By SUZANNE DOWNING
July 16, 2026 – Gov. Mike Dunleavy dropped his usually measured tone Thursday evening after the Legislature failed to pass HB 381, the Alaska LNG tax bill, accusing key Senate Majority leaders of holding Alaska’s long-awaited natural gas project hostage in an effort to force through a separate S corporation tax proposal. And he got a little spicy.
During an hour-and-20-minute press conference, Dunleavy reviewed the events that led to the bill’s collapse and reiterated that he supports the core provisions of HB 381.
He said the legislation sent over by the House was workable until Senate negotiators added an S corporation tax provision that had not received adequate public review or analysis.
Throughout the formal press conference, Dunleavy repeatedly emphasized one message: If lawmakers want to debate an S corporation tax, they should introduce and pass it as a standalone bill rather than attaching it to legislation intended to advance the Alaska LNG project.
The fireworks came after the official livestream had ended.
As reporters continued asking questions while Dunleavy headed toward the exit, one reporter relayed comments that Sen. Bill Wielechowski was posting in real time on Facebook criticizing the governor’s position. That prompted one of Dunleavy’s sharpest public exchanges since taking office.
Responding to suggestions that his opposition to the combined bill was intended to benefit wealthy Texas investors, Dunleavy flatly rejected the accusation.
“That’s bullshit,” the governor said. “You can quote me. That’s bullshit.”
He then singled out Wielechowski by name.
“He’s a bullshitter,” Dunleavy said. “He is one of a handful in the Senate and the Democrats that are going to try and kill this gas line for the very people they purport to represent — poor people, single moms with kids whose bills are going through the roof.”
Dunleavy questioned why lawmakers insisted on keeping the S corporation tax attached to the gasline legislation.
“Why is he insisting on an S corp in this bill?” the governor asked. “Ask him.”
The governor also named Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel, arguing that Senate leaders were risking Alaska’s investment climate over an untested tax proposal.
“It’s Wielechowski… and it’s Giessel… They’re obsessed with this S corp because they’ve got something up… on this whole billionaire-millionaire thing, and they don’t care if it craters the investment world here in Alaska, and they don’t care about turning the lights on for people.”
Dunleavy repeated what has become his central argument throughout the special session: separate the two issues.
He noted that lawmakers have had an S corporation tax proposal available as separate legislation for years and questioned why it suddenly had to be attached to HB 381.
“The only way they’re going to get their S corp, which is confusing, is to hold the people of Alaska hostage over gas,” he said. “That’s pretty shameful.”
Earlier in the evening, Dunleavy had maintained a more measured tone while explaining that he would have signed a version of HB 381 that focused solely on restructuring taxes during construction of the Alaska LNG project. He again argued that the House had passed such a bill before the Senate added the corporate tax language.
The governor has consistently maintained that the proposed S corporation tax has not been sufficiently vetted, modeled, or analyzed and could have unintended consequences for investment in Alaska.
HB 381 failed Thursday on a 19-19 vote in the House after emerging from the conference committee with the disputed S corporation tax language still included. Because the measure failed to receive a majority vote, it is dead.
Dunleavy has already called lawmakers back into a special session beginning July 27, where he is expected to again press legislators to pass a clean version of the gasline tax legislation while leaving any debate over an S corporation tax for separate legislation.
While Dunleavy has occasionally expressed frustration with legislative gridlock during his years as governor, his unscripted remarks Thursday, including repeatedly calling Wielechowski’s claims “bullshit” and referring to the senator as a “bullshitter,” were among the most spicy public comments he has made since taking office.
7 thoughts on “Dunleavy unloads on Senate leaders after HB 381 fails: ‘That’s bullshit’”
Think about this the current Senate and House majority members Never had a problem when Governor Walker nearly Gave away 75% of Alaska’s gas to China.
They all were around during the Walker Administration. Think about that. These guys are bought by China. Glenfarne is an American company with sole ownership and Americas
will largely benefit and not China.
Wielechowsi, Giessel, and their Senate and House clique groupie are more than just leaders/managers who BS. they are Traitors to America and her continuance and sovereignty.
For Governor Dunleavy stopping short cslling Senator Wielechowski a bullshitter was still showing Governor Dunleavy was too gentlemen to call out the members of the Senate majority and its sidekick the majority of the House Traitors.
The fight isn’t so much about giving huge tax breaks to a company. It’s bigger than Alaska.. It’s all about America and global control.
If Alaskans weren’t so troubled, discouraged, arrogant, proud, and Illiterate They’d vote out Every single Majority Senate and majority House member up for re-election in November.
Unfortunately for us the pain of their democracy inflicted on us Alaskans specifically isn’t severe enough to get rid of them all or Alaskans are so broken they don’t care like a hobo sleeping uncovered under the pouring rain in a mud hole only to leave to rummage through a trash can for leftover food.
Simply…….these louses don’t want Dunleavy getting the credit for construction of a gas pipeline. That’s why they killed it. And, they know Dunleavy is a Trump guy, and that Dunleavy will run against, and most likely beat, Lisa Murkowski in two years. Pure envy.
He could had left out the remark of poor working class employees and employed single moms earning less than 40,000 a year to benefit from more America energy developments. . Because saving this point for a later time would make a better campaign tactic using interviews, photographs. Quotes by real Americans (Brown and white) and Alaskans who are of the working poor and who are struggling single moms ignored by society.
Democrat groups (and DNC and state Democrat party groups) they create spectacular Gaza and SPCA campaign videos to pull at Americans hearts to donate for Gaza and unwanted pets.
The GOP and Republican groups need to learn cinematography to create the same sad videos that will draw up sympathy to show who (the poor working class and employed single mothers) will feel the hurt the most by not developing America’s energy sources.
The Democrats can use the same idea. However the liars will spin it into that not excessively taxing a companies investing in projects worth billions would hurt the sane poor working class and struggling single mothers making less than 40,000.
It just depends on which party group gets and understand the idea and who uses it best and who makes the better campaign videos to changing Americans hearts and perception about American Energy
There are Too many Single moms in Alaska’s urban centers who are employed in the hotels (as Housekeepers, Laundry, and Front Desk employees, as well as in Restaurants, gas stations, Grocers, liquor and smoke stores. And a being built AK LNG pipeline would guarantee these singles moms and working poor in those businesses the hours they need year around beyond Tourism season. Because in the wintertime hours in some of those businesses and occupations are cut even jobs eliminated until next summer.