Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Indian and Insular Affairs
Interior Secretary Haaland Commits to Visiting Tribes’ Proposed Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument Area
Washington, D.C. – At today’s House Natural Resources Committee hearing, U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Deb Haaland accepted an invitation from Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) to visit the area that the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition has proposed for designation as the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. WATCH Secretary Haaland accept Ranking Member Grijalva’s invitation to visit the proposed Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah … Continue Reading
04.05.23
During National Public Health Week, Grijalva Introduces Bill to Extend Federal Health Benefits to Tribal University and Urban Health Care Employees
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today announced the introduction of H.R. 2376, which will extend federal employee health benefits (FEHB) to employees of Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). CLICK HERE for full bill text. H.R. 2376 takes an important step to increase health equity and address health disparities for tribal employees. Although employees at UIOs and TCUs are considered p… Continue Reading
03.24.23
Ranking Member Grijalva Applauds Court Ruling to Limit Funds Entitled to Bondholders in PREPA Bankruptcy Case
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain's Wednesday ruling that holders of Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) bonds do not have a secure claim to the utility's current and future revenue and are only entitled to the value of funds in existing PREPA reserve accounts. The U.S. District Court also ruled that bondholders had an unsecured claim to the … Continue Reading
03.07.23
Grijalva, Territorial Delegates Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Address Disparities in Data Collection for U.S. Territories
Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and the delegates of the five U.S. Territories-Rep. Aumua Amata Radewagen (R-American Samoa), Rep. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-CNMI), Rep. Jim Moylan (R-Guam), Rep. Jenniffer González Colón (R-Puerto Rico), and Rep. Stacey E. Plaskett (D-USVI)- introduced the bipartisan Territories Statistics Collection Equity Act to address disparities in available data and data collection methods relat… Continue Reading
02.07.23
Republican Majority Passes Industry Wish List Agenda, Rejects Amendments on Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Puerto Rico Recovery
Washington, D.C. – At this morning’s House Natural Resources Committee markup, the Republican majority voted to pass their Authorization and Oversight Plan for the 118th Congress, along party lines. The plan, as Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) pointed out in his opening statement, is a check list of the fossil fuel and mining industries biggest asks, including opening public lands and oceans to more drilling, stripping public input from permitting, and attacking e… Continue Reading
06.21.22
Chair Grijalva Celebrates Historic Tribal Co-Management Agreement for Bears Ears National Monument
Washington D.C. - At a ceremony today, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, and the five tribes that make up the Bears Ears Commission-the Hopi Tribe, the Navajo Nation, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, and the Pueblo of Zuni-signed an inter-governmental cooperative agreement to formalize their partnership to manage the 1.36 million acres of the Bears Ears National Monument. The five tribes have inhabited the region since ti… Continue Reading
06.21.22
Chair Grijalva Cheers the Appointment of Chief Lynn Malerba as U.S. Treasurer
Washington D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on President Biden's appointment of Chief Lynn Malerba of the Mohegan Tribe as Treasurer of the United States. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen made the announcement during a visit with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. Secretary Yellen's visit, which is focused on the Tribe's economic recovery since the pandemic and use of American Rescue Plan funds, marks the … Continue Reading
06.16.22
Chair Grijalva, Sen. Heinrich Introduce Two Bills to Elevate the Role of Tribal Nations, Protect Tribal Cultural Sites in Public Land Management
Washington D.C. – Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) today announced the introduction of two House and Senate companion bills to advance Tribal management of public lands and to improve protection of sacred and cultural sites: The Advancing Tribal Parity on Public Land Act and the Tribal Cultural Areas Protection Act. The full text of the Advancing Tribal Parity on Public Land Act is available here and the section-by-section is available here. A f… Continue Reading
12.10.21
Chair Grijalva Hails Passage of Bipartisan Package of Bills for Indian Country, Including Long-Awaited STOP Act
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) issued the following statement today on the bipartisan package of bills the House of Representatives approved in a series of votes over the last two weeks to address longstanding issues in Indian Country, including tribal cultural patrimony, the federal land into trust, and management of buffalo (also known as bison) on tribal lands. The package includes a bill by Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.) of the Subcommittee for Indi… Continue Reading
11.19.21
Grijalva Praises Sec. Haaland for Removing Outdated and Derogatory Place Names from Federal Lands
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) praised Interior Secretary Deb Haaland today for announcing that she will take action to remove derogatory names from federal lands. Secretary Haaland issued two Secretarial Orders that would immediately remove the word "squaw" from more than 650 federal sites and establish an Advisory Committee to solicit public input on the fate of other potentially offensive place names. "Today's decisions by Secretary Haaland are timely and welcome.… Continue Reading
11.19.21
Grijalva Praises Passage of Build Back Better Act, Cites Strong Environmental Provisions
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) issued the following statement following the House passage of the Build Back Better Act, highlighting the Act's strong conservation provisions, including funding for climate adaptation and firefighting, drought relief, and coastal restoration similar to the provisions passed by the Committee in September. Chair Grijalva noted the bill's strong investments in environmental justice and funding to increase community input on major federal … Continue Reading
11.17.21
Chair Grijalva Applauds New Biden Administration Initiatives Announced at White House Tribal Nations Summit
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today commended the Biden administration for several new initiatives that will help strengthen the federal government's relationship with tribal nations and advance equity for Indigenous Peoples in the United States. The new efforts were announced during the White House Tribal Nations Summit, which took place Monday and Tuesday of this week. The summit was the first formal convening of tribal leaders and agency officials hosted by the … Continue Reading
11.16.21
Grijalva Touts USGS Findings, Demonstration that Grand Canyon Withdrawal is Working, Calls for Permanent Withdrawal
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today hailed the release of a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report on uranium impacts to groundwater in the Grand Canyon region. The report found generally low concentrations of uranium but did identify uranium hotspots near active and abandoned uranium mining sites. Sampling sites in the Horn Creek Area, downstream from the abandoned Orphan Lode Mine, showed uranium concentrations nearly 10 times the Environmental Protection Agency's … Continue Reading
11.15.21
Chair Grijalva Applauds Historic Actions by Biden Administration on Chaco Canyon, MMIW Crisis
Washington, D.C. - Today, Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz) applauded several new Biden administration initiatives to strengthen the federal government’s nation-to-nation relationship with Tribal governments. President Biden announced these initiatives at the start of the two-day White House Tribal Nations Summit, the first formal convening of tribes by the U.S. government since 2016. The initiatives announced included a 20-year moratorium on oil and gas leasing on … Continue Reading
11.08.21
Grijalva Expresses Disappointment That COP26 Lacks Sufficient Indigenous Representation, Intends to Discuss the Issue When He Arrives
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) issued the following statement this morning before departing for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26. "The United Nations are, in some ways, repeating the same tragic mistakes that created the climate crisis to begin with," Grijalva said. "Climate change is the direct result of industrialized nations exploiting our world's natural resources and violently stealing land from Indigenous and poor peoples. … Continue Reading
11.02.21
Chair Grijalva Applauds Newly Released GAO Report on the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women Crisis
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) issued the following statement on the release of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report he and other members of Congress requested on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis. The GAO report found that MMIW cases are often underreported due to mistrust of law enforcement, a lack of intergovernmental coordination, and a shortage of accurate data. The report recommends several ways law enforcement agencies at the D… Continue Reading
10.07.21
Chair Grijalva Praises Biden Admin Move to Restore Original Boundaries, Protections for Bears Ears, Other National Monuments Trump Had Targeted
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today praised the Biden administration's decision to restore Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monuments. The move comes on the eve of Indigenous Peoples' Day on Monday, Oct. 11. President Biden's action reverses the Trump administration's illegal reduction of the national monuments, which remain the subject of ongoing litigation. Grijalva previously led an amicus brief with then-Senator U… Continue Reading
09.22.21
Chair Grijalva, Reps. Huffman and DeGette Lead 60 Members in Urging President Biden Support Repeal of Arctic Refuge Drilling Program in Build Back Better Act
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Reps. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) sent a letter today signed by 60 House Democrats to President Biden urging him to support the repeal of the oil and gas leasing program for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and a buyback of the leases issued in January 2021. The provision was recently passed through the House Natural Resources Committee in its portion of the larger Build Back Better Act. In December of 20… Continue Reading
06.09.21
Grijalva Welcomes News of Keystone Pipeline Termination, Thanks Native American and Environmental Activists Who Fought Dangerous Pipeline for Years
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement following the news that TC Energy, the Canadian company behind the Keystone XL Pipeline, will terminate the project. "The rushed approval of the Keystone Pipeline by the previous administration was a terrible idea," Chair Grijalva said. "I'm grateful for the tireless efforts of Native American communities, environmental justice groups and advocates that fought this dangerous… Continue Reading
06.01.21
Chair Grijalva Praises Biden Admin’s Suspension of Unjustified, Potentially Illegal Oil and Gas Leases in Arctic Refuge – “The Push to Drill Became a Scam”
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today praised the Biden administration's decision to suspend the oil and gas leases issued in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge), which was opened to drilling by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. The news was first reported by Politico this afternoon. The Trump administration sold and issued the leases on a needlessly rapid schedule, without adequate review of public input or environmental impacts, and those leases are now be… Continue Reading