New member of Trump team makes first appearance on Capitol Hill

Tuesday, August 21, 2018  

A new member of the Trump administration's Indian Affairs team is making her public debut this week.

Jeannie Hovland, a citizen of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, will testify before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on Wednesday. The hearing marks the first time she's appeared on Capitol Hill since being sworn in as Commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans.

It's also the first time Hovland has appeared before the committee, period. Unlike her predecessors in the Barack Obama, the George W. Bush and the Bill Clinton administrations, she never had to endure a confirmation hearing. Her nomination was instead treated as "privileged," meaning she was able to be approved for the post on an expedited basis.

As a result, Hovland never publicly outlined her priorities for the Administration for Native Americans, a key agency at the Department of Health and Human Services that deals with programs like Native language preservation, economic development and Native youth empowerment.

But Wednesday's hearing finally gives Hovland a chance to share her goals in an open setting. The committee will be looking at Native language revitalization efforts that are taking place in communities across the nation.

"I have admired ANA’s work in Indian Country for a long time, and my initial time with staff has only strengthened my admiration for their passion and determination to make a positive difference," Hovland said in her first blog post last month.

The hearing takes place on Wednesday at 2:15pm Eastern in Room 628 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building. It will be broadcast on the committee's website.

The full witness list follows:

THE HONORABLE JEANNIE HOVLAND, Commissioner, Administration for Native Americans, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC

· THE HONORABLE JESSIE BAIRD, Vice Chairwoman, Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribe, Mashpee, MA

· MS. NAMAKA RAWLINS, Director, Strategic Partnerships and Collaboration, Aha Punana Leo, Hilo, HI

· DR. CHRISTINE SIMS, Director, American Indian Language Policy Research and Teacher Training Center, Albuquerque, NM

· MS. LAUREN E. HUMMINGBIRD, Graduate, Tsalagi Tsunadeloquasdi, Cherokee Nation Immersion School, Tahlequah, OK

Oversight Hearing on “Examining Efforts to Maintain and Revitalize Native Languages for Future Generations.” (August 22, 2018)

Senate confirms Indian nominee without so much as a confirmation hearing (June 21, 2018)
Winnebago Tribe works to revitalize Ho-Chunk language for future generations (May 10, 2018)
Top Indian positions in Trump administration remain without leaders (February 20, 2018)