DOGE Alaska uncovered a $2.4 million grant awarded to the Sitka Tribe of Alaska. DOGE Alaska is a group of citizens who are researching waste, fraud, and abuse. It’s a project and not a formal organization.

The grant was awarded so their members could buy seafood from local fishermen. The priority was buying from commercial fishermen, also tribal members, so the money circulated back to the tribal economy. The Department of Agriculture awarded the funds through a grant program intended to help “socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers,” according to Must Read Alaska reporter Suzanne Downing.

The grant specifically allowed 1,000 tribal households to buy king crab, Dungeness crab, shrimp, salmon, and halibut through a contact by the Stika Tribe that would connect them to commercial fishermen. This is not subsistence or through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Downing reported that “it is supposed to ensure greater food security for members of the tribe, by allowing them to get free seafood right off the boats.”

According to the grant program, commercial fishermen in the state fall into the socially disadvantaged category that the grant covers.  “(The funding will)  provide up to 1,000 tribal households with crab, shrimp, and fish during the appropriate seasons in 2024 and 2025 by establishing contracts between Sitka Tribe of Alaska and local fishermen (prioritizing tribal citizens) and processors, as needed. Create a central and accessible location where tribal citizens can pick up minimally processed (only to the level of maintaining freshness/quality—sealed) crab, shrimp, and fish that is ready for storage or immediate use. The plans for distribution will be included in the contracts between Sitka Tribe and the fishermen, ensuring that staff of Sitka Tribe can provide any necessary support,” the grant stated.

Push back on DOGE Alaska

Representative Jamie Allard (R-AK)  is an American politician from Alaska who has served as a member of the Alaska House of Representatives since 2023, representing District 23, which covers an area east of Anchorage. Allard is a U.S. Army veteran and member of the Anchorage Assembly. She has advocated for DOGE Alaska and has asked locals to "report what they think is fraud, waste, and abuse" via social media platforms like X.

Other Alaskans have shared on Facebook that they have messaged the organization, stating that Rep. Allard's support is a conflict of interest, 

"I would like to report an instance of fraud, waste, and abuse. A state legislator, Rep. Jamie Allard (R-Eagle River), appears to be using her official social media accounts, during the legislative session, to run a non-governmental organization called DOGE Alaska. as a citizen I am concerned that the efforts this representative is putting forth on behalf of this non-governmental organization is distracting from her duties as a legislator and depriving the people of her district of adequate and responsive representation. May I recommend that Rep. Allard resign from DOGE Alaska and focus on her duties as an elected official? Working as both an elected official and as the leader of a non-governmental organization at the same time is inefficient and wasteful."

Read more about DOGE Alaska and the full grant.