Senate Committee on Indian Affairs schedules two hearings on federal programs

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The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs last held a hearing in Washington, D.C., on July 17, 2025. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Thursday, September 4, 2025

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The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is gettng back to work following the long summer break of the 119th Congress.

The committee has scheduled two hearings, both taking place next week. The first one, on September 10, focuses on Indian programs at the Department of Energy.

The second hearing takes place on September 17. It focuses on the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, which became law 50 years ago in 1975, and its impact on federal programs at the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Indian Health Service (IHS), which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Both hearings are scheduled to take place at 2:30pm Eastern in Room 628 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building in Washington, D.C. Witness lists have not been posted online as of Thursday afternoon.

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The committee’s last hearing in D.C. took place on July 17. It focused on the nomination of William “Billy” Kirkland, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, to serve as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, a political position at DOI.

Before that, the committee took testimony on federal programs at HHS on May 14. The hearing focused on agencies besides the IHS.

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Senate Committee on Indian Affairs: Roundtable titled “The Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children: Examining Draft Legislation Related to The Way Forward Report”

The U.S. Senate then went on recess for the month of August 2025. But the committee held a field roundtable in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 14 to discuss draft legislation based on the work of the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children. [The Native Children’s Commission Implementation Act of 2025: Discussion Draft | Section-by-Section Analysis]

The Senate returned to work in D.C. on September 2.

Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Notices

Oversight Hearing entitled “Unleashing Indian Energy – Examining Federal Programs at the U.S. Department of Energy” (September 10, 2025)
Oversight Hearing entitled “Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act Successes and Opportunities at the Department of the Interior and the Indian Health Service” (September 17, 2025)