I want to express my strong support for the Administration's historic proposed $2.2 billion increase in Indian Health Service funding.

Unfortunately, planning for dozens of national wildlife refuges has fallen behind schedule, depriving managers, partners and the public of the latest science and best practices to provide for these values.

We urge the Subcommittee to ensure that stable and continuing federal appropriations are made for SRF capitalization grants.

We thank Chairman Merkley, Ranking Member Murkowski, and Subcommittee Members for your steadfast support of Tribes and Tribal Organizations like CRRC.

This request of $600 million for FY 2022, an increase of $112 million over FY 2021 appropriations, would greatly impact our refuge.

we are hearing too many of these health-related concerns to not be paying attention to them

This needs to be addressed. It just needs to be addressed.

We need commitment that is enforceable from the Federal Government to make this.

Thank you for making the job easier for those of our Federal partners.

So in 2014 then, with that Congressional directive specific to BLM, BLM was effectively told, prepare a cleanup plan for each of the contaminated sites that were transferred pursuant to ANCSA.

If we are recognizing that ANCSA contaminated lands is an environmental justice issue, we are going to try to encourage the Administration to commit to utilizing environmental justice funds.

We cannot continue with more of the same. Because more of the same is an injustice to these people and to Alaska Natives and people really all over our State and in our Country.

If you have limitations, part of what I can do as a lawmaker is we can work to change those.

We have an obligation to clean up the messes that we create.

Sometimes we just have to acknowledge that it is going to cost money.

But it is not without its challenges.

It was here in the Aleutians where this Country was invaded by the Japanese.

I would hope that there would be an opportunity for some of the issues that have been raised in both areas, for people to be able to weigh in and to provide greater clarity for the record.

I think we have made some progress, and that is good. But it is in the category of about damned time we have made some progress.

Do you think that we appropriately or adequately fund the Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program?

I would just ask that through BLM, through Interior, that they play a role as the coordinating lead.

It seems to me that the Department of Interior, that BLM, is probably in the best position to act as coordinating agency.

I want to know what the barriers are and if we can take some of those down.

But it shouldn't be hard for the people who gave up 90 percent of their country for $60 billion or $30 billion.

But BLM has not more broadly identified cost of remediation throughout the State?