I am the Vice Chair of the Senate Indian Affairs committee, and we have been focused and concerned about the socio-economic conditions of American Indian, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiian children and families.

Years of work focused on what limited access to education, economic opportunities, health care resources, higher rates of poverty--what that means for so many of our indigenous peoples and the children as they are growing up.

Thank you again, Sen Murkowski for introducing this bill that will address this important issue, improve public health and the quality of life for so many tribal communities.

It has to be a long term strategy that we need to consider developing childcare as a career to ensure that we have--we have trained, credible, available, and hopefully affordable childcare providers for our kids.

Unfortunately, the median income of American Indian Alaska Native families is around $48,000. 26 percent of American Indian Alaska Native people make less than $500 a week.

I think we recognize that when it comes to families and their ability to go to work, if there is not affordable childcare or if there is no childcare whatsoever, it makes it pretty darn hard.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Good afternoon, Secretary Buttigieg. It is good to see you again.

Eighty-two percent of Alaska is only accessible by air, and about 75 percent of those communities don't have a runway long enough for a jet or larger aircraft.

responsibly developing rare earth minerals here at home in the United States and especially in Alaska is a priority of mine.

One of my top priorities, one of the top priorities for the Alaska delegation, is the FAA Reauthorization Act.

I write today to express our industry's strong support for H.R. 8704.

What we are trying to do is, again, reestablish these herds for economic development as a traditional food source and provide food security for Native communities.

As it turns out, the 9th of June, just on Sunday, was Congressman Young's birthday, and it is also the day that has been designed in Alaska as Don Young Day.

Is it the department's interpretation of S. 2908 that the bill will cover the cost of transporting the bulls, the cows and the calves to the villages that are working to establish these bison herds?

I appreciate today's hearing. You have covered much of the details of the bills that will be before us.

Do you think that the way things are structured currently that we do have that flexibility, government programs by their very nature are not inherently built to be flexible?

What we are trying to do is, again, reestablish these herds for economic development as a traditional food source and provide food security for Native communities.

As it turns out, the 9th of June, just on Sunday, was Congressman Young's birthday, and it is also the day that has been designed in Alaska as Don Young Day.