What does former U.S. Senator Mark Begich think of Gov. Walker’s budget, the job Ethan Berkowitz is doing as Mayor, and how progressives can combat the incoming Trump administration? Oh, and what will Begich be running for next? Check out all that and much more on this week’s installment of The Midnight Sun Podcast.
This afternoon Governor Walker’s office released a list of what they say are budget cuts and service closures in the Governor’s proposed FY 2018 Budget.
You can look at the list and judge it for yourself.
We will only point out that several of the items look like fee and rate increases rather that budget or service cuts.
Gillam sucks up to the GOP, Grenn scores big, the Gov looking for new staff. It’s Friday in the Sun!!!!!!
Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s opinion on President-elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Interior matters more than most. She is Chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which has oversight and confirmation authority over the department and many of their posts.
Governor Bill Walker’s fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018) budget reduces state spending while supporting vital services and protecting the permanent fund dividend. The proposed $4.2 billion unrestricted general fund (UGF) operating budget is 23 percent lower than when Governor Walker took office two years ago. To lead by example, Governor Walker will take a one-third pay cut.
A national coalition of caregivers and healthcare advocates called Alliance for Healthcare Security has begun running tv ad in Alaska in an effort to stop congress and President-elect Trump from repealing Obamacare.
It didn’t take long for Republican victories in the November elections to spur a fight over Obamacare. That fight has now made its way to the Last Frontier.
The main media attention focused on the censure and withdrawal of party support for three Republican legislators who have organized with Democrats in the State House. That may be the sexy headline for mass consumption, but we here at The Midnight Sun prefer to dig deeper into the political ramifications from such a gathering that may go largely undocumented by the mainstream media.
In the wake of re-election to a new six-year term in the U.S. Senate, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski this morning announced three staff changes affecting both her Washington D.C. and Anchorage offices.
In our December 11th episode, Casey Reynolds and Forrest Dunbar discuss the controversy over questionable information posted to Facebook by Assemblywoman Amy Demboski, the censure of three Republican legislators by the Alaska Republican Party, the effects our state’s now official recession will have on our politics, and Sen. Dan Sullivan’s lack of reaction to several senators promising to investigate Russian interference in American government and elections. In addition, new Alaska Republican Party Executive Director Josh Walton stops by to discuss his new role and several Republican Party issues.