Fawn Sharp, the president of the Quinault Nation, speaks at the Native Nations Rise rally in Washington, D.C., on March 10, 2017. Photo by Indianz.Com / More on Flickr

Indian Country leaders testify about funding needs on Capitol Hill

Dozens of leaders from Indian Country are in Washington, D.C., this week to ensure the federal government meets its trust and treaty responsibilities.

With uncertainty about upcoming budgets in the air, leaders of tribes and Indian organizations are testifying before the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday and Wednesday. They will seek funding for health, housing, education, law enforcement, social service and other critical needs in their communities.

“In more recent years, the United States has continued to fall short of meeting its treaty obligations as appropriations cuts, sequestration, inflation and other factors impede the federal government’s ability to meet its trust responsibility,” Fawn Sharp, the president of the Quinault Nation, said in advance of her testimony on Tuesday afternoon.

The Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee is holding a total of four hearings to learn more about the needs in Indian Country. The information will be used to help draft the spending bill for fiscal year 2018, which begins in October.

All four sessions are being webcast, with witnesses lists and links below.

Tuesday May 16, AM Hearing
Webcast - youtu.be/Fwa1QyrYZi4

Witnesses
Bill John Baker
Principal Chief, Cherokee Nation

Carrie L. Billy
President and CEO, American Indian Higher Education Consortium

Cynthia Boone
Council Member, Osage Minerals Council

Kevin R. Dupuis Sr.
Chairman, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians

Lisa Elgin
Board Chairwoman, California Rural Indian Health Board

Yatibaey Evans
Board President, National Indian Education Association

James R. Floyd
Pricipal Chief, Muscogee Creek Nation

Vinton Hawley
Chairman, National Indian Health Board

Ron Tehassi Hill
Councilman, Oneida Nation of Wisconsin

Mark Jensen
Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health, Inc., Chief Financial Officer

Jennifer L. Johnson
Ph.D. Student, University of Oklahoma - Spoken Creek Documentation Project

Victoria Kitcheyan
Councilwoman, Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska

Aurene Martin
Board Member, National Indian Child Welfare Association

Robert Miguel
Chairman, AK-Chin Indian Community

Lloyd B. Miller
Counsel, National Tribal Contract Support Cost Coalition

Darrell Seki
Chairman, Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians

Sonya Tetnowski
CEO, Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley and California Consortium for Urban Indian Health

Roger Trudell
Chairman, Santee Sioux Tribe

Ashley Tuomi
National President, National Council of Urban Indian Health

Valorie Walters
Executive Officer and Trustee, , Chickasaw Nation and Oklahoma Humanities Council

Carrie F. Whitlow
Treasurer, Tribal Education Departments National Assembly

Tuesday May 16, PM Hearing
Webcast - youtu.be/xuzcrWISwjQ

Witnesses
Leland Bill
Chairman, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

Christopher Bolton
COO, Norton Sound Health Corporation

Patty Brown-Schwalenberg
Executive Director, Chugach Regional Resources Commission

Annette M. Bryan
Councilwoman, Puyallup Tribe of Washington State

Frances Charles
Chairwoman, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians

Victoria Demmert
President, Yakutat Tlingit Tribe

Mark Hoover
Tribal Council Member, Native Village of Eyak

Audrey Hudson
Mayor, Metlakatla Indian Community

Edward Johnstone
Treasurer, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

Victor Joseph
Chief and Chairman, Tanana Chiefs Conference

Reynold L. Leno
Tribal Council Chairman, Confederated tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon

Esther Lucero
Executive Director, Seattle Indian Health Board

Donald R. Michel
Executive Director, Upper Columbia United Tribes

Cherlene Nelson
Chairperson, Shoalwater Bay Tribe

Jonathan Nez
Vice President, Navajo Nation

Aaron Payment
Secretary, National Congress of American Indians

Samuel Penney
President, Board of Directors, The Healing Lodge of the Seven Nations

Jim Peters
Tribal Councilman, Squaxin Island Tribe

Dee Pigsley
Chairman, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians

Phil Rigdon
President, Intertribal Timber Council

Fawn Sharp
President, Quinalt Nation

Mel Tonasket
Vice Chairman, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation

Jamie Valadez
Klallam Language Teacher, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Port Angeles School District

Wednesday May 17, AM Hearing
Webcast - youtu.be/HmsZBwkVfjY

Faye BlueEyes
Administrative Services Director, , Dzilth-Na-O-Dith-Hle Community Grant School

J. Michael Chavarria
Governor, Pueblo of Santa Clara

Jerry Chavez
President, Dine Grant School Association

Camille Ferguson
Executive Director, American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association

Kirk Francis
President, United South and Eastern Tribes Sovereignty Protection Fund

William "Bill" Harris
Chief, Catawaba Indian Nation

Jamie Henio
Vice President, Ramah Navajo Chapter

Genevieve Jackson
President, Diné BiOlta School Board Association

Royd Lee
President, Native American Grant School,School board member for Shonto Preparatory School

Edward Manuel
Chairman, Tohono O'odham Nation

Marlene Martinez
President, Ramah Navajo School Board for the Pine Hill School

Leander "Russ" McDonald
President, United Tribes Technical College

Tom Miller
Chairperson, Association of Community Tribal Schools

Walter Phelps
Chairman, Navajo Hopi Land Commission and a Navajo Nation Council Delegate

Virgil Siow
Governor, Pueblo of Laguna

Maulian Smith
Council Member, Penobscot Nation

E. Paul Torres
Chairman, All Pueblo Council of Governors

Robert Valencia
Chairman, Pascua Yaqui Tribe

Ryan Wilson
President, National Alliance to Save Native Languages

Wednesday May 17, PM Hearing
Webcast - youtu.be/xi8mYavgiMc

Witnesses
Robert Blanchard
Chairman, Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribe

Levi D. Carrick Sr.
President, Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority

James "Joe" Dunn
Councilman, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe

Cecilia Firethunder
Representative, Oglala Sioux Tribe, Oglala Lakota Nation Education Coalition, President of the Little Wound School

Robert Flying Hawk
Chairman, Yankton Sioux Tribe

Charles Headdress
Vice Chairman, Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation

Ted Howard
Chairman, Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation

Michael "Mic" Isham
Chairman, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Comission

David Kills-A-Hundred
Tribal Council Member, Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe

Monica Mayer
Tribal Business Council Member, Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation

Rodney Mike
Chairman, Duckwater Shoshone Tribe

Mary Jane Miles
Chairman, Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee

Patrick Roberts
Health Policy Fellow, National Native American AIDS Prevention Center

Darrell Shay
Acting Chairman, Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation

Tony Small
Councilman, Ute Tribe of Utah

George Thompson
Councilman, Lac du Flambeau Tribe

Troy Scott Weston
President, Oglala Sioux Tribe

Lisa White Pipe
Councilwoman, Rosebud Sioux Tribe

House Appropriations Committee Notices:
American Indian and Alaska Native Public Witness Hearing (May 16, 2017)
American Indian and Alaska Native Public Witness Hearing (May 16, 2017)
American Indian and Alaska Native Public Witness Hearing (May 17, 2017)
American Indian and Alaska Native Public Witness Hearing (May 17, 2017)

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