WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaiʻi), vice chairman, will hold an oversight hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. ET. The hearing is titled: “Economic Self-Determination in Action: Examining the Small Business Administration Native 8(a) Program.”
The hearing will examine the Small Business Administration’s Native 8(a) Business Development Program and its role in promoting economic self-determination for Native communities across the U.S.
This hearing will be held at a different day and time than the committee’s standard schedule.
Expert witnesses include:
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The Hon. Chuck Hoskin Jr., Principal Chief, Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah, Okla.
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Katherine Carlton, president, Chugach Alaska Corporation; policy chair, Native American Contractors Association, Anchorage, Alaska
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Polly Watson, vice president of operations, Bristol Bay Native Corporation, Anchorage, Alaska
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Cariann Ah Loo, president, Native Hawaiian Organizations Association, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
The hearing will be webcast live on the committee’s website, with archived video available shortly after the session concludes. Witness testimonies will also be posted on the committee’s website at the start of the hearing.
Event Details
What: Oversight hearing: Economic Self-Determination in Action: Examining the Small Business Administration Native 8(a) Program
When: Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. ET
Where: Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 628, Washington, D.C.
Webcast live on the committee’s website