Latest news with #Alaskans
Irish Daily Star
13 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Daily Star
Republican senator admits she feels 'cheated' by Trump administration after megabill passed
The Alaska senator accused Trump of going against the bill that he himself had signed into law Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said Friday that she felt "cheated" after a concession she won in President Donald Trump 's July 4 spending bill to protect green energy projects was immediately stripped away by her fellow party members. Despite the megabill's funding cuts for solar and wind projects, Murkowski had successfully negotiated protections for a 12-month window for such projects in Alaska to continue receiving tax credits. Trump and his administration issued recent orders designed to suppress solar and wind projects, however, effectively taking back the exception they had issued Murkowski, she said. ' I feel cheated,' she said Friday. 'I feel like we made a deal and then hours later, a deal was made to somebody else.' READ MORE: Trump's 'big beautiful' bill will be seen as 'mass extinction event' as voters reel from brutal cuts The executive order, issued by Trump just days after the concession passed, could lead to a rewrite of federal regulations that would limit the tax credit award for some solar and wind projects, according to Anchorage Daily News. It also will remove what it calls "preferential treatment" from wind and solar over other projects such as oil, natural gas and hydropower. Murkowski said Friday that the order 'just pulls the rug out from from underneath the deal' she'd made for the 12-month window for tax credits, a way to protect green energy projects needed to combat the incoming energy crisis in Alaska. "I read it as just a total affront to what we had negotiated." 'If you were looking for something proof-positive that the administration is looking to literally cut off a sector of the energy industry, it couldn't be more compelling than first the EO and now the (Interior directive),' she said. Though she has strongly advocated for the development of oil and gas projects in her state, Murkowski said that a broad approach to energy investment, including in solar and wind, is in the best interest of Alaskans. She said that she believes a mix of energy sources may help to resolve a looming shortage of natural gas along the Railbelt grid, an area that encompasses Anchorage and Fairbanks. Article continues below The Trump administration, however, appears to be focused on halting clean energy development, she said. 'Do I feel like the administration was not being up-front with us? Yes,' she said. 'I said, 'Well, I got a hard-won fight on this is clean energy provision. It's not everything that I wanted, but it's going to keep some of our projects alive, and that's important.' 'So now you have an executive order that goes against what the president himself signed into law, in my view,' she said.
Politico
a day ago
- Politics
- Politico
Public media braces for the worst
Presented by Chevron Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government, your guide to Donald Trump's unprecedented overhaul of the federal government — the key decisions, the critical characters and the power dynamics that are upending Washington and beyond. Send tips | Subscribe | Email Sophia | Email Irie | Email Ben Staffers at local NPR and PBS stations around the country were devastated by the news last week that Congress approved $1.1 billion in federal funding cuts to public media, a move that could jeopardize the futures of dozens of stations. Small, as well as rural, public media stations that heavily rely on federal funding to operate are now bracing for the unknown after Congress approved a package on Thursday that will claw back Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding. Some stations say they're being punished over a fight between President DONALD TRUMP and the national public broadcasting organizations that have little relationship to the service smaller outlets offer their communities. 'I think [lawmakers'] decisions were not informed,' said DON DUNLAP, president and general manager of KEDT-TV/FM, a public radio and TV station in Corpus Christi, Texas. 'We're there to help people. There are 10 public TV stations in Texas, and we're thinking probably six of them will close down within a year.' In April, Trump asked Congress to roll back funding for NPR and PBS, which he has long accused of bias against him and other Republicans — a claim both outlets have denied. The public media cuts are one aspect of the Trump administration's aggressive campaign against media outlets it deems as partisan. Trump has taken legal action against several news organizations, including CBS, ABC and The Wall Street Journal, over unfavorable coverage. Several station heads told POLITICO they've been preparing for potential cuts since the Trump administration first floated the idea earlier this year. For hundreds of stations, federal money makes up a significant portion of their total funding. According to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, about 45 percent of all public media stations that received their grants are in rural areas, and nearly half of those rely on CPB for 25 percent or more of their annual budget. Without federal funding, those stations may be forced into layoffs and programming cuts, if they're able to survive at all. According to data obtained by POLITICO, 34 public radio and TV stations receive at least 50 percent of their funding from federal grants. Twelve of those stations are in Alaska. 'We can't fundraise our way out of this. We have to make other decisions,' said MOLLIE KABLER, executive director of CoastAlaska, which oversees six public radio stations in southern Alaska. 'We have to consider, 'What services are we going to give up? What people are we going to let go of? And how can we find a way to collaborate and retain service for Alaskans?'' Public media staffers from local affiliates to the national networks have been lobbying Republicans in Congress for weeks in hopes of staving off the cuts. In the end, only four Republicans in both chambers voted against the final version of the package, which also included cuts to foreign aid: Sens. LISA MURKOWSKI of Alaska and SUSAN COLLINS of Maine, and Reps. MIKE TURNER of Ohio and BRIAN FITZPATRICK of Pennsylvania. 'NPR and PBS decide how to allocate their budgets, so any potential effects to news stations will stem from their own budget choices – not federal spending reductions,' a House leadership aide said in a statement. 'It's up to the networks to manage funds wisely and root out waste so rural stations can succeed.' Representatives for Senate Majority Leader JOHN THUNE did not immediately respond to requests for comment. An Office of Management and Budget spokesperson refuted claims that local NPR and PBS affiliates had remained nonpartisan, saying in a statement they had 'politicized their own coverage by relying on syndicated programming from their national org.' 'Democratic paper-pushers masquerading as reporters don't deserve taxpayer subsidies, and NPR and PBS will have to learn to survive on their own,' said White House principal deputy press secretary HARRISON FIELDS. 'Unfortunately for them, their only lifeline was taxpayer dollars, and that ended when President Trump was sworn in.' Read the full story here. MESSAGE US — West Wing Playbook is obsessively covering the Trump administration's reshaping of the federal government. Are you a federal worker? A DOGE staffer? Have you picked up on any upcoming DOGE moves? We want to hear from you on how this is playing out. Email us at westwingtips@ Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe! POTUS PUZZLER Which former president served for 18 years in Congress after his presidency? (Answer at bottom.) Agenda Setting NEW GSA HEAD: Trump today appointed MIKE RIGAS as acting administrator of the General Services Administration, Sophia reports, effectively layering DOGE-aligned STEPHEN EHIKIAN and JOSH GRUENBAUM atop the agency. GSA staffers and people close to DOGE view the appointment as a strategic move by the White House to rein in Ehikian, the former acting administrator, and Gruenbaum, the commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service within GSA. They were chosen by DOGE's former operational lead, STEVE DAVIS, to lead DOGE after Davis and ELON MUSK left government, according to three people familiar with the internal workings of DOGE and GSA, granted anonymity to speak candidly. The change in leadership is a notable shift for GSA, one of two federal agencies that Musk came closest to controlling earlier this year. It's also the most significant public step the White House has taken to diminish the role of Musk loyalists following his exit. 'The GSA has been a pillar of this success, and the President has full confidence in their ongoing work to advance this transformative agenda,' Fields, the White House spokesperson, said in a statement. WSJ BOOTED: The White House is removing The Wall Street Journal from the pool of reporters covering the president's weekend trip to Scotland, White House press secretary KAROLINE LEAVITT told POLITICO, our ELI STOKOLS and Irie report. The move follows the Journal's report last week alleging that Trump sent a sexually suggestive message to JEFFREY EPSTEIN in 2003. Trump has denied the existence of the letter and POLITICO has not verified it. TARINI PARTI, a White House reporter for the Journal who did not have a byline on the Epstein story, had been scheduled to serve as the print pooler for the final two days of Trump's four-day trip to his golf courses in Scotland. But the White House, which earlier this year took over control of pool rotations from the White House Correspondents' Association, removed her from the trip manifest, Leavitt said. 'Due to the Wall Street Journal's fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the thirteen outlets on board' Air Force One, Leavitt said in a statement. A Journal spokesperson declined to comment. A White House spokesperson declined to comment on whether the Journal would be included in the pool in the future, either on the White House campus or on subsequent trips. FINAL CBO SCORE: The Congressional Budget Office today released its final prediction for how the GOP megalaw will grow the national debt and impact American households over the next decade, our JENNIFER SCHOLTES, ROBERT KING and BENJAMIN GUGGENHEIM report. Over the next decade, Trump's signature legislation would increase the federal deficit by $3.4 trillion and cause 10 million people to lose health insurance, the CBO forecasts. While the law would save more than $1 trillion by cutting federal spending on health care — with the majority coming from Medicaid — CBO predicts that the package's costs will far outweigh its savings. Following the report's release, Leavitt told reporters outside the White House the legislation was 'a fiscally responsible bill, one of the most fiscally conservative pieces of legislation for its size that has ever crossed through Capitol Hill.' She emphasized that Trump 'wants to cut our deficit' and said he would do so with tariff revenue. In the Courts SHOW ME THE MONEY: A federal judge ruled today that the Trump administration is violating the law by concealing how it spends congressionally appropriated funds by taking down a public website that displayed that information, our ERICA ORDEN writes in. In a 60-page decision, U.S. District Judge EMMET SULLIVAN wrote that 'there is nothing unconstitutional about Congress requiring the Executive Branch to inform the public of how it is apportioning the public's money.' Sullivan, an appointee of BILL CLINTON, added: 'Defendants are therefore required to stop violating the law!' Sullivan ordered the Trump administration to reinstate the database, but paused his order until Thursday to allow time for an appeal. The ruling is a win for the nonprofits Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and Protect Democracy Project, both of which sued the OMB and its director, RUSS VOUGHT. A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling. ACCESS TO COUNSEL: A federal judge today ordered the administration to reinstate a policy to provide legal counsel to immigrants in deportation proceedings who are deemed mentally incompetent, our KYLE CHENEY writes in. U.S. District Judge AMIR ALI concluded that the administration had failed to justify eliminating the policy, leaving vulnerable people at risk during complex proceedings. Ali, an appointee of JOE BIDEN, noted that the program had helped thousands of immigrants with mental disabilities access counsel during immigration cases, and when it was cut from DOJ's books earlier this year, the only explanation was that it was for 'convenience.' A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling. DEFYING THE COURTS, BY THE NUMBERS: Trump administration officials have been accused of defying the courts in a third of lawsuits in which a judge has delivered a substantive ruling against the administration, WaPo's JUSTIN JOUVENAL reports. A Post analysis of more than 337 lawsuits brought against the administration found that judges had ruled against the Trump administration in 165 lawsuits, as of mid-July. The administration has been 'accused of defying or frustrating court oversight in 57 of those cases — almost 35 percent,' the analysis found. Trump officials, who accuse the courts of 'judicial tyranny,' have denied defying the orders. Fields in a statement called judges who have ruled against the president 'leftist' and said the president's attorneys 'are working tirelessly to comply' with rulings. 'If not for the leadership of the Supreme Court, the Judicial Branch would collapse into a kangaroo court,' he said. What We're Reading How the 2017 Trump tax cuts ballooned the 'big, beautiful bill' (POLITICO's Taylor Miller Thomas, Paula Friedrich and Jonathan Lai) 6 months after DOGE upended their lives, 6 former federal workers reveal their advice for others (Business Insider's Ayelet Sheffey, Jack Newsham, Juliana Kaplan, and Alice Tecotzky) When Getting Fired Is Only the Beginning for Federal Workers (NYT's Eileen Sullivan) Donald Trump's Tariff Dealmaker-in-Chief (The New Yorker's Antonia Hitchens) As Trump's raids ramp up, a Texas region's residents stay inside — even when they need medical care (AP's Amanda Seitz and Jacquelyn Martin) POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER That would be former President JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, who served nearly two decades in Congress after concluding his term as sixth president of the United States in 1829. Adams suffered a stroke at his desk in the House chamber and ultimately died in the speaker's office. (Source: The Library of Congress)
UPI
6 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
Senate sends bill axing foreign aid, public broadcast funds to House
The U.S. Senate early Thursday approved a bill to cut foreign aid and public broadcasting funds. File Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI | License Photo July 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate early Thursday voted to rescind some $9 billion in federal funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting, two areas of the government that the Trump administration has long targeted for cuts. The senators voted 51-48 mostly along party lines to approve House Bill 4 with Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joining the Democrats in voting against it. The bill, which now goes to the House of Representatives, will cut about $8 billion from international aid programs and about $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The bill passed at about 2:20 a.m. EDT Thursday. "President Trump promised to cut wasteful spending and root out misuse of taxpayer dollars," Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, said on X prior to the vote. "Now, @SenateGOP and I are voting to make these cuts permanent. Promises made, promises kept." The vote comes as the Trump administration faces criticism from Democrats, and some Republicans, for having promised to reduce government spending but then last month passed a massive tax and spending cuts bill that is expected to add $3.3 trillion to the U.S. deficit, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Meanwhile, the Cato Institute states it could add nearly double that, as much as $6 trillion. The Corporation of Public Broadcasting, which funds local news and radio infrastructure, has been a target of the Trump administration for funding a small portion of the budgets of PBS and NPR, which he accuses of being biased. Murkowski chastised her fellow Republicans for attacking a service that informed Alaskans that same day that there was a magnitude 7.3 earthquake and a tsunami warning. "Some colleagues claim they are targeting 'radical leftist organizations' with these cuts, but in Alaska, these are simply organizations dedicated to their communities," she said on social media. "Their response to today's earthquake is a perfect example of the incredible public service these stations provide. They deliver local news, weather updates and, yes, emergency alerts that save human lives."
Business Wire
15-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Alaska Communications Accelerates Network Investment With Plans for 100,000 Locations Served With Improved Broadband Service
ANCHORAGE, Alaska--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As part of its ongoing network expansion, Alaska Communications is launching improved broadband service to approximately 100,000 businesses and homes across Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau and the Kenai Peninsula. Powered by fiber-fed, next-generation fixed wireless technology, Alaska Communications is expanding broadband access rapidly to meet the needs of businesses and families. With speeds up to 300Mbps download and 100Mbps upload, Alaskans can get the connectivity they need to efficiently run their business, work or learn from home, attend telehealth appointments, stream their favorite programs, connect smart home devices, play online games and more. 'We hear from residents across the state that they want reliable, unlimited internet service. If it matters to Alaskans, it matters to us,' said Paul Fenaroli, President and CEO, Alaska Communications. 'With fixed wireless internet access backed by our state-of-the-art fiber network, we're able to give Alaskans a reliable option for connecting their businesses and homes at affordable rates with local support.' Alaska Communications' new service includes: The speed you need: Up to 300Mbps download and 100Mbps upload. Unlimited data: Like all Alaska Communications services, there are no data caps, throttling or overage fees. Reliability: Advances in technology no longer require a line of sight for a strong signal. Affordable: Competitive pricing at a flat, monthly rate. No extra costs: Free installation and equipment with term agreement. Local support: Installed and supported by Alaskans. Small business solutions: Bundle with our other small business services, which include Microsoft 365, helpdesk support and more. 'For businesses, it opens the door to enhanced productivity, better customer service, improved security and the ability to compete in our digital-first economy,' said Fenaroli. 'For families, this means smoother streaming, faster downloads and more reliable connections for remote work, online learning and everyday use.' North Anchorage available now, midtown and south Anchorage coming soon This high-speed service is available for businesses and residents in the following Anchorage neighborhoods: downtown, Government Hill, Mountain View and Airport Heights. The Anchorage hillside, south Anchorage and midtown Anchorage will be available later this summer. By the end of 2025, 50,000 locations in Anchorage alone will be eligible. 'The Anchorage market is seeing demand for high-speed alternatives to cable internet,' said Fenaroli. 'Competition is good for Alaska and we're excited to build on our more than 120-year history to support Alaskans in new ways.' Other service locations coming soon Alaska Communications plans to improve or expand its fiber-fed fixed wireless network in Fairbanks, Juneau and the Kenai Peninsula starting later this year. How to get connected Business: For business service, fill out a service request form on the Alaska Communications' website. About Alaska Communications Alaska Communications, an affiliate of ATN International, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATNI), is a leading provider of mission and life-critical communications infrastructure in Alaska. The company operates a robust and advanced statewide fiber network and a highly diverse undersea fiber optic system that connects Alaska to the contiguous U.S. For additional information, visit
Economic Times
14-07-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Americans to receive $1,702 from July 17; Check Alaska Permanent Fund eligibility and how to claim
Good news for Alaskans. Residents will soon receive a $1,702 payment. This is part of the state's Permanent Fund Dividend program. Distribution starts July 17, 2025. The amount includes an energy relief bonus. It aims to help with high oil prices. The Alaska Permanent Fund shares oil revenues with residents. This year's payment sees a 30 percent increase from 2023. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads A $1,440 annual dividend, and A $262 energy relief bonus is due to elevated oil prices. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Eligibility requirements Applicants must have lived in Alaska for the full 2023 calendar year. They must not have claimed residency in another state or country or received residency-based benefits elsewhere since December 31, 2023. Applicants must not have been convicted or incarcerated for a felony or certain misdemeanors during the eligibility period. Residents must not have been absent from Alaska for more than 180 days in 2023, with some exceptions. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Magnolia Mother's Trust (Mississippi): Provides $1,000 per month for 12 months to low-income Black mothers, the longest-running guaranteed income program in the US. Abundant Birth Project (California): Offers pregnant people of color in San Francisco up to $1,000 monthly for 12-18 months to improve maternal and child health. Hundreds of thousands of Alaskans will receive $1,702 stimulus-style payments in the coming days as part of the state's Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) payments will be distributed starting July 17, 2025, to applicants with an 'Eligible-Not Paid' status as of July 9, according to the official PFD Division. A second payment round is scheduled for August 21 for applications that qualify by August amount of the dividend varies each year based on factors such as oil prices and the fund's investment $1,702 payment includes:The Alaska Permanent Fund was established in 1976 to share state oil revenues with residents. Since the early 1980s, the fund's earnings have been distributed annually to eligible residents through the PFD year's payment marks a 30 percent increase from the $1,312 check issued in qualify for the 2024 payment:The application deadline for the 2024 dividend closed on March 31. Applications for the 2026 dividend will open between January 1 and March 31, 600,000 Alaskans receive the dividend each year. The payments are intended to support residents with basic needs, especially during times of economic hardship or high utility use the funds to cover heating costs during Alaska's long the federal government ended its pandemic-era stimulus checks, Alaska's PFD remains a rare form of recurring direct cash check payment status, residents can visit and log in via MyAlaska.A stimulus check is a direct payment from the government to individuals, designed to boost spending and provide financial relief, especially during economic downturns or Alaska's Permanent Fund Dividend is unique for being statewide and funded by natural resources, similar local programs include:Stimulus checks are usually targeted at low- to middle-income individuals and families, although eligibility can vary based on income, residency, and tax filings.
