Dear Fellow Democrat:

With an international recession, two wars and a growing national debt, the past year has been one of the busiest in congressional history. I was honored to serve Alaskans in my first year in the U.S. Senate.

My focus has been on delivering what I promised in three specific areas: jobs and keeping Alaska’s economy healthy; ensuring that our military and national security providers have all they need to keep us safe; and protecting Alaskans’ freedoms and interests.

At this time last year, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression was taking its toll on Americans: millions of jobs lost, bankruptcies up, housing starts down. Alaskans were sheltered from the worse of it but were not immune, suffering the highest level of joblessness in a decade.

That’s why I supported the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which is creating and protecting about 8,000 Alaskan jobs and delivering some $1.5 billion in benefits to our state, the biggest single federal appropriation in recent memory.

I’ve used every opportunity in my meetings with President Obama and his top officials to push for Alaska development. That’s paying dividends already.

I’m honored to serve as the first Alaskan on the Senate Armed Services Committee since the Vietnam War and used my position to fight for America’s troops, including nearly 30,000 active duty Alaskans.

When it comes to protecting our freedoms and interests, I haven’t been bashful to stand up for Alaskans. I am proud to be the only Democrat to co-sponsor legislation allowing carrying concealed firearms across state lines and fought to protect the right to carry guns in national parks.

From fair pay for women to health care reform, I worked to insure that Alaska’s unique needs are addressed.

Thank you for your continuing support and please visit my website at: begich.senate.gov for additional information about my office.

Sincerely,

Mark Begich
United States Senator