Evidence from credible sources supports the statement as accurate. Learn more in Methodology.
VA obligated or awarded $16,712,172 to establish the Interior Alaska Veterans Cemetery in Fairbanks.
Multiple official and reputable sources confirm that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs awarded an establishment grant of up to $16,712,172 for the Interior Alaska Veterans Cemetery in Fairbanks/Salcha, and that this facility is Alaska’s first state veterans cemetery. The federal spending record on USAspending.gov describes “a grant of up to $16,712,172 to the State of Alaska for the establishment of the Interior Alaska Veterans Cemetery in Fairbanks, Alaska,” wording that matches the claim and identifies it as an establishment grant. A press release from U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan states that the VA National Cemetery Administration awarded “a grant of up to $16,712,172 … for the establishment of the Interior Alaska Veterans Cemetery in Fairbanks, Alaska,” and characterizes it as Alaska’s first state-granted cemetery for veterans. Additional coverage by Anchorage Daily News and Alaska’s News Source describes the same $16.7 million VA grant to build Alaska’s first state-run/state‑granted veterans cemetery in the Interior. Based on this converging evidence from an official federal financial database and multiple independent outlets, the statement is accurate as written. Therefore, the verdict is True because authoritative federal and regional sources consistently report a VA establishment grant of $16,712,172 for the Interior Alaska Veterans Cemetery, which is identified as Alaska’s first state veterans cemetery.