Sullivan to Alaska Legislature: “The Alaska comeback is underway”

By SUZANNE DOWNING

Feb. 18, 2026 – US Sen. Dan Sullivan delivered his annual address to a joint session of the Alaska Legislature on Tuesday, casting the state at the start of what he called an “Alaska Comeback,”  a new era of opportunity driven by energy development, national defense investments, and major federal policy shifts.

Speaking in the House chamber in Juneau, Sullivan praised lawmakers for their service and highlighted Alaska’s history of resilience, from statehood to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. He argued the state is now rebounding after years of federal restrictions, pointing to what he described as more than 70 Biden-era executive actions that targeted Alaska’s economy, resource development, and job base.

Central to Sullivan’s message was a renewed push for oil and gas production. He said the recently passed Working Families Tax Cuts Act provides long-term certainty for development through mandated federal lease sales in ANWR, NPR-A, and Cook Inlet, and he touted projections that Alaska could approach one million barrels per day again by the mid-2030s.

Sullivan also emphasized progress on the Alaska LNG project, calling it the state’s “ultimate dream” and urging legislators to remain bold and unified in pursuing it. He pointed to growing federal interest, including efforts to link the gasline to emerging energy demands such as artificial intelligence data centers on Alaska military bases.

On national security, Sullivan described Alaska as undergoing the largest military buildup since World War II, citing expanded fighter squadrons, missile defense investments, and new infrastructure projects such as the deep-water port in Nome and funding to begin reopening the naval facility at Adak. He also highlighted what he called a historic Coast Guard expansion, including plans for new icebreakers and major homeporting investments in Juneau and other coastal communities.

Turning to public safety, Sullivan warned that Alaska continues to face the nation’s highest growth in fentanyl overdose deaths, noting the loss of roughly 400 Alaskans last year alone. He said border security measures and enforcement funding are key parts of the federal response, alongside education efforts like his “One Pill Can Kill” campaign.

The senator also underscored continued work to support Alaska’s fisheries, including efforts to combat illegal foreign seafood practices and reduce bycatch, while promoting Alaska seafood as “Freedom Fish.”

In one of the most significant portions of his speech, Sullivan highlighted a $1.4 billion federal Rural Health Transformation investment over five years, calling it the largest health care investment in Alaska history and a chance to reshape care delivery in the nation’s most rural and high-cost state.

Sullivan closed by framing the moment as comparable to the pipeline era of the 1970s, urging lawmakers and Alaskans to seize what he called a generational opportunity to expand resource development, strengthen defense, rebuild the Coast Guard, and improve health care, all with the goal of securing a brighter future for Alaska’s children and grandchildren.