Dusty Johnson: “In 1961, South Dakota's Ben Reifel became our Nation's first Lakota Indian in Congress. He grew up dirt poor in a log…”

“In 1961, South Dakota's Ben Reifel became our Nation's first Lakota Indian in Congress. He grew up dirt poor in a log cabin in rural Todd County. He dropped out after eighth grade but later graduated from South Dakota State and from Harvard. Ben Reifel was respected in this Chamber. That gentleman was respected in Indian Country. You see, throughout his career at the Bureau of Indian Affairs and for a decade here in Congress, he worked tirelessly to further economic opportunity for American Indians. Ben Reifel celebrated education, hard work, and self-determination. Yesterday, I filed a bill asking that Ben Reifel's name be placed on the Mission Post Office. It is my hope that young American Indian boys and girls will see that name and realize that great American leaders have come, and will come again, from that place. ____________________”