People mill about on the sea walk in downtown Juneau in 2023 as buses stand ready to take tourists to activities around town. Cruie ships dock nearby. (Associated Press)

President Trump is trying to kill the Alaska economy, and our congressional delegation is letting him do it.

Let’s put into practical perspective what Trump and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency have been doing and how it impacts various sectors of our economy. Tourism is the largest private-sector employer by industry in Alaska. It is responsible for 48,000 jobs in the state (13% of the workforce) and $5.6 billion of economic impact for Alaska. Our national parks contribute $2.3 billion in economic activity here.

Yet, tourism is one of the sectors that Trump is targeting through massive federal employment layoffs. A total of 1,378 “probationary” Alaskan federal employees (many are longtime federal employees who just got promoted) are slated for termination. That’s a loss of $97 million in income for Alaskans. A significant number work to protect and serve our public lands. This means that trails and facilities will not be maintained, bathrooms and visitor centers closed, and fewer park rangers to assist visitors. The lack of wildfire crews for our public lands could be disastrous. This could discourage visitors from coming to Alaska. Trump’s trade war with our largest trading partner, Canada, will further harm tourism. Canadians lead in foreign visitation to Alaska, comprising 40% of the total. Yet now they are canceling travel plans to the United States in significant numbers.

Natural resources extractive industries, like oil and gas, are also adversely affected. Trump’s executive order “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential” is unlikely to accomplish much. The order calls for agencies to cancel regulations or grant exemptions to them, without a public process required by law. It directs the development of a liquefied natural gas pipeline, while Trump simultaneously engages in trade wars with countries that produce the steel we need for such projects. The order rescinds environmental reviews required by law to be conducted. Projects that proceed under this order will likely be held up in court. Trump justifies circumventing the law by declaring a so-called national energy emergency, despite the fact that the United States became the world’s leading oil producer under the Biden Administration.

Trump’s attempts to circumvent environmental laws are not the only way that resource development will be hurt. Understaffed agencies will cause long delays in the processing of permit applications, in providing data necessary for exploration, or in providing support to ongoing operations. Many Alaskan businesses need a variety of data that they simply will not get from the federal government. For example, the massive cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will likely harm the ability of the National Weather Service to engage in weather forecasting. Can you think of any businesses in Alaska that need accurate weather forecasting? Our state’s heavy dependence upon aircraft to carry passengers and cargo comes to mind.

Trump’s attacks have also targeted renewable energy production, again under the claims that we are in an “energy emergency.” This belies the fact that the United States has developed solar and wind power to record levels to such a degree that it is providing much-needed stability to the energy grid as well as lower prices for rural communities. Hundreds of millions of dollars in renewable energy projects are now on hold due to the Trump Administration’s actions.

And where has our congressional delegation been under this “shock and awe” campaign from the Trump Administration? Rep. Nick Begich has shown to be a complete lickspittle to Trump, supporting federal cutbacks including the mass firings, cuts to grants, and gutting of our agencies. Despite being a member of the Congressional DOGE Caucus, he recently told constituents that he was not aware of DOGE’s activities and that he was “powerless” to stop budget cuts (it is Congress, not the President, who sets the budget). In a speech before the Alaska Legislature, Begich claimed Alaska is “too dependent” upon the federal government. This directly opposes the actions of Alaska’s great Sen. “Uncle” Ted Stevens who was an unabashed promoter of using federal funds to build Alaska’s infrastructure. Sen. Dan Sullivan has been an unabashed Trump cheerleader, exclaiming “It’s morning again in Alaska” on Trump’s executive order that turns Alaska into a “colony to be pillaged” according to Alaska state Sen. Cathy Giessel.

While Sen. Lisa Murkowski has voted to confirm several of Trump’s egregiously unqualified cabinet nominees, she has become increasingly critical of several of Trump’s actions, and has recently come to openly criticize him. Sen. Murkowski has openly stated that Trump’s actions are illegal — an assertion that typically warrants congressional hearings. But where is that call for congressional hearings and investigations? Where is any sort of tangible effort that would curb the administration’s illegal actions that are causing drastic harm to our economy and our residents? Expressing “concern” or clutching pearls will not get results. We need Sen. Murkowski to put actions to her words.

And while the courts slowly respond to undo Trump’s illegal actions that harm our economy, we cannot count on the courts to reverse the damage, especially with this U.S. Supreme Court as the final arbiter. It is on our members of Congress to take action to protect our interests. Our congressional delegation should meet with actual Alaskans (i.e., hold actual in-person town halls where everyone is welcome to provide input instead of virtual or private events that limit participation), listen to what their constituents have to say and start to take action that matters. We Alaskans demand it.

Carl Johnson is a longtime Anchorage resident and small business owner in the tourism and publishing industries.

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