U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today called for a United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing to discuss ongoing concerns between Montana tribes, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Indian Health Service (IHS).
“Repeatedly Montana tribes have expressed to me substantial concern that Indian Health Service is mismanaged and unresponsive. This is completely unacceptable. Reported delays in providing care, lost health care forms, and use of the wrong equipment have all stood in the way of the United States fulfilling its healthcare obligations to tribal nations. I have heard similar concerns related to bureaucratic delays, lack of responsiveness, and other issues with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. BIA programs are not meeting the needs of Indian country and we need to investigate how BIA services could be improved and managed more effectively,” Daines wrote.
“These issues need to be addressed in a public hearing. Bureaucracy has failed our tribes, and it is time that the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs provides additional and thorough oversight and allows questions to be publicly answered,” Daines continued.
Read the full letter Daines sent to Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Chairman Brian Schatz and Vice Chairman Lisa Murkowski HERE.
Contact: Rachel Dumke, Blake Kernen