A GOP senator’s state landed a “huge” settlement with the Department of Justice as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche hunts for confirmation votes, per Politico.
According to the reporting by Politico, the DOJ has settled with Alaska, leading to nine-figure payouts, as Blanche is “scrambling” to lock down the vote of Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) to secure his confirmation as Attorney General.
Blanche could lose the AG job if every Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee and at least one Republican vote against him. As he tries to shore up his support, Politico has noted several settlements that the DOJ has touted as “huge” wins for Alaska.
One of the settlements came on July 7 and involved the federal government’s unfinished work on an Alaska port. It led to a $180 million payout to Anchorage, according to Politico. Blanche personally announced the settlements during a two-day visit to the state, Politico added.
Before Blanche’s confirmation hearing last week, Murkowski told reporters that Blanche “was able to get out to one of our smaller, isolated… villages where there’s very limited public safety.”
Around the same time, the DOJ dropped Biden-era lawsuits related to Alaska’s energy production, according to Politico.
Last week, the DOJ awarded $6.1 million to Alaska tribal governments to fight crime, per Politico, prompting Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward to say, “The wins keep coming for the American people in Alaska,” according to Politico.
Earlier this week, the Trump administration signed a $400 million settlement with a health care group that runs programs for American Indians and Alaska natives.
Politico noted, “Murkowski is one of the few genuine swing votes in the Senate with a history of leveraging her vote across presidencies to win big-time policy concessions and victories for her constituents.”
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