Washington D.C. in winter is a peculiar thing. When asked what it’s like whenever I’m back home, my reply is always that it’s never cold, it just gets windy. Not the type of wind that cuts through you, but rather the type of brisk wind that slowly ebbs away your energy until all you want to do is curl up under a blanket and take a nap. Before coming to Washington, I thought Congress worked in much the same manner. At various points of my life, in town halls and in classrooms, waiting rooms and office areas, I heard various pithy comments bemoaning particular members of Congress and the institution itself. Gripes against politicians, policies, and popular reactions to each.
Even in Washington, where in 2018 I began my studies at American University, I heard sentiments from students and lecturers alike decrying the hostile way in which Congress received any nationwide call to action. Nonetheless, the popular narrative surrounding me before I was chosen by the First Alaskans Institute to be the spring 2020 Al Adams Young Political Leader Fellow in Sen. Sullivan’s D.C. office was not one supportive of Congress. Yet from my very first day in the office, I was welcomed into an environment full of energy and dynamism. Learning more about my position and the duties supported by those around me, I learned that while final products might be rare, the work going into those success stories represents the culmination of months and often years of work. Work assisted by constituents, experienced interest groups, informed research, and some of the most dedicated staff members I have ever known. I was able to see a prime example of this firsthand on one of my very first days in office through the passage of the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, which I was tasked with running to the floor. Told to run, and given little other direction, it was only later that I discovered the true weight of the papers I was carrying. As noted by Sen. Sullivan himself on the Senate floor, together with the original Save Our Seas Act passed into law in 2018, S. 1982 the Save Our Seas (SOS) 2.0 Act helps towards “improving America’s ability to respond to marine debris events and clean up waste, working toward international cooperation and agreements with nations responsible for the majority of trash entering the oceans, and exploring new, innovative ways to manage and even reuse plastic waste”[1]. Passing the Senate and heading to the House, the bill represents possibly the most holistic attempt by the United States Senate toward addressing an issue faced by far too many Alaskans. Protecting our coasts, waterways, oceans, and sea life is central to many of our ways of life, from commercial fishermen in Bristol Bay to the weekend hikers taking in the majesty of our Southeastern fjords. Looking back on the stressful sprint from the office to the floor, I can only count myself grateful for being able to take part in something so potentially monumental for all Americans whose ties keep them anchored to the coasts of our nation. [1] “Sullivan's Save Our Seas 2.0 Act Passes Senate Unanimously: U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska.” Press Release | Press Releases | Newsroom | U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska, 10 Jan. 2020, www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivans-save-our-seas-20-act-passes-senate-unanimously.
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Photo used under Creative Commons from Mike Juvrud