like several in this Chamber, I was asked for my input to the President on whom to nominate to the U.S. Supreme Court. After much reflection, I recommended to the Vice President that Judge Neil Gorsuch of Denver, CO, should fill the Scalia…

We have been talking early with this Administration to make sure they know that it is not only a priority of this delegation, but why it is a priority of so many Alaskans.

We were very close to moving that, but we did not get it across the finish line.

I have come to the floor this evening in celebration of an important milestone, but speaking about it actually presents a little bit of a challenge. In our current environment, how do you give a statement about a Secretary of State, a…

What they want, what everybody wants, is the big package. They want the big project.

The FAA is now changing that standard, enforcing a national standard for weather reporting and weather forecasting.

This lack of data had previously justified the local FAA to allow carriers to use a combination of inputs to satisfy the requirements.

There is no cure, there is no treatment for ALS, and it is a horrible, horrible disease for an individual to live with.

Unfortunately our military members have a higher incidence of ALS, a 60 percent higher rate, than the civilian population.

The FAA has not funded a new automated weather observing system location program in Alaska since the 1990s.

What we do know for a certainty is this is a deadly, horrifying disease, and we have to be doing more.

This will continue to be a priority of mine as well as other members here, but I appreciate the continuing efforts.

We appreciate your leadership and that role modeling that goes on.

Education only goes so far. You have to act on it and take that step to do the exercise.

We are making some good progress. I think that is important, particularly the progress with our young people.

One issue that I choose to raise here before this appropriations subcommittee every year is the peer reviewed medical research accounts.

In remote areas, when you have an inability to get good, healthy foods in a grocery store, your fruits and vegetables, they just do not exist

We have seen some encouraging signs in Alaska through the SDPI program as we deal with the diabetes epidemic today.

It just seems to me this ought to be an area where perhaps we should be looking at better resourcing.

It is not only the individual that has diabetes, it is the toll on the families as well as they care for their loved ones

Making sure we have access to the good, healthy traditional foods I think is so important.

Kids do not know what color a banana should really look like because by the time it gets to a village, it is really not fit for consumption.

I think we have recognized here in Congress that we are dealing with something that is epidemic in proportion

Thank you to all of our panelists. I think in so many different ways, you each are such significant role models for others.

Resolving it and restoring our mineral security is a priority for me and many members of this Committee.