Tom Udall

We need you to come back and talk to us and give us the specifics here.

I'd like your commitment that you will provide the report that this subcommittee requested on time...

I can't emphasize enough how important it is to address any remaining issues at the Gallup Indian Medical Center and address them promptly and completely.

Should CMS identify additional deficiencies, how will you pay for the needed improvements?

Thank you, Madam Chair.

And I would just emphasize again, I mean, I've heard from many of my Tribes, and I would just add--like to add several letters from my pueblos to the record, Madam Chair.

As one pueblo leader recently reminded me, community health representatives come from the communities they serve, which means that they have the necessary cultural understanding to identify and respond to their members.

And let me just emphasize what was said earlier. You know, last year we all requested this information when it came to these Medicaid cuts and the impact repealing the Affordable Care Act would have.

I think it's important for you and your team to educate them on how the Indian Health Service has really been lifted up by the Affordable Care Act.

Medicaid is not a substitute for full funding for IHS, but until we can address funding shortfalls in the Service, Medicaid is one of the most important stopgaps we have.

We just need to make sure they don't try to head down that road.

Did you believe--do you believe that the Federal programs or policies undertaken for the benefit of Tribes are race-based?

I need, and the Tribes are rightfully demanding, more assurances that the administration understands the Federal Government's unique trust relationship with American Indians and Alaska Natives.

I think the reality is that this quality of care--and I wouldn't call it quality, I would say it's a shameful quality of care--has gone on for far too long.

We really appreciate that comment. We are working to try to make exactly what you discussed happen.

If you cannot identify those 13, you should get with them and find out what those 13 are.

More recently, President Trump and Secretary DeVos announced the formation of a Federal Commission on School Safety.

We all know how important emergency response coordination is to ensure unfortunate events do not escalate into tragedies.

This is a tremendously important subject for Indian Country, having our schools be safe and having kids feel safe in schools.

Thank you for that answer.

The federal government has a responsibility to support these schools.

I appreciated your recognition of the importance of Amtrak for rural communities.

You committed to providing that report. Please do so immediately.

Yes. And yet you have represented during your testimony today a number of times that you would answer our questions, answer our letters.

Time and again we see public health and safety precautions taking a back seat while corporate friends and donors get special attention.