In its first vote of the legislative session, the Alaska House approved a resolution opposing President Donald Trump’s renaming of Denali, but not before far-right Republicans attempted to blunt the message.
House Joint Resolution 4 by Fairbanks Rep. Maxine Dibert asks the federal government to reconsider the name change — which was made through an executive order that also renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America — to respect the will of Alaskans and everything that the mountain represents.
“Denali is more than a mountain,” she said during the debate on the resolution. “It’s a cornerstone of Alaska’s history, a tribute to our diverse culture and a testament to the people who have cherished this land for millennia. If the federal government changes the name, it will be an affront to our state’s sovereignty. It would not only dishonor those who have fought to protect the name and Denali’s legacy but also dismiss the voices of the Native communities whose roots are intertwined in this land.”
But several members of the 19-member House Republican Minority argued that the Legislature should take a more deferential and friendly tone with Trump. They put forward an amendment that would have diluted the resolution with praise for an executive order aimed at loosening rules for resource development in Alaska.
They argued that the resource development aspects of Trump’s initial actions — which include potential rollbacks of subsistence rights — are far more important than standing up for the name of Denali. They claimed that the new development would be a panacea for the state’s larger problems in education and tepid economic development.
“This amendment says we appreciate you allowing us to develop our natural resources,” said far-right Rep. Sarah Vance, a Homer Republican who derailed a hearing on missing and murdered Indigenous women last year because it didn’t cover white women. “This will be the first communication that this body makes to the executive branch, and I hope it’s a resounding ‘Thank you and, by the way, please let us determine the name of our great mountain.'”
Other Republicans like Rep. Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake, were more dismissive of the concerns around what the nation’s tallest mountain is called.
“At the end of the day, Alaskans are going to call it whatever they want,” he said of the name change, noting that he once spoke to a resident of a village who didn’t know the name of a nearby lake as proof that official names don’t carry much weight. “It doesn’t really matter.”
Dibert and other members of the House Majority argued that while the values of resource development may be important, they’re best kept separate to avoid diluting the message.
The GOP-backed amendment failed along caucus lines with a 21N-17Y vote. Two Republicans — Reps. Bill Elam and Will Stapp — were absent for the vote.
While Republicans were dismissive of the concerns about Denali, Dibert, who is Alaska Native, argued that it’s important for them to stand up for one of the state’s most recognizeable landmarks and what it represents about the state and its history.
“It’s not just a name, it’s a symbol of history, a symbol of culture and a symbol of respect,” Dibert said in the closing debate.
The resolution itself cleared the House on a 28-10 vote, with the most conservative bloc of Republicans voting against it. None spoke to the resolution during the debate.
The resolution is fast-moving and was heard at the House Rules Committee earlier in the day, where House Rules Chair Rep. Louise Stutes said it was not a matter of politics but about standing up against federal overreach on the state of Alaska. A similar measure is scheduled to be heard in the Senate State Affairs Committee on Tuesday afternoon, making final passage of the resolution possible by the end of this week.
Matt Acuña Buxton is a long-time political reporter who has written for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and The Midnight Sun political blog. He also authors the daily politics newsletter, The Alaska Memo, and can frequently be found live-tweeting public meetings on Bluesky.
