sullivan. "I worked closely with my Appropriations Committee colleagues to ensure that Alaskans' priorities were reflected in this legislation, and I especially want to commend Senator Murkowski for her hard work as a senior member of the Committee and lead author of the Interior and Environment portions of this legislation as chair of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee. This legislation touches on a number of important areas for our state-further unlocking resource development opportunities, investing in our transportation and water infrastructure, conveying lands to Alaska, promoting safety in our communities, and strengthening our fisheries. Altogether, this legislation will build momentum behind the Alaska comeback-continuing to unleash all sectors of our economy and creating good-paying jobs for our hard-working families."

Among other Commerce Department and fisheries priorities that Sen. Sullivan strongly advocated for, the package:

• Provides $6.1 billion nationwide for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) programs, all of which support the safety and cultural and economic livelihoods of Alaskans across the state. This includes:
  • $1.3 billion nationwide for National Weather Service programs that support weather forecasts, maritime safety, and tsunami hazard mitigation.
  • $3.125 millionfor the NOAA Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program (BREP). Sen. Sullivan recently introduced the Bycatch Reduction Act, which would authorize $4 million for BREP to ensure the continued improvement of fishing gear and technologies that are aimed at reducing bycatch.
  • $43.5 million nationwide for the Integrated Ocean Observing System, a $1 million increase from the previous year, supporting Alaska's Ocean Observing System that provides critical coastal and ocean data that support maritime safety, coastal hazard mitigation, and water quality monitoring.
  • $214 million nationwideforNOAA Fisheries data collection, surveys, and assessments to provide adequate data collection and sound science and research to support Alaska's fisheries and maintain Alaska's seafood competitiveness.
  • $45 million nationwide to supportRegional Fishery Management Councils and International Fisheries Commissions, management bodies that are critically important to ensuring sustainable management of Alaska's fisheries.

Among the energy and resource development priorities that Sen. Sullivan strongly advocated for, the package:

• Reinforces Congress' directive in Section 201(4)(b) of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) that DOI is required to permit surface transportation access from the Ambler Mining District to the Dalton Highway, making clear this is a statutory mandate and not discretionary.
• Directs the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to meet the 2016 Tongass Land and Resource Management Plan timber sale targets.
• Directs the Department of Energy to report on how to provide federal loan guarantees under the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act to be a tool to advance the Alaska LNG project.
• Includes dedicated funding for Alaska-specific geothermal resource assessments to support energy development of this untapped resource.
• Funds the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) to help locate areas of Alaska with the highest critical mineral potential.

Among the infrastructure, environment, lands, water, and Alaska Native provisions that Sen. Sullivan strongly advocated for, the package:

• Provides $13 million for the Port of Alaska in Anchorage, funding that will help support the modernization of Alaska's primary commercial port and a key logistics hub for statewide freight and military operations.
• Provides $300 million nationwide for small, remote, or subsistence harbors, a major investment that will help maintain and upgrade rural and coastal harbors that are lifelines for remote communities, especially in Alaska.
• Provides n early $40 million for the Alaska Native Village Water Program, a continued investment in safe drinking water and sanitation infrastructure for rural villages in Alaska.
• Provides $18 million for the Denali Commission, funding that reinforces the Commission's role as Alaska's federal infrastructure partner entity for rural energy, water, transportation, and community resilience projects.
• Provides $1.52 billion nationwide for wildland fire management activities.
• Provides $32.7 million total to continue long-overdue State of Alaska, Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), and Native allotment land conveyances, including a $1 million increase for the Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veterans Allotment Program.
• Provides $20 million for the ANCSA Contaminated Lands Program, funding that accelerates the clean-up of legacy contaminated sites on Alaska Native Corporation lands.
• Provides $8.05 billion nationwide for the Indian Health Service, which includes funding for staffing new facilities and health care delivery services. Contract support costs and tribal lease payments are fully funded, and advanced appropriations are maintained.
• Provides $10 million specifically for Alaska mapping and modernization as part of the National Geospatial Program, which supports infrastructure, resilience, and resource development.
• Provides $3.5 million to carry out the Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grant Program (SWIFR), which was created by Sen. Sullivan's 2020 Save Our Seas 2.0 Act.
• Includes language that continues the prohibition on enforcing federal regulations that would shut down small, remote Alaska incinerators.
• Requires the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to identify staffing needs to reduce the probate backlog to under two years in every region, an important step toward resolving long-standing delays that hinder Alaska Native families and land title certainty.

Among the judicial priorities that Sen. Sullivan strongly advocated for, the package funds a number of Office of Justice Programs and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), including:

• $720 million nationwide for Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) programs, including increased support for transitional housing, the rural program, civil legal assistance, the Sexual Assault Services Program, and the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners program.
• $86 million nationwide for drug courts, which offer a proven alternative model of justice, one that prioritizes recovery and stability over incarceration.
• $32 million nationwide for Veterans Treatment Courts, which support veterans who have turned to self-medication to address physical and mental health issues, allowing them another chance at rehabilitation.
• $964 million nationwide for the Byrne Judge Advocate General (JAG) Program, which funds a diverse set of state, local, and Tribal justice initiatives, including in Alaska.
• $253 million nationwide for the COPS Hiring Program, which benefits communities across Alaska by helping advance and fund the practice of community policing locally, territorially, and statewide. The program also supports Tribal law enforcement agencies.
• $35 million nationwide for the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, which provides insights into the over-prescribing of opioids to continue to combat the opioid epidemic.

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