When Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg embarked on a journey to the remote community of Haines, Alaska, last month, little did he know he was in for a wild Alaskan adventure that would test his mettle. Senator Lisa Murkowski, Alaska’s senior Republican senator, secretly hoped for a dose of bad travel karma to give Buttigieg a taste of the challenges her constituents regularly face.
Mother Nature had other plans. As bad weather thwarted Buttigieg’s plans for a quick plane ride from Juneau to Haines, he found himself on an unexpected odyssey—a five-hour ferry ride along Alaska’s rugged “marine highway.”
Amidst breathtaking landscapes, Senator Murkowski seized the opportunity to convey a critical message: Alaska is unlike any other state, and it demands unique attention and federal support.
Buttigieg wasn’t the only Cabinet member to heed this clarion call. Throughout August, nearly a dozen Cabinet and senior administration officials embarked on their Alaskan sojourns, leaving their suits behind in favor of polo shirts and rain jackets.
Alaska, with its majestic beauty, may be a world away from Washington D.C., but Senator Murkowski’s influence in the closely divided Senate has made her a sought-after collaborator for the Biden administration. Together with fellow Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, they’ve leveraged their clout to make sure Alaska’s distinctive challenges are not overlooked—challenges that include vast size, sparse population, and numerous communities without reliable internet or even roads.
On the horizon, a monumental event awaits. President Joe Biden will visit Alaska, marking the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, demonstrating the significance of Alaska in the broader political landscape.
Senator Murkowski, reflecting on her bipartisan approach, states, “People can be critical of me and say that I support too much of the Biden administration. I have to work with whoever is president, I have to work with whoever the Cabinet officials are. I just can’t hold my breath and say, ‘Let’s wait it out for four years,’ because then the people in Alaska suffer.”
In the early days of the Biden administration, Murkowski and Sullivan played pivotal roles as cross-aisle allies, supporting key appointments like Deb Haaland for Interior secretary and Alejandro Mayorkas for DHS secretary. Their willingness to cooperate with the administration has not gone unnoticed.
Their collaborative efforts have granted them considerable influence. The administration withdrew the nomination of Elizabeth Klein to be Interior’s deputy secretary in response to pushback from Murkowski. Additionally, the administration greenlit the significant Willow oil drilling project, a priority championed by Murkowski and the administration.
However, there are boundaries to Murkowski’s influence. A recent decision to cancel oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a move that irked both senators, underscored those limits.
Despite these challenges, Murkowski maintains her commitment to engaging with Cabinet members to address Alaska’s unique needs. The recent visits of top officials have served to highlight Alaska’s distinctive challenges, fostering a deeper understanding of the state’s remote nature and transportation struggles.
But it’s not just about the travel; it’s about gaining the ear of Cabinet members and advocating for policies and regulations that can make a real impact. Cabinet members like Buttigieg have shown a willingness to support Alaska’s Marine Highway System, a lifeline for the state’s residents.
As Buttigieg eloquently stated after his five-and-a-half-hour ferry voyage, “Wow, people need this in order to get to their medical appointments, in order to get their kids to school, in order to move their household goods when they’re in the military.”
For those who journeyed to Alaska, the experience offered invaluable insights. Attorney General Merrick Garland, whose visit to the village of Huslia was hampered by bad weather, gained firsthand knowledge of the challenges faced by law enforcement officials in remote communities.
A stream of officials, including Small Business Administration Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, HHS Assistant Secretary of Health Rachel Levine, National Park Service Director Charles Sams, and Indian Health Service Director Roselyn Tso, have ventured to Alaska. Their visits are a testament to the importance of Alaska’s role in shaping national policy.
Senator Murkowski, while downplaying the politics, embraces the opportunity to make her case and seeks to find common ground. Her open-mindedness and commitment to collaboration are the driving forces behind Alaska’s newfound prominence in the nation’s capital.
As she modestly puts it, “I’m sure it’s just my charming personality that attracts them all.”
