I know how much these community members... are risking in order to talk with us about Chemawa.

As a former school board member, education is one of the policies I am passionate about.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony today. I look forward to working with BIE leadership as we continue to provide opportunities for Native American students.

I applaud you. These are the kind of hearings we need to, I think, provide us with a better look.

It is both an institutional issue that we are dealing with and it is also a resource issue that we are dealing with.

I think it is also the purview of this Subcommittee to ensure that Indian education is held at a high standard.

I hope this administration recognizes that there is an urgency, a bipartisan urgency, to actually fix this.

Despite the promise of dialogue, I was frustrated and dismayed to be told at the meeting that Chemawa and BIE staff are prohibited from talking with us, their elected representatives without approval from Congressional Affairs in…

Our main priority is for Chemawa to be a safe place for Native students to thrive.

I have been spearheading the Oregon delegation's efforts to shed light on the situation at the school for more than a year and a half.

There has been a history of misuse and abuse. There has been a history, and I think that that is no longer an excuse.

I believe that BIE must be held accountable for their inaction in response to the concerns raised about Chemawa.