Charles Akłinik Lampe is an Inupiaq whaler, born and raised in Kaktovik on the North Slope. In June, his whaling crew hosted a feast to celebrate their successful bowhead whale harvest and share it with the village.
"It goes to our entire community," Lampe said. "Bounties that we catch, not only during whaling season but any hunting season, we don't keep for ourselves. We share with the community members that need it."
Lampe, who is also president of the Kaktovik Iñupiat Corp., is among the leaders on Alaska's North Slope who are applauding the Republican megabill that President Trump signed into law on July 4. The bill, often known as Big Beautiful Bill, has been criticized for extending tax breaks for wealthier Americans and slashing social safety net programs like Medicaid and food stamps.
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski was a deciding vote in the bill's passage. She told reporters that the bill doesn't benefit everyone, but she defended her vote by pointing to delayed work requirements for food stamp recipients in Alaska and federal funding to offset Medicaid cuts.
The final bill also includes another carve-out for Alaska. Subsistence whaling captains will see their tax deduction for hunting-related expenses increase from $10,000 to $50,000.
Lampe said those deductions will provide big economic relief for 11 whaling communities in Alaska. He said captains like him need to buy fuel, food, whaling bombs and safety gear for their crews. And Lampe said those expenses can snowball if they need to fix a boat, or if the season extends from weeks to several months.
"It costs a lot to be able to go out and hunt for our traditional foods," he said. "Having that tax break frees up money to provide help for the rest of the year for not only the whaling captains, but to our family members and stuff, too, because we help wherever we can."
Lampe also said he's encouraged by the nearly $25 billion in the bill for the Coast Guard – a federal agency that often assists with search and rescue operations.
Some North Slope captains, reached by phone and text, did not want to comment on the bill because they weren't aware of the new tax breaks or weren't sure how beneficial they might be. But others echoed Lampe, saying that the change could help captains and communities that struggle with the cost of produce in the region and rely on traditional subsistence foods.
"Whaling is more than just tradition, it is a food sovereignty issue," said Utqiagvik City Mayor Asisaun Toovak, who is also a member of a whaling crew.
Whalers share their harvests with their communities during summer festivals, as well as at Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts. In between, crews need to process and store meat.
"Whaling is a year-long process," said Justina Wilhelm, the president of Iḷisaġvik College and a whaling captain's wife in Utqiagvik. "Feeding the community requires a large financial commitment, and as a captain and wife we have to sacrifice other areas to support our whaling needs. We look forward to see how this will offset our expenses."
The megabill also includes new oil lease sales in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Nathan Gordon Jr. is the mayor of Kaktovik, which is the only community inside the refuge. He said those provisions acknowledge a need for what he called responsible resource development to support the local economy and infrastructure. Taxes on development on the North Slope brings revenue to communities.
"Most of the tax money is going to go is to the new school in Kaktovik, which is amazing, and infrastructure – the buildings, equipment that keeps the roads running, the sewer treatment," he said.
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