Senate Committee on Indian Affairs gains Republican leader

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Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). Photo: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

By Acee Agoyo

Indianz.Com

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs has a new chair for the 119th Congress now that Republicans are in control of the chamber.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) was approved as chair of the committee on Tuesday. She previously served as chair and was the first woman to serve as vice chair of the legislative panel with jurisdiction over Indian issues.

“Since joining the Senate in 2002, Senator Murkowski has earned a reputation in the Senate for her ability to work collaboratively and across the aisle to reach common sense solutions,” the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) said in recognizing the Republican lawmaker with the Denali Award, the organization’s highest honor for non-Native advocates.

“Murkowski is well-known for her love and dedication to her state, always putting Alaska first,” AFN said during its annual convention last October. Murkowski addressed the convention on October 19, 2024.

Every AFN is special. But this year’s convention was especially meaningful to me. It was a tremendous honor to be selected as this year’s recipient of the Denali Award. The friendship and mentorship I have received from countless members of the Alaska Native community over the… pic.twitter.com/8VNt9dxmex
— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) October 22, 2024

As chair, Murkowski leads all hearings and meetings of the committee. She will also exert a key role in reviewing any of president-elect Donald Trump’s nominees for Indian affairs positions — namely, the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior.

Murkowski, who is serving her fourth full term in the U.S. Senate, has already shown her willingness to stand up for Alaska. Last month, she said she opposes Trump’s effort to change the Native language name of Denali, the tallest mountain in North America.

“You can’t improve upon the name that Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans bestowed on North America’s tallest peak, Denali — the Great One,” Murkowski said in a news release on December 23, 2024.

“For years, I advocated in Congress to restore the rightful name for this majestic mountain to respect Alaska’s first people who have lived on these lands for thousands of years,” Murkowski added. “This is an issue that should not be relitigated.”

There is only one name worthy of North America’s tallest mountain: Denali – the Great One.https://t.co/eT248xLxJC
— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) December 23, 2024

The Senate approved Murkowski as chair of the Indian Affairs Committee through passage of S.Res.16 on Tuesday. The resolution confirmed that Republicans hold a majority of six seats on the panel, up from five during the 118th Congress.

The Republican members of the panel for the 119th Congress follow:

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) – Chair
Sen. John Hoeven (R-North Dakota)
Sen. Steve Daines (R-Montana)
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma)
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota)
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas)

The Senate also approved S.Res.17 on Tuesday, naming the Democratic members of legislative panels. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) will serve as vice chair following his stint as chair during the 118th Congress.

Democrats are losing one seat on the committee now that they are the minority party in the Senate. The Democratic members of Indian Affairs for the 119th Congress follow:

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) – Vice Chair
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington)
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada)
Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minnesota)
Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs meets in Room 628 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building. The panel has not publicly announced its first event of the 119th Congress.