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- By Native News Online Staff
WASHINGTON — In addition to articles already covered by Native News Online, here is a roundup of other news released from Washington, D.C. that impacts Indian Country recently.
Legislation to Make it Easier for IHS to Recruit and Retain Doctors Introduced
On Wednesay, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), a tribal citizen of the Cherokee Nation and the only Native American in the Senate, reintroduced their bipartisan legislation to make it easier for Indian Health Services (IHS) to recruit and retain medical workers. Specifically, this legislation, the IHS Workforce Parity Act, improves health care in tribal communities by allowing providers working part-time to access IHS scholarship and loan repayment programs.
Last Congress, this bill passed the Senate unanimously but did not receive a vote in the House of Representatives.
Historically, IHS has a 25% vacancy rate for health care providers, and the IHS Workforce Parity Act would help attract new doctors and nurses to both the agency and Tribal health facilities that serve over 2.5 million American Indian and Alaskan Native Tribal members.
“The severe shortage of IHS health care providers poses a threat to the quality of care that Nevadans in Tribal communities receive. That is unacceptable,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “It is time for Congress to come together to pass my common sense, bipartisan legislation and provide real solutions for Indian Country.”
“I am confident our legislation will help address the current difficulty IHS is facing in recruiting and retaining health care professionals,” Sen. Mullin said. “Rural health care providers like IHS have unique staffing needs, and our bill offers a flexible, cost-effective solution to ensure IHS maintains a competitive edge when considering new recruits. In strengthening the workforce, IHS can ensure a proper quality of care to their patients and improve patient outcomes.”
Demcrats in Congress Condemn Indian Affairs Hiring Freeze & Firings
Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), the top Democrats on the subcommittees that oversee funding for the Department of the Interior (DOI), demanded the Trump Administration immediately reinstate terminated Indian Affairs employees, lift the hiring freeze, and officially rescind the deferred resignation and early retirement offers. As Ranking Members of the Senate and House Interior Appropriations Subcommittees, Merkley and Pingree wrote to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum urging the Administration to instead work to strengthen and grow the Indian Affairs staff to best meet the needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives in accordance with our treaty and trust obligations.
“Without the necessary staff to fulfill federal obligations, Indigenous communities will face the loss of vital services, meaning services for law enforcement, tribal courts, natural resource management, education, firefighters, and road maintenance. These are services that are critical for any community to function effectively,” Pingree and Merkley wrote.
The lawmakers underscored that funding for programs across Indian country has been plagued by staff vacancies and skills gaps and that additional staff are needed to address current challenges.
“Any efforts to diminish already understaffed and underfunded programs further exacerbates already dire conditions in many Tribal communities who rely on services provided by Indian Affairs for their daily existence,” they wrote. “When this is paired with the illegal freeze of federal funds that are owed to Tribes to reimburse them for services already performed and the inability of Tribes to draw down their funds, it jeopardizes the way of life and well-being of Native communities.”
“The actions of this Administration endanger the sovereign-to-sovereign relationship the federal government has with Tribal Nations,” Pingree and Merkley said. “The federal government must honor its trust responsibility to Tribal Nations. We urge you to revoke all personnel and funding actions that have been initiated and that have already been so detrimental. The well-being of millions of Native Americans and Alaska Natives are in jeopardy.”
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