ANCHORAGE - In this week's installment of Alaska's View from the Hill, Senator Mark Begich joined CBS 11 News' Sean Doogan from Washington, D.C. for this full, unedited interview.
Among the topics discussed: the latest on Begich's hold on the promotion of an Air Force general and why it took such a drastic measure to get the Air Force and Defense Secretary Panetta to actually figure out the cost savings (or not) of plans to move F-16s from Fairbanks to Anchorage; a medium-range missile defense planned for Western European allies that's been slated for cancellation because the Air Force doesn't believe it will work - yet the U.S. recently spent another $400 million on the project and may spend another $200 million; the Pirate Fishing Elimination Act and the Commercial Seafood Protection Act, which would require seafood to be labeled with its origin; the U.S. Postal Services change of heart regarding the closure and fate of five mail offices still slated for shutdown in Alaska; and the Bangun Perkasa, the pirate fishing vessel that's sat in Dutch Harbor since October.
Read more about the Bangun Perkasa and what its cost federal agencies thus far by clicking here.
