Nicholas Begich

Latest speeches

1. Legislative Hearing on: H.R. 7269 (Rep. Randall), "Helping Out People Act of 2026" and H.R. 8674 (Rep. Begich), "Geese House Site Conveyance Act" · U.S. House of Representatives · 17 September 2026

   • Ranking member: bipartisan agenda and bill impacts

     “The gentlewoman yields. At this time, the chair recognizes the gentleman from Alaska, Mr. Begich, for five minutes to speak on his legislation. Mr. Begich.”

     Watch from 18:39

   • Sponsor Begich: case for H.R. 8674 Geese House conveyance

     “Thank you, Mr. Chair. This body is uh requires team effort. And let me just say before I begin, nothing happens in the House in a vacuum. And I want to thank Chairman Hurd and the committee staff and the…”

     Watch from 18:46

   • Transition to witness testimony and introductions

     “Thank you, Mr. Chair. It is my privilege to introduce Ms. Sarah Obed, Senior Vice President of External Affairs for Doyon Limited and an Athabascan shareholder and tribal member from the village of Minto, Alaska. Doyon is the largest private…”

     Watch from 24:28
   3 more clips in this sitting

2. Unleashing the Golden Age of Science: Examining the Priorities of the FY2027 Research and Technology Enterprise · U.S. House of Representatives · 22 July 2026

   • Begich and colleagues: NASEM’s FACA exemption, strategic R&D focus, Genesis governance, and prizes

     “Thank you, Mr. Chair. Director, the Department of Energy's Climate Working Group was disbanded after lawsuits alleged it violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act, or FACA. Congress exempted the National Academies from FACA decades ago. In your view, should the…”

     Watch from 2:01:12

3. Legislative Hearing on the following bill: • H.R. 8003 (Rep. Deluzio), “Expanding the Fast Track Act of 2026.’’ • H.R. 9640 (Rep. Wittman), “Earth MRI Reauthorization Act of 2026.’’ • H.R. 9646 (Rep. Hurd), “Quantum-Enhanced Critical Minerals Mapping Act of 2026.’’ · U.S. House of Representatives · 21 July 2026

   • Earth MRI witnesses: national mapping value and state-level impacts

     “I thank the witness for his testimony. Our next witness is Mr. Eric Beadel. He is the federal strategy director for the for the Environmental Science Associates. And he is stationed in Savannah, Georgia. Mr. Beadel, you are now recognized…”

     Watch from 1:08:40

   • Final Q&A: clean energy obstruction, public input, tribal capacity, and adjournment

     “Thank you, Mr. Chair. My first question to Mr. Heller. Your testimony describes how Earth MRI turned pre-competitive geoscience into resumed heavy mineral sand mining in Virginia. Alaska has the opposite scale problem, 365 million acres, most of it federally…”

     Watch from 1:50:20

   • Final Q&A: clean energy obstruction, public input, tribal capacity, and adjournment

     “Thank you. My next question for Mr. Kinsella. You described quantum gravity gradiometry as a conservation solution, non-invasive surveys that dramatically reduce dry holes, access roads, and drill pads. That calculus is amplified in Alaska, where every acre of subsurface…”

     Watch from 1:52:10

4. • H.R. 726 (Rep. Downing), “Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025” • H.R. 2317 (Rep. Amodei), “Northern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act of 2025” • H.R. 2406 (Rep. Bonamici), “National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention Improvements Act of 2025” • H.R. 2827 (Rep. Cole), To provide for the equitable settlement of certain Indian land disputes regarding land in Illinois, and for other purposes. • H.R. 6251 (Rep. Begich), To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow importation of polar bear trophies taken in sport hunts in Canada before the date the polar bear was determined to be a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. • H.R. 6893 (Rep. Scott of VA), “Chesapeake Bay Watershed Advancement for Training, Education, Restoration, and Science (WATERS) Act” • H.R. 7889 (Rep. Wittman), “Advancing Water Research and Collaboration Act of 2025” or the “AWRC Act of 2025” • H.R. 8658 (Rep. Kennedy of UT), “Indian Health Service Emergency Claims Parity Act” • H.R. 9436 (Rep. Lawler), To amend the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 to extend the time period for which certain regulations concerning the North Atlantic right whale are effective. · U.S. House of Representatives · 15 July 2026

   • H.R. 6251 polar bear trophies: debate on fairness vs. species protection

     “Look, at the end of the day, this is a common sense bill. Unfortunately, MMPA does not require, or rather, permit the same flexibility that was available under the African lion in 2015. This requires literally an act of Congress…”

     Watch from 25:11

   • H.R. 6251: Begich substitute adopted and bill reported

     “The ANS is a very simple title change to the bill. Nothing else has changed since introduction. I echo the chairman's comments just now. At the end of the day, this is common-sense legislation. It's required under the MMPA for…”

     Watch from 30:09

   • H.R. 9436 right whale moratorium: economic stakes vs. conservation law

     “Thank you, Mr. Chair. I speak in strong support of H.R. 9436, extending the moratorium on North Atlantic right whale regulatory implementation. Look, science must drive the process of rulemaking, and we do not have sufficient science to drive that…”

     Watch from 51:14
   1 more clip in this sitting

5. Safeguarding Federal Research Funds: The False Claims Act's Role in Combating Grant Fraud · U.S. House of Representatives · 24 June 2026

   • Begich: cyber FCA stats, whistleblowers, and sovereign immunity gap

     “Thank you, Mr. Chair. My first question directed to Ms. Jenny. DOJ recovered over $52 million across nine cybersecurity False Claims Act settlements in fiscal year 2025. How many of those cases originated from whistleblowers versus proactive government audits?”

     Watch from 1:18:23

6. Legislative Hearing on: H.R. 6917 (Rep. Titus) To take certain land into trust for the benefit of the Las Vegas Tribe of Paiute Indians. H.R. 8473 (Rep. Begich), "Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act" H.R. 8954 (Rep. Hurd), "Tribal Regulatory Reform Implementation Act of 2026" · U.S. House of Representatives · 9 June 2026

   • Sponsor Begich : rationale for H.R. 8473

     “Thank you, Mr. Chair. Chairman Hurd, Ranking Member Leger Fernandez, thank you for holding this hearing and for including H.R. 8473, the Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act, on today's agenda. This bill is about a…”

     Watch from 50:40

   • Witness panel introductions and hearing procedures

     “Thank you, Mr. Chair. Before Mr. Berube delivers his testimony, I want to take a moment to welcome him to Washington and thank him for making the trip from Anchorage. Brian is the senior program manager for veterinary services at…”

     Watch from 53:45

   • Q&A : Rep. Begich and Berrebi on rabies management in rural Alaska

     “Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Berrebi, as you well know, our district covers 663,000 square miles of some of the most remote terrain in the United States, much of it accessible only by plane or boat, and many villages that…”

     Watch from 1:15:13
   1 more clip in this sitting