The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs will hold a nomination hearing on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at 10 a.m. EDT to consider Mark Cruz, a citizen of the Klamath Tribes, for the position of director of the Indian Health Service (IHS) within the Department of Health and Human Services.
The White House announced on Monday, June 1, Cruz’s nomination to serve a four-year term as director of the Indian Health Service.
The IHS director position has been vacant since the start of the second Trump administration, following the resignation of former Director Roselyn Tso (Navajo) at the end of the Biden administration.
Cruz currently serves as senior advisor to Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He was sworn into the newly created senior advisor position in June 2025, becoming one of the highest-ranking Native officials within HHS.
Cruz has also received an endorsement from the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).
NCAI cited his extensive federal experience, including his current role as senior advisor to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his previous service as deputy assistant secretary for Indian Affairs for Policy and Economic Development at the Department of the Interior under former Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney.
“During his time at HHS, Mr. Cruz has strongly advocated for the interests of American Indians and Alaska Natives, overseeing a Presidential Budget that requests historic increases in appropriations to IHS of nearly $1 billion, assisting with the mobilization of more than 70 Public Health Service officers from the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps to IHS facilities across the country, and working to reduce barriers preventing Tribal Nations from developing health responses that take into account the unique needs and traditional practices of the community,” NCAI said in a statement.
If confirmed, Cruz will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of comprehensive and culturally respectful healthcare services to approximately 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives across the United States.
