Joe Garcia: “What you have are children fleeing violence, fleeing poverty, and trying to reunite with their families.”

The BIE cannot be trusted to provide a safe environment for our children in the learning environment.

We urge the Subcommittee to demand that the Department of the Interior commit to abide by the wishes of the tribal government when it comes to re-opening schools.

The plight of the indigenous peoples and the dire need for both Federal investment in our Tribal Nations is personal to me.

I am encouraged by Committee Chairman DeFazio's announcement last week of a transformational five-year, $760 billion investment in infrastructure.