U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaiʻi), Vice Chairman of the Committee, led an oversight hearing entitled “Native American Education – Examining Federal Programs at the U.S. Department of Education”.
“We have spent a lot of time in Committee talking about the Bureau of Indian Education, and for good reason. We are going to continue to do so. But we can’t lose sight of the fact that more than 90 percent of Native students across our country attend public schools. And the government fulfills its trust responsibility to those students through programs at the Department of Education, in addition to programs at the Interior, USDA, and HHS,” said Chairman Murkowski. “Given the major role that Department of Education funding plays in educating the next generation of Native students, I have heard—and I know many of my colleagues have heard—questions and concerns about recent proposals to alter or dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, as well as the recent Executive Orders calling for federal agency RIFs and reorganization plans. We’re here today to better understand the Indian Education programs at the Department of Education, how they impact Native students, families, and schools across our states, and why they must continue, and not be negatively impacted by these RIFs and reorganization plans. We are making real progress on the ground and we owe it to the Native youth across the country to make sure it is not interrupted.”
“One of the federal government’s core trust and treaty responsibilities to American Indians, Native Hawaiians, and Alaska Natives is to provide education. The Department of Education plays a critical role in fulfilling this promise, on everything from Impact Aid and Indian education programs, to Native language revitalization,” said Vice Chairman Schatz. “Shuttering the Education Department would be devastating for Native students… more than 90 percent of whom attend public schools – as they will be at the mercy of state governments that have no trust or treaty responsibility to meet their unique needs. We have a duty to fight the president’s reckless plan on a bipartisan basis and protect Native students.”
The following witnesses participated in the Oversight Hearing:
- MR. JASON DROPIK, Executive Director, National Indian Education Association, Washington, DC
- MS. SYDNA YELLOWFISH, Director of Indian Education, Edmond Public Schools, Edmond, OK
- DR. ROSITA WORL, President, Sealaska Heritage Institute, Juneau, AK
- MS. NICOLE RUSSELL, Executive Director, National Association of Federally Impacted Schools, Washington, DC
- MS. AHNIWAKE ROSE, President and CEO, American Indian Higher Education Consortium, Alexandria, VA
Video of Senator Murkowski’s opening statement can be found here.
Video of the full Oversight Hearing can be found here.
The Committee will continue to accept written testimony until April 16, 2025. Testimony may be submitted to testimony@indian.senate.gov.