'I'm so goddamn sick of it': Republican senator yells at Democratic colleague over change to FAA bill

WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska slammed his hand on a table and yelled at a Democratic colleague Wednesday to voice his anger over a change to legislation that he said would harm his home state.

Sullivan grew uncharacteristically upset during a public meeting of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, at which he accused Democratic Chairman Tom Carper’s staff of killing a provision he had advocated for in the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill.

"I’m getting tired of my state being singled out by this staff, Democrat staff, on everything," Sullivan said.

He said he had pushed for legislative language that would allow Alaska more time to implement an Environmental Protection Agency requirement to transition off of standard leaded aviation fuel. Sullivan wanted Alaska to be exempt from the fuel requirement through 2034, instead of the 2030 nationwide exemption.

The FAA reauthorization, which is making its way through the Senate, has become a grab-bag of priorities for senators.

“This goes to safety of my constituents,” Sullivan said, slamming his hand on the table. “And you guys jump in at the last minute, and I’m so goddamn sick of it. Anything that deals with Alaska, you feel it's open season because the radical environmental groups want to shut my state down. It's wrong."

"It's bull---, and I'm really mad about it," he added.

At one point, Sullivan said he wanted to question Carper's staff, a move that is not typically allowed.

“Can I ask your staff right now?" Sullivan said.

“No. I think this markup is coming to an end,” Carper, D-Del., responded.

Ben Dietderich, a spokesperson for Sullivan, said in a statement to NBC News that Alaskans rely on air travel in a state where more than 200 communities are not connected by road.

Sullivan had secured the fuel provision "recognizing a state as big and reliant on older aircraft as Alaska could not feasibly implement this mandate in that timeframe," Dietderich said.

He said that "without any data supporting the move, the Democratic staff of Delaware Sen. Tom Carper, Chair of the Environment And Public Works Committee, slashed Alaska’s exemption in half. Once again, doing the bidding of far-left environmental groups, national Democrats are targeting Alaska and endangering the lives of Alaskans. It is shameful."

In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for Carper said: “As Chairman of the EPW Committee and a believer in the principle of treating others as they would want to be treated, Senator Carper has always engaged with his Senate colleagues who reach out on issues that impact their constituents. Chairman Carper takes seriously his job of protecting the health of communities across the country and doing so in a way that understands the needs and impacts on the ground.”

Frank Thorp V reported from Washington and Zoë Richards from New York.