September 20, 2025.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Chairman of the Committee, held an Oversight Hearing titled: “Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act Successes and Opportunities at the Department of the Interior and the Indian Health Service.” This hearing allowed the Committee to better understand the factors that contribute to the success of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA) at the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Indian Health Service (IHS) and ways Congress can further improve service delivery through ISDEAA.
“We should celebrate ISDEAA’s anniversary by getting back to basics: pushing dollars out the door, trusting Tribal decision making, and not making Tribes run obstacle courses to access funds,” said Vice Chairman Schatz. “We have a special legal and moral obligation under trust and treaty obligations. That’s how we can ensure self-determination endures for the next 50 years and beyond.”
“This year we marked the 50th anniversary of ISDEAA being signed into law. Over the last five decades, ISDEAA has been transformative, allowing Tribal Nations to take control of federal programs and tailor them to their communities’ unique needs. ISDEAA is foundational to Tribal sovereignty, driving better quality of services, boosting local economies, improving health care delivery, and so much more. Strong agency partnerships are the key to the success of ISDEAA and the recent changes within the federal workforce have raised concerns about the stability of certain Tribal programs,” said Senator Murkowski. “This hearing was a good opportunity for the Committee to not only acknowledge ISDEAA’s successes, but also to reinforce federal commitments and ensure that Tribes can continue building on these vital gains.”
The following witnesses participated in the oversight hearing:
- Mr. Kennis Bellmard, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development, U.S. Department of the Interior
- Mr. Ben Smith, Acting Director, Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- The Honorable Chuck Hoskin Jr., Principal Chief, Cherokee Nation
- Mr. Victor Joseph, Executive Director, Tanana Tribal Council
- Mr. Jay Spaan, Executive Director, Self-Governance Communication & Education Tribal Consortium
Witness testimonies, as written, and an archived video of the hearing can be found here.
The Committee will continue to accept written testimony until October 1, 2025. Testimony may be submitted to testimony@indian.senate.gov.
