We are getting close to half of the states in our country now have put laws in place preventing or restricting local communities from building out their own networks.

I see a lot of parallels with the Veterans Administration and IHS here.

This bill does not fix every problem in the IHS, however, it is a step in the right direction for Indian Country.

Adequate health care is one of the most important issues to American Indian and Alaska Natives; however, the IHS direct care system is deficient, inadequate, and is simply failing areas of the country that need help the most.

H.R. 2662, the Restoring Accountability in the Indian Health Service Act, is intended to make reforms to the Indian Health Service to help a broken system.

We want to help recruit more people.

How is this bill going to help you improve what you haven't been able to improve to date?

I simply want to say that we have heard over and over in this meeting that there was very little tribal consultation before introducing this legislation.

we must not impose new unfunded mandates on IHS or Indian Country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Reporting Efficiently to Proper Officials in Response to Terrorism Act, or the REPORT Act. I introduced the REPORT Act a year after the San Bernardino terrorist attack. Our community has seen more than…

Well, that commitment hasn't shown, sir. It is obvious to me by all of the witnesses that they have tried time and time again to provide to you, to your department, feedback. And yet that feedback has fallen to deaf ears.

We cannot provide competent, quality health care to Native American and Alaska Natives when we allow inadequate facilities and substandard levels of care to continue to exist.

I understand that. In your statement you say IHS has existing authorities to implement adverse employment actions.

the tribes still feel that they have not been heard and their concerns have not been addressed or even replied to, which means that you have not acknowledged that they have real issues.

Russia has decided to weaken us through covert influence rather than brute force.

I think, Mr. Chairman, that you are a ten.

I'm going to raise my favorite subject, which is the most difficult, and you touched on it, and that's the spent nuclear waste that's piling up all over this Nation.

The Administration's goal to create jobs and wealth, I will suggest to you, are centered in the Department of Energy and the things that we have the capability of dealing with.