the Federal Government has historically played a major role in the expansion of all major technology advances in communications.

Clearly, for rural America, it is the next frontier.

Mr. President, I know Senator Durbin is on the floor so I am going to wrap up very quickly. I first want to thank Senator Franken, who came down here and advocated for his State and for Native Americans across the country. I thank Senator…

Mr. Chairman, I would like to take this opportunity to note that Senator Hassan and I have requested a hearing in this Committee on the current state of the U.S. media landscape.

Will you reassure us that you will exercise your authority as Chairman of the FCC to regulate the media in an impartial manner?

Mr. President, thank you for your recognition. Let me just say, at the beginning, I thank the Chair for the bipartisanship with which we both work on the Indian Affairs Committee. I very much appreciate that. We are here with a few…

Mr. President, we have been joined by Senator Heitkamp of North Dakota. I appreciate her work on the subcommittee, her incredibly hard work and hard dedication that she has put in. She has been a champion for her Tribes in North Dakota, a…

Thank you, Mr. President. While this small effort cannot fully replace the necessary government-to-government consultation we owe Tribes on this issue, I hope it reminds us of our Federal obligations to Tribes and to all Native Americans…

Do you believe it is appropriate for any Federal official with power over media organizations to attack or threaten them with legal or regulatory retaliation over negative news coverage, media coverage?

President Trump has continued his unprecedented and dangerous attacks on media organizations that report stories he does not like.

I am hoping you can help us answer these questions.

Do you believe that career Foreign Service and civil service officers serve an important role in our Nation's diplomacy?

Just this past week, we learned that the State Department spent approximately $15,000 at a Trump Hotel in Vancouver when the President's daughter stayed there.

On March 8, I wrote to Secretary Tillerson, along with Senators Whitehouse and Blumenthal, asking what, if any, taxpayer resources are being spent to secure Trump organization commercial real estate around the globe.

I really believe that taxpayers are entitled to know how their money is being spent.

We owe Indian Country nothing less and we owe our Native youth nothing less.

It plays a critical role in supporting educational needs of Indian students by making sure Native students have school supplies, culturally-based extracurricular opportunities, academic tutoring and other critical tools to ensure a…

S. 943 was introduced by my colleague, Senator Heitkamp, alongside Senators Lankford and Daines, that would help ensure that the Johnson-O'Malley Program, which is so critical, would serve all Native children.