Congressman Nick Begich III told the Alaska Legislature Thursday that the state has become too dependent on federal spending.
The comments, in his first address to state lawmakers, come as Alaskans reckon with the effects of President Trump’s broad efforts to cut government and consolidate his power. That has included mass firings of civil servants, freezes on key grant programs and efforts to bring independent agencies to heel.
Begich encouraged anyone affected by the cuts to reach out to his office. But in broad terms, he supported the cost-cutting initiatives of the Trump administration. Days after House Republicans released a budget plan that would add roughly $3 trillion to the federal deficit over a decade to finance tax cuts, Begich called the government’s current level of spending “unsustainable.”
"In the short term, we need to make sure that we have the federal support that we need," Begich said. "But I think this moment highlights the fact that Alaska has become too federally dependent, and we need to increase the diversity of that mix with the private sector."
With that, Begich delivered a very different message than the state’s congressional delegation has in prior legislative addresses. Instead of trumpeting the dollars he’s steered to Alaska, Begich had to explain why money previously set aside for Alaska projects by Congress isn’t flowing.
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At the same time, though, Begich offered support for sustaining and expanding aid and infrastructure programs for Alaskans.
He said he would support Essential Air Service and seek to speed the distribution of fisheries disaster relief funding. He backed development of Port MacKenzie in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough to offer an alternative to Anchorage’s Port of Alaska and a gas pipeline from the North Slope. He said Alaska should connect its rail lines to the North American rail system through Canada, and that the Alaska Marine Highway System should continue to receive federal highway funding. He endorsed Trump’s plans to build dozens of icebreakers to counter Russia and China in the Arctic.
Begich also said he supported adding work requirements to Medicaid, the federal and state insurance program supporting children and the poor. He said they would make the programs more sustainable.
"The taxpayers are working and paying the taxes," he said. "They expect people who receive welfare benefits, who are able to work, to do so."
Begich applauded the Trump administration’s work to remove restrictions on resource development. He said restrictions on things like drilling, mining and logging were one reason the state’s economy remains dependent on the federal government.
"When we became a state, part of the debate was, Can Alaska sustain itself without becoming essentially a federal colony?" he said. "Well, we know we can, but the federal government has stood in the way of our ability to do that."
Asked whether he supported continuing military aid to Ukraine as it fights a Russian invasion, Begich said "there has to be a limit on how much the U.S. taxpayer is asked to provide for global defense."
"I encourage all efforts to support and find a way through this conflict to a peaceful resolution," he said. "Do I believe that that peaceful resolution will be amenable to everyone? No, it's not going to be, but I do think that the people of Ukraine deserve an opportunity for peace."
