Lisa Murkowski

I think it goes without saying, but we certainly need funding to conduct the hazardous fuels reduction.

I appreciate your willingness to work with me on areas that we do have agreement.

I firmly believe that we need to have a realistic plan for the future of our energy supply.

I appreciate the efforts of the Department and Bureau of Land Management so far in implementing the Alaska Native Vietnam Veterans Allotment program as I authorized in the Dingell Act.

What we need here is a strategic focus to reduce our dependence on China and Russia.

Our reality as a country is that we have a resource that not only we need right now, but the world needs right now.

The administration has openly conflicted its commitment to supply chain security.

I can't stress enough the need for the Department to move forward with final approval for the Willow Project.

This is what happens when the Federal government-to-government relationship works.

The appointment of Secretary Deb Haaland to the Department of the Interior is historic for this reason.

The Federal Government has long failed to live up to its promises and trust responsibilities.

As we witness the international shock and outrage at the identification of mass burial sites and unmarked graves of First Nations children in Canada...

I do not think we have an accurate number yet of the institutions that were in Alaska.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I would commend, Mr. Chairman, as this Committee is looking further into this investigation, the reports and what will follow, that what First Alaskans Institute has put in place with the tribunal and the summit on boarding and residential…

Federal Government policy during this time was to use education as 'a weapon against Native people' to accomplish the goals of replacing Native cultures and dispossessing Native peoples of their lands.

He claimed the need to 'kill the Indian, save the man.'

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank those who have come before the Committee for your testimony today, for your input, and for your advocacy for so many, knowing that it is personal for so many of you.

I will add to that, we had a hearing earlier this year in this Committee to discuss, again, the NAGPRA Act and how it is applied to protect tribal funerary objects, patrimony and remains.

There are some 53 marked or unmarked burial sites that we know of right now, of students who died at these schools.

We know that our neighbor to the east, Canada, is dealing with its own history and legacy of Indian boarding schools and has established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

It is long, long past time for the United States to come to terms with the dark and very terrible legacy of Indian boarding schools.

The legacy of these schools is one of trauma and loss, and we must work to heal these wounds.

I am disappointed that CMS and IHS are not testifying today, as we know they were pivotal in the response to COVID-19.

This pandemic was not only a public health crisis, but a crisis affecting our health systems and the delivery of healthcare.