Dunleavy, who plans to grow government with ag department, claims it shrinks government

In a press release praising himself for trying to create a new Department of Agriculture, which Dunleavy lies will shrink government, Dunleavy makes no mention of the imaginary Office of Food Security he announced to the world as a campaign gimmick in 2022.

“For those concerned about costs, we are simply converting the division into a department,” the Dunleavy press release says. It “removes a layer of government,” he claims.

Creating an ag department is not a bad idea, but it will cost money. There is no reason to do it if “we are simply converting the division into a department.”

I will remind readers that Dunleavy announced the Office of Food Security in 2022 with a three-minute YouTube video that was indistinguishable from a campaign ad, paid for and distributed by the State of Alaska.

Now we have Dunleavy arguing for the new department with claims as weak as the grocery store video he posted of himself picking up packages of farmed steelhead, Atlantic Salmon, catfish and other fish—triying to argue that farmed trout should be raised in Alaska. That will only work with his employees.

“For those of you who don’t eat farmed fish, guess what?” Dunleavy spokesman Todd Smoldon posted on X about the Dunleavy farmed-fish plan. “The multi billion dollar market exists without you.”

Regarding the proposed ag department, veteran reporter Tim Bradner wrote about the pushback: “Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anch., said it’s tough to stand up a new department with a $2.7 million cost at a time when the state faces $500 million deficit. Sen. Matt Claman, D-Anch, said all of a new department’s functions can be done now by the agriculture division.”

A real Department of Agriculture, not an empty shell, will add a lot more than $2.7 million to the budget. One of the two task forces that outlined the enormous agricultural challenges in Alaska said the added cost would be $20 million or more.

Wielechowski was being charitable when he called it a $500 million deficit. Dunleavy, the AWOL governor, is proposing a $1.5 billion deficit.

The Legislature has resolutions pending to oppose the creation of the new department. Unless a majority of legislators vote to stop it, the new department will be created July 1. The resolutions are SSCR 1 and HSCR 1.

“What we need is a Department of Agriculture that will support our hard-working farmers with a coherent strategy involving marketing, cooperatives, research, and all the well-known tools utilized in other states that we need to take our industry from where it is to where we need to go,” Dunleavy’s press release claims.

A coherent strategy is nowhere to be found.

The Alaska Food Security Task force, easily confused with the Alaska Food Strategy Task Force, finished its work two years ago. Here is the final report of the security task force.

Many of the recommendations are good ones. They will never be accomplished without leadership and prolonged effort. The easy thing is to proclaim that a new department exists and it won’t cost anything.

“Although we are only one of two states without a Department of Agriculture, Alaska is an agriculture state. Look at the bottom of our state seal and you’ll see a farmer,” Dunleavy claimed.

A 1910 image of a farmer riding behind a horse is the worst argument ever concocted for growing the size of state government.

Alaska doesn’t need a new department to create an image that agriculture is a priority.

It can do that with the existing system by beefing up the agriculture division, which is something that Dunleavy has long refused to do.

Your contributions help support independent analysis and political commentary by Alaska reporter and author Dermot Cole. Thank you for reading and for your support. Either click here to use PayPal or send checks to: Dermot Cole, Box 10673, Fairbanks, AK 99710-0673