Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 6535, the Coverage for Urban Indian Health Providers Act, is a bipartisan bill authored by myself and Representative Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma. This bill would uphold our trust responsibility, provide long-overdue parity to the Indian Health System by extending Federal Tort Claims Act coverage to urban Indian organizations, and direct their scarce resources to saving lives instead of bureaucratic overhead. This broadly supported policy change was also included in the President's fiscal year 2021 budget proposal. As part of our trust and treaty responsibilities, the U.S. Government has a legal responsibility to provide healthcare to Native Americans and Alaska Natives. Congress created the Indian Health System to carry out this obligation. The Indian Health System is made up of the Indian Health Service; Tribal health programs; and urban Indian organizations, known as UIOs. UIOs play a pivotal role in upholding the trust responsibility by providing culturally competent care to the over 70 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives who live in urban areas, like my district in Phoenix, Arizona. However, despite the pivotal role they play, UIOs are the only branch of the Indian Health System that are not currently eligible for liability coverage under the Federal Tort Claims Act, known as FTCA.…”