But all they talked about was the injustice that they felt in having been denied their native allotment.

I am hoping that you are going to be able to provide us a little bit more of a plan.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Assistant Secretary, we have had a conversation in other committees as well, about the budget proposal to shift the Office of Subsistence Management, OSM, from Fish and Wildlife to BIA.

I think it has to be done at whatever expense necessary.

I am going to continue to be a very zealous advocate for our Alaska Native communities, and in righting this.

It is good to hear the Director speak so highly of the CHAP Program and the benefit that it can provide.

I would like to have more conversation with your team about that.

I have expressed some concern, again, about the pace of processing the individual permits.

I thought that we were going to be a little more competitive, perhaps, in the Community Wildfire Defense Program Grant.

it is inconceivable to me; I mean when you talk about 1.6 million acres of a beetle kill, seems to me that our communities would be eligible for more than one of these Community Grant Programs.

I have already set up a team internally to start looking at how we might address that.

I have been interested in and believe me there is a lot of excitement about the prospects for the Alaska Long Trail.

So do you think then that we need to address this language that limits it to these Federal lands that are either bordering or adjacent to, because it is not just Alaska, it would be throughout the Lower 48, where you have got some…

I appreciate that. Again, we certainly, I am certainly hearing from the Native leaders about the need to prioritize Tribal participation within the conservation of the Cooperative Management.

If we want to be competitive in the global market, a producer and not just an importer, we cannot afford for it to take 10 years to permit a mine on our public lands.

I have suggested, and would strongly encourage EPA to explore some creative solutions to expedite these project awards.

During the past several years, lengthy permitting delays have become the rule, rather than the exception.

we can't be in a situation where we have got an impasse like this; would you agree?

I would like to focus my first round of questions on contract support costs, and the 105[l]s.

I have long said that I do not believe that we have to choose between a healthy forest and a healthy economy.

I hope that we can even find greater areas of how we can be working together to grow Alaska's role in our nation's economy or energy or mineral security, while also cherishing and protecting our lands, our people, and our culture.

I appreciate that. But our situation here is, at the end of 2022, the unobligated balance for IHS was $6 billion.

Well, my time is expired, but know that we do want to follow up with you on this.

I had mentioned in my last question there, Chief, the Southeast Alaska Sustainable Strategy, $25 million spent so far and, it is always described as quote, 'An initial investment'.

I am ready, willing, and able to help secure new authorities in appropriations bills if it is needed.