Lisa Murkowski

I think we recognize that the Missile Defense Agency has been tasked with not only an extraordinarily important mission of defense of the Nation.

I'm concerned that here in Congress we're so focused on opiates as the drug du jour.

I worry that we forget we have other very serious significant issues as they relate to substance abuse.

While we should always be looking for places to cut the budget, we should also recognize that innovation is critical to our nation's energy future.

Alaska may be a rural state, but we are not shielded from this epidemic. . . . Opioid abuse in Alaska is devastating our communities throughout the state and has rapidly become one of our most pressing issues.

The current competitive grant program sets Tribes up to compete with other Tribes.

We have some gaps. We have been talking about tribal courts and the opportunities they may present to help address some of these issues on the enforcement side.

We clearly have an opioid epidemic, Mr. Chairman. We must deal with it but I must say that we must not lose sight of the other killer we are facing in our Native communities, not only in Alaska but around the Country. That killer is…

The rate of overdose deaths attributed to opioids has increased and, in many cases, has greatly exceeded the national average.

Last year, Alaska Governor Bill Walker issued a State Disaster Declaration to address the growing opioid epidemic in Alaska.

Our prescription opioid pain reliever overdose death was more than double the national average.

When we talk about substance and substance abuse, we need to make sure that it is alcohol and substance programs.

In the State of Alaska, we joined six other States in the Country in declaring a public health crisis in response to the opioid epidemic.

We appreciate the subcommittee's similar rejection of the administration's proposed reduction of $120 million to the IHS Services budget for fiscal year 2018.

We are therefore grateful for the subcommittee's rejection of the administration's proposed 18 percent cut in Facilities funding for fiscal year 2018.

We urge the subcommittee to direct the agency to simplify its CSC policy and not attempt to reduce the award of CSC funds to Tribes through an unnecessarily complex methodology.

We continue to urge you to increase appropriations for Section 105(l) leases.

We urge the subcommittee to again reject IHS's efforts to repeal a key provision of the ISDEAA through the appropriations process.

Alaska may be a rural State, but we are not shielded from this epidemic.

Continue to increase Federal appropriations for IHS programs and services until health disparities between Alaska Native and American Indian people and other Americans are extinguished.

While great strides have been made in cleaning up the environment, air pollution remains a serious threat to public health.

If adjusted for inflation, level funding would translate to approximately $303 million in today's dollars.

Such cuts would be devastating for many programs, including to the Regional Air Pollution Control Agency (RAPCA) in Dayton, Ohio.

This letter is written to express this agency's concern with the administration's fiscal year 2019 budget request to Congress which calls for steep cuts in funding to EPA.

On behalf of the NWIFC, we are providing testimony for the record on the natural resources management and environmental program funding requests.