August 2025 Food Advocacy Update

Status of an Alaska Department of Agriculture – There is so much drama unfolding in this space! Let’s try to recap – Last winter, the Governor issued an Executive Order creating a Department of Ag which the Legislature voted down. Legislators then introduced bills to further discuss creating a Department, with conversations paused in between sessions (read more on our Bills to Watch page). This summer, the Governor issued a second Department of Ag EO, largely identical to the first one, for the Legislatures to take up during the Governor’s issued special session this month. Legislative leadership has said that the EO is unlawful, and that they won’t take it up. The Governor has said it is lawful, and if they don’t take it up there will be a new Department come January 1, 2026. By all counts this looks to be heading to the courts.    

Call for broad regulation reductions – Earlier this month, the Governor issued Administrative Order (AO) 360 calling for a reduction in the number of state regulations by 15% by December 31, 2026 and by 25% by December 31, 2027. This seems like an overly broad call which has the potential to have negative consequences similar to the DOGE efforts at the national level. We’re hopeful that the state will take a measured, thoughtful approach to the Governor’s order; however, the timeline is fast and there isn’t much transparency on how the agencies are planning to execute the work. Last week, the Department of Transportation & Public Facilities issued a Request for Information to provide feedback on regulations impacting the Alaska Marine Highway System – find out more, including how to submit comments, here. The RFI is open for less than a month, and closes on September 15.  ADOT&PF has issued similar RFIs for other sections of regulation, including: Aviation Regulations Reform, Permits, Public Facilities, and more.  

Governor is doubling down on fish farming – Last week the Governor shared support for not only fish farming, but for a farmed salmon industry in Alaska. This is a WILD proposal in Alaska, and not even the Governor’s own bill (introduced last session and laid to rest in House Fisheries) allowed salmon in the proposal to permit fish farming in the state. In this ADN article, the Governor suggests the response is “very emotional”. Alternatively, we would argue that there have been decades of thoughtful discussion, engagement, and clear-headed thinking that has all pointed Alaska firmly away from fish farming – especially salmon. While Alaskans and many in the Legislature have clearly pushed back against the Governor on this, it’s clear that he’s not giving up the idea. You can read our policy brief on the Governor’s proposal to the Legislature here. 

Implementation of H.R. 1 – SNAP Cuts, Cost Shifts, Eligibility Changes – We continue to wait to understand impacts and implementation of H.R. 1 in Alaska. The Food Bank of Alaska put together this overview of the timeline and changes to SNAP as a result of the reconciliation bill passing in July. The Division of Public Assistance website is not updated with any information, and the USDA Food and Nutrition Service has yet to release guidance to states on implementation. The massive gutting of SNAP through H.R. 1 will have budget implications for the FY27 state budget, significant impacts on Alaska’s vulnerable populations across the state, and likely also on our rural grocers and school children. Unfortunately, we’re in a wait-and-see mode as news stories of challenges at the state continue.