Senators Launch Senate Opportunity Coalition

Press Release

Today U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) joined a group of conservative senators to launch the Senate Opportunity Coalition, a new initiative organized by Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), aimed at ensuring that every family across the nation has access to the American Dream. Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA), James Lankford (R-OK) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) are also members of the coalition. Together, the senators will work to alleviate poverty and grow economic opportunity by sharing firsthand experiences from their constituents, highlighting the issues facing low-income families, and working toward conservative solutions that give every American the chance to succeed.

The Senate Opportunity Coalition also released the first of a series of documents today, entitled "Paving the Path to a Brighter Future." Each Senator contributed a story from their home state, showing both the wide variety of issues faced by those seeking opportunity and the Senators' commitment to finding solutions. You can read the entire document here.

In his story, Senator Sullivan focused on how infrastructure could help Alaska communities have access to lower-cost goods, as well as opportunities for greater economic development. For instance, a roughly 22-mile spur road from Noatak to the haul road used by Red Dog Mine in Alaska's Northwest Arctic Borough could greatly reduce the cost of living in Noatak -- which is paying exorbitant prices for heating oil and household goods.

"In a state with abundant natural resources, it's tragic that there are areas in Alaska that have some of the highest costs of living in the nation, and highest rates of poverty," said Senator Sullivan. "It doesn't have to be this way. Projects that could provide good, high-paying jobs for Alaskans, and lower cost-goods, are often denied outright, or delayed to death by onerous and expensive permitting."

"In our coalition, all of us are from very different areas of the country, and our specific solutions vary. But we all agree that we need a federal government that is a partner in progress, not an obstacle to success," Senator Sullivan concluded.

Source