Subcommittees

Indian & Alaskan Native Affairs

Democratic Members of the Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs

Rep. Ben Ray Lujan(D-NM) Ranking Member 
Rep. Dale E. Kildee (D-MI)
Rep. Eni Faleomavaega (D-AS)
Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI)
Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva  (D-AZ)
Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) (ex officio)

 

As the lone subcommittee with exclusive jurisdiction over Indian and Alaska Native issues in the House of Representatives, the Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs oversees matters ranging from natural resources and land management, ownership, and leasing to Indian healthcare, tribal criminal justice, development of reservation economies, and enhancement of social welfare and improvement of energy efficiency and renewable energy development initiatives on tribal lands. With the Subcommittee's broad jurisdiction, Democrats are dedicated to protecting tribal sovereign authority over lands and natural resources and to empowering tribal governments with enhanced self-governance authorities while honoring the federal trust relationship between the United States and Native nations and peoples.

The Subcommittee has specific jurisdiction over the following federal agencies:

Bureau of Indian Affairs: founded in 1824, originally under the War Department; manages relations with the 565 federally recognized American Indian Tribes and 55 million surface acres as well as 57 million acres of subsurface mineral reserves held in trust by the United States for Native American tribes.

Department of the Interior: founded in 1849 by President Zachary Taylor; manages the land, water, and mineral resources of the United States as well as oversees American Indian affairs.

Specific Topics Include: