Kevin Washburn will go before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee this afternoon for his confirmation hearing as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs.

Washburn, a member of the Chickasaw Nation, was nominated by President Barack Obama on August 2. If confirmed by the Senate, he will be in charge of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Washburn, who last worked in Washington, D.C., over a decade ago, has been making the rounds on Capitol Hill in preparation of the hearing. Among other meetings, he sat down with Sen. John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), who urged him to address child abuse issues on the Spirit Lake Dakotah Nation.

“I have asked the assistant secretary nominee to be fully involved in the effort to address allegations of abuse and neglect at Spirit Lake, and to make sure that efforts to address problems there are conducted in an open and transparent way,” Hoeven said in a press release. “I have also asked Secretary Washburn to keep me and my office apprised of any progress or problems that arise in the course of the BIA’s work.”

Hoeven sits on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, which meets at 2:30pm to consider Washburn's nomination.

Get the Story:
Hoeven pushes for federal help with abuse (The Jamestown Sun 9/13)

Committee Notice:
The President's Nomination of Kevin K. Washburn to be Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior (September 14, 2012)

Relevant Documents:
White House Announcement | Letter to Law School | UNM Press Release | DOI Press Release | Sen. Bingaman | Sen. Tom Udall

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