Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Indian and Insular Affairs
Natural Resources Committee Approves Resolution Authorizing Chair to Issue Subpoenas, Bills to Increase Access to Clean Water
Washington D.C. - The House Natural Resources Committee today voted to grant Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) the authority to issue subpoenas, and approved several water and energy bills. "This Committee, regardless of who is in power, cannot be an inconvenience to whatever administration happens to be in power," Chair Grijalva said. "And we have never confronted an administration like the Trump administration that sees the role of this branch of government as irrelevant and inconvenien… Continue Reading
01.09.20
Grijalva Demands Answers, Calls Out Homeland Security for Advancing Border Wall Without Consulting Tohono O’odham Nation
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) sent a letter to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf expressing concern that the agency's failure to consult with the Tohono O'odham Nation on the construction of the border wall is disrespectful and threatens tribal lands and sacred sites. Among other sites at risk, the Trump administration's planned border wall runs close to Quitobaquito Spring in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, which is of great cultural and histori… Continue Reading
12.05.19
Natural Resources Committee Advances Bills to Protect Native Women, Children and Families, Designate Wilderness, and Recover Wildlife
Washington D.C. - Today Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) led a Committee markup to advance key Natural Resources priorities, including bills to protect Native women, children and families from violence. Among other measures, the Committee approved H.R. 3977, sponsored by Committee Vice Chair Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.), which expands the jurisdiction of tribal courts to prosecute non-Native perpetrators who commit crimes of sexual violence on tribal lands, and H.R. 4957, sponsored by Subco… Continue Reading
11.19.19
Committee Reviews Broken Promises Report That Links Chronic Underfunding to Poor Outcomes in Indian Country
Washington D.C. - Today the House Natural Resources Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States held an oversight hearing to review the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights report Broken Promises: Continuing Federal Funding Shortfall for Native Americans. The report, released in December of 2018, confirms what tribes across the country already know: that the federal government is not meeting its trust responsibilities and that federal agency spending in Indian country is woefully inadequ… Continue Reading
09.30.19
Chair Grijalva Hosting Forum This Wednesday in Northern Arizona With Navajo Uranium Miners on Tribal Land
Washington D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) is hosting a forum on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 9:00 a.m. Arizona time to discuss the future of uranium mining. What: Forum with Navajo uranium miners Where: Navajo Education Center, 1 Morgan Blvd. Window Rock, Ariz. When: Oct. 2 at 9:00 a.m. Arizona time Panelists: Navajo uranium miners and family members Members of the community Health care "I met a Navajo uranium miner this summer and was moved by the strength it took to… Continue Reading
09.20.19
NEXT WEEK: Full Committee Markup, Full Committee Joint Hearing, Several Legislative and Oversight Hearings
Washington, D.C. - The Committee on Natural Resources is hosting five hearings next week, including a joint hearing between the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Foreign Affairs on Sustaining U.S. Pacific Insular Relationships. Energy and Mineral Resources Legislative Hearing: Fossil Fuel Development: Protecting Taxpayers and Eliminating Industry Giveaways When: Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time Where: 1324 Longworth House Office Building Bills Considered … Continue Reading
06.05.19
Leading Democrats Urge Environmental Protections at Grand Canyon, Chaco Culture Historical Park as Trump Administration Considers More Extraction
Washington, D.C. - At today’s recently concluded hearing on protecting Arizona and New Mexico from pollution by extractive industries, Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) urged the House and Senate to pass his Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act (H.R. 1373), which sets a permanent moratorium on new mining claims on approximately 1 million acres north and south of Grand Canyon National Park. The bill is especially timely given the Department of Commerce’s June 4 recommendations to further deregul… Continue Reading
06.04.19
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Chair Grijalva, Dem Lawmakers, Tribal Leaders and Advocates Call for Grand Canyon Protections Ahead of Wednesday Hearing
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) spoke today alongside other leading Democratic lawmakers, Native American leaders, and Arizona conservationists and businesspeople on the need to pass the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act, Grijalva's bill to establish a permanent moratorium on new mining claims around the Grand Canyon. The event comes a day before Wednesday's hearing on the bill at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time in the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public L… Continue Reading
05.22.19
Chair Grijalva Cheers Environmental Funding Bills as House Appropriators Provide Strong Conservation Support, Oversight of Trump Admin Efforts
Washington D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today thanked the House Appropriations Committee for increasing environmental funding in a pair of fiscal year 2020 appropriations bills, which now head to the House floor. The Committee's just-approved bills - one for Interior, Environment and Related Agencies and the other for Commerce, Justice and Science - provide crucial funding support for Department of the Interior and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conservation an… Continue Reading
05.16.19
Tribal Witnesses Emphasize Spiritual and Cultural Significance of Grizzly Bears, Champion Grijalva Bill to Guarantee Tribal Input on Grizzly Management
Washington, D.C. - Yesterday's Water, Oceans, and Wildlife Subcommittee legislative hearing featured powerful testimony from Native American tribal witnesses on the profound significance of grizzly bears to tribal culture and tribal support for Chair Raúl M. Grijalva's (D-Ariz.) Tribal Heritage and Grizzly Bear Protection Act. Grijalva's bill ensures that grizzly bears are permanently protected for their ecological and cultural value and guarantees Native American tribes a role in conser… Continue Reading
05.16.19
Chair Grijalva: Secretary Bernhardt “Not Losing Sleep” Over Climate Change Concerns Me – and So Does His Lack of Transparency With Congress
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today said he is seriously concerned about the direction of the Department of the Interior (DOI) following Interior Secretary David Bernhardt's testimony yesterday, his first before the Committee since taking the top post. Bernhardt revealed his total lack of concern about climate change during his appearance, telling the Committee he has "not lost any sleep" over the issue despite recent news that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are t… Continue Reading
05.15.19
Chair Grijalva Hails Historic House Passage of Bills to Update Native Tribal Recognition Process, Protect Mashpee Tribe After Years of Republican Inaction
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today hailed House passage of a pair of bills affirming Native American tribal land rights, including Rep. Tom Cole's (R-Okla.) measure to resolve a decade-long conflict over the fate of more than 1 million acres of potential tribal trust land instigated by a widely criticized 2009 Supreme Court ruling. Grijalva's remarks in favor of both bills on the House floor are available at http://bit.ly/2WKxYut. The votes come a week after Presid… Continue Reading
05.08.19
Chair Grijalva: President Trump’s Racist Tweet Just Delayed a Pair of Bills to Help Indian Country – Republicans Who Got Cold Feet Should Expect a Vote
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said today that he will pursue other means of passing a pair of bills to help Indian Country after they were pulled from consideration by the House of Representatives in the wake of President Trump's racist tweet and subsequent Republican opposition to the measures. The House was scheduled to vote on Rep. Bill Keating's (D-Mass.) H.R. 312, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act, and Rep. Tom Cole's (R-Okla.) H.R. 375, … Continue Reading
05.08.19
Chair Grijalva: More Federally Protected Areas at Risk as Trump Admin Destroys Whole Communities, Public Lands to Build Unpopular Border Wall
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today released the following statement on the news that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) plans to build or extend bollard fencing along the vast majority of the southern boundaries of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, and San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge - three federally protected sites - as part of its plan to construct President Trump's unpopular, needlessly destructive border … Continue Reading
05.07.19
Chair Grijalva Introduces “Tribal Heritage and Grizzly Bear Protection Act” Ahead of Expected Federal Ruling on Endangered Species Act Protections
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today introduced the Tribal Heritage and Grizzly Bear Protection Act, which ensures that grizzly bears are permanently protected for their ecological and cultural value and guarantees Native American tribes a role in conserving and managing the species. Grizzly bears are considered sacred by many tribes, but only a small fraction of historic grizzly populations now exist in the lower 48 states. The bill, listed as H.R. 2532, is availabl… Continue Reading
05.01.19
First Markup of 116th Congress Showcases Dem Priorities: Ending Arctic Refuge Drilling, Supporting Tribes, Reclaiming Abandoned Mine Lands
Washington, D.C. - The first House Natural Resources Committee markup of the 116th Congress, which concluded moments ago, showcased a wide range of Democratic priorities and sometimes offered a stark contrast with Committee Republicans' environmental thinking. Among other bills, the Committee passed Rep. Jared Huffman's (D-Calif.) bipartisan proposal to cancel the oil and gas program in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which was opened thanks to an amendment by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)… Continue Reading
04.16.19
After Democratic Site Tour of Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Chair Grijalva Declares “No Compromise” on Protecting Sacred Sites From Trump Agenda
Santa Fe, N.M. - After touring Chaco Culture National Historical Park, which included hearing from tribal and elected leaders about the risks to the site from nearby oil and gas drilling, Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) vowed aggressive, continuous oversight of the Trump administration's industry dominance agenda and its impact on sacred Native American sites around the country. The visit, Grijalva said, underscored the need for the Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act, which wi… Continue Reading
04.15.19
Chair Grijalva Invites Secretary Bernhardt to Testify by May 15 on Interior Policies and Ethical Concerns, Says Delays No Longer Acceptable
Washington, D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) today sent a letter to Interior Secretary David Bernhardt inviting him to testify before the Committee on May 15 on the Department of the Interior's (DOI) policies and priorities, as well as issues raised by recent revelations regarding the Secretary's schedule and record-keeping. The letter comes after several months of correspondence and staff-level discussion between the Committee and Bernhardt's office. "Secretary Bernhardt has bee… Continue Reading
04.15.19
After New Mexico Witnesses Speak Out Against Health, Environmental Impacts of Runaway Oil and Gas Industry, Chair Grijalva Eyes New Federal Limits
Santa Fe, N.M. - Following a recently concluded public hearing at which New Mexicans from all walks of life testified to the severe health and environmental damage being done by fossil fuel companies, Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) said new federal restrictions on oil and gas may be necessary given the industry's wasteful practices and continued appetite for extraction at any cost. As Chair Grijalva, Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Committee Vice Chair Deb Haaland (D-N.… Continue Reading
04.04.19
VIDEO: Chair Grijalva Speaks on ‘Violence Against Women Act’ Amendments to Protect Native Women, Reverse Lack of Federal Prosecutions
Washington D.C. - Chair Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) yesterday introduced two bipartisan amendments to the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019, which just passed the House of Representatives. Video of Grijalva's remarks in favor of both amendments is available at https://bit.ly/2FMnrYx. Grijalva's first amendment expands the definition of domestic violence in the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968, as amended by the bill, to include violence against or witnessed by a child und… Continue Reading