ANCHORAGE, AK – Yesterday, Senior Advisor to President Biden and White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator, Mitch Landrieu, Interior Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau, and Senior White House and Department of the Interior officials met with the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) to discuss infrastructure development in Alaska.
The meeting was held in Anchorage on August 21, 2023, and was attended by leadership from AFN, The White House, the Department of the Interior, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski. AFN leadership discussed various infrastructure issues, including transportation, energy, water and sewer, and challenges facing Alaska’s infrastructure and the opportunities for improvement. More specifically, AFN leadership discussed potential funding sources for infrastructure projects in President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Mr. Landrieu is responsible for coordinating the implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which has $5.2 billion in announced funding being delivered to Alaska across 934 infrastructure projects.
The visit was a part of Mr. Landrieu’s ongoing efforts to engage with local communities and understand their unique needs. Mr. Landrieu and Deputy Secretary Beaudreau expressed their commitment to working closely with AFN and other Alaska organizations to address the challenges faced by Alaska Natives and to promote greater prosperity in the state. The meeting was productive and provided a valuable opportunity for Mr. Landrieu to hear directly from members of the Alaska Native community.
“We thank U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski for her tireless work on behalf of Alaskans, and Mitch Landrieu, White House Senior Advisor to President Biden and White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator, and Interior Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau and their teams for visiting Alaska. They witnessed the need for critical communications, transportation, energy, housing, and healthcare infrastructure,” said Julie Kitka, AFN President. “We hope the sense of urgency we discussed at AFN’s Alaska Day in March continues. Dealing with climate change implications and threat multipliers in the future will require taking one step at a time. Natural security, energy security, and food security have come together.”
AFN expresses its sincerest gratitude to Senior Advisor Landrieu and Deputy Secretary Tommy Beaudreau for taking the time to visit Alaska and appreciates their dedication to understanding the unique challenges facing Alaska communities and their commitment to finding solutions that increase access to resources and opportunities. Their visit was a valuable opportunity for us to collaborate, and AFN looks forward to continuing this partnership in the future.
In attendance at yesterday’s meeting were: Mitch Landrieu, White House Senior Advisor to President Biden and White House Infrastructure Coordinator; Ryan F. Berni, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor for Infrastructure Implementation; Maya N. Humes, Senior Communications Advisor; Tommy Beaudreau, Department of the Interior (DOI) Deputy Secretary; Mackenzie Landa, DOI Advisor to the Deputy Secretary; Raina Thiele, DOI Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Alaska Affairs and Strategic Priorities; Katherine Pustay Currie, DOI Deputy Infrastructure Coordinator; Sally Tucker, Senior Advisor, DOI Infrastructure Communications; Julie Kitka, President, AFN; Ana Hoffman, Co-Chair AFN; Joe Nelson, Co-Chair AFN; Ben Mallott, Vice President of External Affairs, AFN; Nicole Borromeo, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, AFN; Nikki Stoops, Special Assistant to the President, AFN; Michelle Anderson, President, Ahtna, Inc., and AFN Board Member; Vivian Korthuis, President, AVCP and AFN Board Member; Nathan McCowan, CEO, St. George Tanaq Corporation and AFN Board Member; Sheri Buretta, President, Chugach Regional Corporation and AFN Board Member; Andy Stemp, Chief Financial Officer, Arctic Slope Native Association; and Tom Panamaroff, Koniag and AFN Board Member; Pat Pitney, President, University of Alaska; Garrett Boyle, Federal Co-Chair, Denali Commission; Daniel M. White, Chancellor, University of Alaska Fairbanks; and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski.
