ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The U.S. Coast Guard is considering homeporting up to four additional icebreakers in Alaska as part of a major expansion of its Arctic presence, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday told lawmakers during a U.S. Senate hearing Thursday.

Lunday made the comments while testifying before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries, chaired by Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, who has pushed for increased federal investment in Arctic security and maritime infrastructure.

“One of the first ones that I want them to present, among a range of options for consideration [and] decision, [to] me in consultation with Secretary Noem is for homeporting up to four icebreakers in Alaska,” Lunday said, adding that the Coast Guard is developing options for consideration as part of its long-term planning.

The potential expansion would draw from a fleet of 11 Arctic Security Cutters announced under the U.S.-Finland Icebreaker Agreement and the ICE Pact, and international framework aimed at strengthening icebreaking capacity among allied nations.

Funding for at least three Arctic Security Cutters, along with the infrastructure to support them, was approved through the Working Families Tax Cut Act, a sweeping budget reconciliation measure that includes roughly $25 billion for Coast Guard modernization, the largest investment in the service’s history.

The funding package also includes money for the new cutters, aircraft and helicopters, as well as billions of dollars to repair and replace aging shore facilities nationwide.

Sullivan said the investments are critical as the Coast Guard faces growing demands across multiple regions while operating an aging fleet.

“The Coast Guard is being asked to do more across every theater,” Sullivan said, pointing to counter-drug operations enforcement against sanctioned vessels, Indo-Pacific missions, search-and-rescue operations, and efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

The Coast Guard currently operates a limited number of icebreakers, one of which has experienced prolonged mechanical issues. Sullivan cited a growing capability gap with other Arctic nations, including Russia, which operates dozens of ice-capable vessels.

In addition to potential new icebreakers, Alaska is set to receive a range of Coast Guard assets and infrastructure upgrades, including funding for cutters, helicopters, aircraft, housing and shore facilities. A new Coast Guard pier in Juneau is already under development to support expanded Arctic and Pacific operations, and the polar icebreaker Storis is expected to homeport there.

Lunday voiced support for expanding Alaska’s shipbuilding and maintenance capabilities, particularly in Southeast and Southcentral Alaska, saying partnerships with private industry could improve efficiency and readiness.

The Coast Guard’s expanded presence is intended to strengthen maritime safety, national security, maritime safety and environmental response capabilities across Alaska’s vast coastline, according to Sullivan.

No final decision has been made of the homeporting of additional icebreakers, but Lunday said Alaska is under active consideration as the Coast Guard evaluated its future Arctic posture and presence.

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PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Republican state Sen. Carine Werner from Scottsdale introduced a new bill Thursday to fix the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), our state’s Medicaid system, that’s been plagued by fraud.

“The system is so broken that there’s no going back. I believe that AHCCCS has failed,” said Werner.

Arizona’s Family has extensively covered the sober living home scandal, which led to preventable deaths and one of the biggest fraud cases in Arizona history.

Werner says AHCCCS cannot go on like this, and at this point, a major overhaul is the only way to solve the deep-rooted systemic issues.

If Senate Bill 1611 were to become law, it would allow AHCCCS to retain oversight authority, but all administrative and care coordination would be managed by another outside entity.

Thursday marked the fourth Senate oversight hearing meant to hold AHCCCS accountable after billions of dollars of fraud and fake sober living homes scamming the system were uncovered over the past few years.

Werner says she is still concerned about a lack of data, inaccurate reporting, prolonged payment delays to Indian health care providers, and unresolved complaints related to patient care.

“As a result of the fraud, you know, all kinds of actions had to be taken in order to stop it and that’s important and we have to continue to take actions and use our tools and our processes to ensure that we are mitigating as much as possible fraud, waste, and abuse in the system,” said Virginia Rountree, director of AHCCCS, during the hearing.

“Despite public exposure, investigations, lawsuits, media coverage and legislative attention, the same harmful practices remain active. The system has not been fixed; it has only adapted,” said Reva Stewart, an advocate with the Turtle Island Women Warriors during the hearing. “We really do need change. We don’t need any more excuses.”

During the hearing, concerns about everyone having to suffer for the actions of bad actors were discussed.

A few senators and a lawyer for legitimate behavioral health facilities say some changes AHCCCS has made have punished operators doing the right thing.

They say that’s forced many providers to close their small businesses which creates gaps in care for vulnerable people.

It’s a complex problem involving a critical system that serves nearly 2 million people in our state.

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