Sullivan Introduces Legislation to Expand Available Lands for Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veteran Allotments

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA —Last week, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) introduced the Alaska Native Vietnam Veterans Land Allotment Fulfillment Act of 2026. This legislation builds on Sen. Sullivan’s longstanding efforts to fulfill the federal government’s commitment to Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans by making additional federal lands available for allotment selection. The bill would immediately open approximately 3.7 million acres of National Wildlife Refuge System lands that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identified as suitable in 2020 and require the Forest Service to identify additional suitable lands within Alaska’s national forests and make them available for selection. This legislation would make previously unavailable federally managed lands in Southeast Alaska available to eligible Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans and their heirs. “While serving their country during the Vietnam War era, many Alaska Native veterans missed the deadline to apply for their legally entitled land allotment—an injustice that we are still working to fix nearly 70 years later,” said Sen. Sullivan. “I’ve been working on this issue since I came into office. Last year, my colleagues and I came together to pass a five-year extension of the application period for the program granting Alaska Native Vietnam veterans the opportunity to apply for their congressionally mandated land allotments that many missed due to their service to our country overseas. Last week, I introduced legislation to address another important concern of our incredible veterans and their heirs: making available millions of acres of land for selection in the regions in which these great Alaskans actually live, especially throughout Southeast Alaska, where eligible veterans and their heirs have historically lacked access. We’re going to continue working to ensure these heroes get the land allotments they so rightfully deserve.” BACKGROUND Below is a timeline of Senator Sullivan and the Alaska congressional delegation’s work on the Alaska Native veteran land allotment issue. In 1906, Congress passed a law allowing Alaska Native individuals to acquire 160-acre parcels of land. In 1971, at a time when many Alaska Native men were serving in the military during the Vietnam War, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) extinguished the 1906 allotment rights. In 1998, the Alaska congressional delegation secured legislation to partially fix the injustice of Alaska Native veterans who missed the chance to apply for an allotment. However, due to certain restrictions, only about 500 veterans ultimately applied out more than 3,000 who were eligible. On February 12, 2019, the Senate passed Sen. Murkowski’s S.47, the National Resources Management Act , including a Sullivan provision to establish the Alaska Native Vietnam Veteran Land Allotment Program. The late Congressman Don Young (R-Alaska) shepherded the legislation through the House. On March 12, 2019, President Donald Trump signed S.47, and the Trump administration began working on its implementation. In January 2021, then-Interior Secretary David Bernhardt signed the revocation of 11 outdated public land orders (PLOs) issued in 1972 and 1973 that were put in place to allow Alaska Native Corporations to select lands promised to them by Congress 50 years ago. This important step allowed for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to revoke the PLOs. In 2021, Sen. Sullivan met twice with Congresswoman Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) prior to her confirmation vote to be the next Secretary of the Interior. In both meetings, she committed to rapidly implement the Alaska Native Vietnam Veteran Land Allotment Program. She subsequently refused to follow through on this commitment. In February 2021, members of the Alaska congressional delegation condemned the Biden administration Department of the Interior’s (DOI) action to postpone the revocation of PLOs signed by former Interior Secretary Bernhardt . In April 2021, in a unilateral and unnecessary action, the BLM postponed the PLO revocations, requiring further environmental analysis on five PLOs with a two-year stay on the implementation of the PLO revocations. On May 7, 2021, Sen. Sullivan and Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-Alaska) penned an op-ed in the Juneau Empire outlining the State of Alaska’s legislative effort to make state lands available to eligible Alaska Native veterans. In June 2021, Sens. Sullivan and Murkowski introduced legislation to amend the Alaska Native Vietnam Veteran Land Allotment Program and make an additional 3.7 million acres of federal land in the National Wildlife Refuge System available for selection. On April 18, 2022, Sens. Sullivan and Murkowski sent a letter to Secretary Haaland urging her to lift the PLOs that would make over 28 million acres of federal land available for selection by eligible veterans or their heirs. On April 21, 2022, Sen. Sullivan disputed Secretary Haaland’s claim that she is “[moving] expeditiously to deliver on [her] promise” to Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans as she accepted a “Finding of No Significant Impact” (FONSI) from the acting Alaska BLM director on the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Alaska Native Vietnam Veteran Land Allotment Program. In February 2023, Sens. Sullivan and Murkowski reintroduced S.175 , legislation to codify the revocation of the five PLOs signed during the Trump administration and to undo the Biden administration’s efforts to unfairly halt access to federal public lands in Alaska. In April 2023, Sen. Sullivan condemned Secretary Haaland’s decision to order a new full environmental impact statement (EIS), which delayed the implementation of the allotment program even further. On August 10, 2023, Sen. Sullivan criticized Secretary Haaland’s announcement of a PLO to open about 812,000 additional acres of public lands managed by BLM Alaska for selection, noting that the “new” land has already been spoken for by the State of Alaska, and the decision will result in more delays and legal hurdles for eligible veterans. In February 2024, Sens. Sullivan and Murkowski introduced S.3790 , which would extend the program’s application period for another five years before its expiration in December of 2025. The bill passed the Senate by unanimous consent on the final day of the 118 th Congress, but did not clear the House of Representatives. On July 3, 2024, Sens. Sullivan and Murkowski criticized the BLM after it released a final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) recommending the revocation of five PLOs signed in January 2021, an action that restricted the transfer of certain selected lands to Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans. In March 2025, Sens. Sullivan and Murkowski reintroduced legislation to extend the application period for the Alaska Native Vietnam Veteran Land Allotment Program for five additional years. On July 14, 2025, the House passed Congressman Begich’s version of the extension legislation. On October 8, 2025, Sen. Sullivan attempted to pass the extension legislation on the Senate floor, but it was blocked by Senate Democrats. On November 19, 2025, Sen. Sullivan attempted to pass the extension legislation on the Senate floor, but it was blocked by Senate Democrats. In December 2025, Sens. Sullivan and Murkowski and Congressman Begich celebrated the passage and signing of their legislation granting a five-year extension for the Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veterans Land Allotment Program. # # #