I would also like to thank the staff for this Committee, who toured the health facilities on the Colville Reservation last year and heard directly from our staff about the challenges they face in providing care to our members.

I would encourage you to ask the others who are going to testify today about what consultation has been in the past.

The bill contains several meaningful provisions and ensures that the agency's employees are held accountable.

We have to acknowledge that to bring about a true transformation at IHS facilities, we need to start funding IHS at an appropriate level.

I introduced the Helping Ensure Accountability, Leadership, and Trust in Tribal Healthcare Act.

I want to acknowledge our South Dakota Congresswoman, Mrs. Kristi Noem, and our gratitude for her reaching out to us on working together on creating this legislation.

I believe that is why you see HHS on the ground today in South Dakota, because even in light of what has happened in the last couple of years, IHS still has not made the changes that they promised to us that they would make.

IHS has been shamefully underfunded for years, and the President's proposed FY2018 budget looks to cut another $59 million.

to amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to improve the recruitment and retention of employees in the Indian Health Service, restore accountability in the Indian Health Service, improve health services, and for other purposes

Letter from Chairman William Bear Shield, Rosebud Sioux Tribe to the Hon. Kristi Noem dated June 20, 2017.

I want to thank the chairman also for bringing up this important issue today. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 1370, the Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign Authorization Act. A few years ago, law enforcement officers…

It is no surprise that the Democrats today are upset, that they are complaining that they don't like this bill, because their number one goal all along, and I have heard them say it to me in conversations over the years, their number one…

if this country doesn't feed ourselves, then we're dependent on another country, then they control us

I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 337, the Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act. I thank the chairman of the committee and his staff for working so hard to move this bill through…

I thank the chairman for yielding to me today. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in support of S. 3395, the Prescribed Burn Approval Act. This is a commonsense bill that will prohibit the U.S. Forest Service from authorizing prescribed burns in…

I, personally, thank the chairman for considering this important bill, and I thank Representative Schakowsky for being willing to pursue policies such as this and get them signed into statute. That is the only way we can really be assured…

For me, I am from South Dakota and a small business owner, and I don't know if the same program would work for South Dakota that would work in New York or California or Florida or Illinois.

Representative Noem recently introduced H.R. 5437 to implement such a program, and we suggest that the provisions of H.R. 5437 be incorporated into H.R. 5406 to require random drug testing not just for IHS management, but for all IHS…

So, that was on your watch.

Money alone will not fix the problems.

That is how crazy that thing is. That is another bill that I need your help getting done, too, that is devastating.

the bill that Mr. Bear Shield was talking about is one that penalizes tribal businesses for not complying with the Obamacare mandate, which our tribal businesses should not be bound to.

What happened yesterday is yesterday. What is going to happen tomorrow is what we have a role in trying to do.

For 7 months the emergency department has been closed.

The Oglala Sioux Tribe thanks Chairman Young, Ranking Member Ruiz, members of the subcommittee and, in particular, Representative Noem for their leadership on this issue.