AUDIO: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing on reservation roads

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Bridges and roads on tribal lands were the subject of a hearing before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on Wednesday afternoon.

A panel of tribal leaders and government officials discussed two primary issues at the hearing. One was safety of reservation roads and bridges, many of which are in poor condition due to inadequate federal funds.

“These roads, highways and bridges are used by children going to their schools, emergency and first responders to reach those in need, and tribal members to reach their place of employment," said Sen. John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), the chairman of the committee. "These roads also provide economic opportunity to tribes by providing access to and from Indian lands.”

“However, many of these roads and bridges are in dire need of improvement," he added. "According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, there is at least a $280 million backlog of deferred maintenance of BIA roads with only 17 percent of the BIA roads considered to be in acceptable condition.”

Ongoing efforts to establish a self-governance program at Department of Transportation were also discussed at the hearing. Congress has given tribes and the Trump administration more time to come up with a rule that would guide the program.

"Providing more funding to build and maintain basic infrastructure in Indian Country is only part of the story," said Sen. Tom Udall (D-New Mexico), the vice chairman of the committee. "Ensuring tribal governments are able to make their own decisions to implement their own priorities is equally important."

"I'm confident the program is on the road to success," he added.

The hearing lasted about 90 minutes. Audio can be found on the Indianz.Com SoundCloud.

Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Notice

Enhancing Tribal Self-Governance and Safety of Indian Roads(April 3, 2019)

Note: Thumbnail photo of collapsed road on the Arizona portion of the Navajo Nation by Navajo Nation Fleet Management.