FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 10/31/2014

ANCHORAGE — With a week to go before the election Dan Sullivan is putting his opposition to federal earmarks front and center, a position that cedes billions of dollars of funding appropriation powers to President Obama - and that differs starkly with that of Senators Mark Begich, Lisa Murkowski and Representative Don Young.

Sullivan’s position contradicts his claims in last night’s debate to support the Denali Commission, a program established through and funded by earmarks for many years. Begich has worked to make funding for the program sustainable after Sullivan allies banned earmarks limiting avenues of federal funding for Alaska.

“Dan Sullivan continues to shock and confuse Alaskans with his firmly anti-Alaska positions like opposing earmarks. Alaska deserves all possible means of delivering federal funds to invest in Alaska’s roads, communities, infrastructure and schools. Sullivan made clear in this week’s debates that he’s running to represent Outside interests and himself, not Alaskans or Alaska’s communities,” said Max Croes, Communications Director for Alaskans for Begich.

Sullivan provided no ideas about how he would garner federal funding for Alaska while opposing earmarks and siding with government shutdown king Ted Cruz.

Earmarks represent a reasonable piece of federal dollars as pointed out by the Alaska Dispatch News: “Even at their peak, though, earmarks amounted to $29 billion annually, while the national debt is currently close to $18 trillion.”