Following the devastating October flooding in Kipnuk caused by Typhoon Halong, new reporting today revealed that Dan Sullivan raised no objections to DOGE cutting a $20 million EPA grant that would have stabilized a riverbank in Kipnuk. 

“Dan Sullivan continues to put Alaska last, and his failed leadership is having devastating effects on our communities,” said Alaska Democratic Party Chair Eric Croft. “For too long, Alaska’s rural communities have been pushed aside by big-money special interests and the Washington elite, and our junior Senator has refused to stand up for us. Communities like Kipnuk deserve leaders who will put Alaska first, not spineless cowards like Dan Sullivan.”

The Kipnuk project was recommended by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and would have curbed erosion linked to thawing permafrost and increased coastal flood events. The tragic floods in the community last year killed one Alaskan, displaced more than one thousand residents, and swept away dozens of homes. It is estimated that Typhoon Halong did $125 million in damage to western Alaska. 

Sullivan, who sits on the Senate DOGE caucus, has backed the cuts and is on the record calling DOGE, “One of the most brilliant things I’ve seen.”

Contrasting Sullivan’s praise, in a speech responding to the cuts, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski said, “I am outright mad that some have suggested that it is a waste of taxpayer dollars to protect Alaskan communities. We are Americans. Every single person that has been impacted is an American that deserves to be treated with that level of respect.”

As a result of Sullivan’s failure to stand up to the administration, Alaska is projected to have lost a total of $129 million in critical funding as of early October from DOGE cuts, with the second most lost of any state on a per capita basis. Sullivan’s failure to fight for Alaska follows a troubling pattern of gutting federal emergency management programs, including his 2022 vote against the development of an Alaska earthquake alert system.