Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Indian and Insular Affairs
Ranking Member Grijalva Delivers Remarks at Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument Designation
Red Butte Airfield, Ariz. – This afternoon, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) delivered remarks at President Biden’s designation of nearly 1 million acres as the new Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in the Red Butte Airfield in Arizona. CLICK HERE for Ranking Member Grijalva’s earlier statement on the announcement of the new national monument. Transcript of Ranking… Continue Reading
08.08.23
Ranking Member Grijalva Hails New Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, Thanks Tribes for Tireless Efforts
Washington, D.C. – House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today celebrated news that President Joe Biden will use his authorities under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to designate public lands in the Grand Canyon region as the new Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. The designation is the result of a decades-long effort by the tribes of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition, with the support of en… Continue Reading
07.31.23
Ranking Member Grijalva Applauds Secretary Granholm for Announcing $450 Million for Rooftop Solar and Storage in Puerto Rico
Washington, D.C. – House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Granholm’s announcement of up to $453.5 million in funding opportunities from the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund (PR-ERF). The funding is part of the $1 billion that Ranking Member Grijalva proposed and helped secure in last year’s omnibus funding bill for rooftop solar and battery storage for l… Continue Reading
07.31.23
Grijalva, Congressional Delegation Representing U.S. Territories Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Place Insular Areas Advisors in Federal Agencies
Washington, D.C. – Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and congressional representatives for the U.S. Territories—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)—announced the introduction of H.R. 5001, the bipartisan Special Advisors for Insular Areas Act, which would establish a Special Advisor for Insular Ar… Continue Reading
06.14.23
Ranking Member Grijalva Announces New Subcommittee Staff Director for Indian Affairs
Washington, D.C. – House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today announced Bobby Ahern as the new Subcommittee Staff Director for Indian Affairs on the Indian and Insular Affairs Subcommittee. Brian Modeste remains the Subcommittee Staff Director for Insular Affairs. Ahern, a member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs in Oregon, comes to the Committee from Senator Ron Wyden’s (D-Ore.) office, where he has served as Senior Policy Adviso… Continue Reading
05.20.23
Interior Secretary Haaland Upholds Commitment to Visit Proposed Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument, Meets with Tribal Leaders
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. – Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and staff from Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s (I-Ariz.) office joined U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on a visit to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and the area that the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition has proposed for designation as the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. Secretary Haaland accepted Ranking Membe… Continue Reading
05.19.23
Ranking Member Grijalva, Sen. Heinrich Introduce Mining Reform Legislation to Protect Communities, Tribal Consultation, and Environment
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) today introduced House and Senate versions of the Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act to modernize the nation's severely antiquated Mining Law of 1872. The bills will address major environmental justice concerns, protect the environment, and ensure a fair return for the American people. Ranking Member Grijalva's Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act resources: BILL TEXT | SECTI… Continue Reading
05.09.23
Ranking Member Grijalva, Rep. Peltola, Rep. Gallego Discuss Importance of Indian Child Welfare Act with Expert Panel
Washington, D.C. – Today, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), joined by Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska) and Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), held a virtual roundtable to discuss the history and significance of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). The roundtable represents the first congressional effort to examine ICWA since the onset of recent litigation. CLICK HERE to watch a recording of the roundtable. Prior to passage of ICWA in 1978… Continue Reading
05.05.23
Ranking Member Grijalva, Rep. Newhouse Lead Resolution to Designate National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls
Washington, D.C. - Today, Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) led their House colleagues in introducing H. Res. 353, a resolution to designate May 5, 2023 as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. CLICK HERE for full text of the resolution. Data reveals that Indigenous communities experience violence at disproportionate rates in this country, which impacts women, girls, elders, and two-spirit relatives. T… Continue Reading
05.01.23
Government Watchdog Raises Alarm on Major Safety Issues at Detention Centers in Indian Country; Grijalva Warns Against Further Budget Cuts
Washington, D.C. - House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today issued the following statement on a newly released Management Advisory from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Inspector General (OIG) highlighting immediate health and safety concerns at detention facilities funded and/or operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The three specific facilities include the San Carlos Apache Adult/Juvenile Detention Center, the White Mount… Continue Reading
04.20.23
Ranking Member Grijalva, 14 Members Introduce Resolution Rejecting Insular Cases as Racist and Contrary to the Constitution
Washington, D.C. - Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today introduced a congressional resolution, with 14 other members of Congress, rejecting the early 20th century U.S. Supreme Court decisions referred to as the Insular Cases. The resolution argues that these cases rely on a racist, Plessy-era doctrine of “separate and unequal” to establish the relationship between the United States and its territories, made clear by the inclusion of deeply … Continue Reading
04.20.23
Líder de la minoría del Comité, Grijalva, Reps. González-Colón, Velázquez, Soto, Ocasio-Cortez, Hoyer, Torres presentan Ley para el Estatus de Puerto Rico
En una conferencia de prensa hoy, el líder de la minoría del Comité de Recursos Naturales Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) acompañado por los coauspiciadores originales, la representante Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.), la comisionada residente Jenniffer González-Colón (R- Puerto Rico), el representante Darren Soto (D-Fla.) y el representante Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), así como el gobernador de Puerto Rico, Pedro R. Pierluisi, para anunciar la re… Continue Reading
04.20.23
Ranking Member Grijalva, Reps. González-Colón, Velázquez, Soto, Ocasio-Cortez, Hoyer, Torres Introduce Puerto Rico Status Act
Washington, D.C. - At a press conference today, Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) was joined by original cosponsors Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.), Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón (R-Puerto Rico), Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.), and Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), as well as Governor of Puerto Rico Pedro R. Pierluisi, to announce the re-introduction of the Puerto Rico Status Act. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and R… Continue Reading
04.19.23
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