This National Radio Day, Alaska’s rural radio stations are facing massive budget shortfalls after Dan Sullivan tuned out the needs of rural Alaskans and voted to defund the local radio stations and emergency alert systems that Alaska relies on for life-saving storm warnings – just hours after tsunami warnings were broadcast on air.

“Radio stations in rural Alaska are an essential lifeline, and Dan Sullivan defunding them while paying for his billionaire donors’ tax handouts is as anti-Alaska as it gets,” said Alaska Democratic Party Chair Eric Croft. “Whether it’s alerting Alaskans of storms, wildfires, or other disasters – Sullivan’s vote to cut this lifeline has made Alaskans less safe in communities across the state.”

Dan Sullivan voted to eliminate more than $20 million in funding for Alaska’s 27 public radio and television stations, despite public radio stations warning it would cut critical station operations, including emergency broadcasts related to natural hazards like tsunamis.