Senate Committee on Indian Affairs sets hearing on water rights

Indianz.Com > News > Senate Committee on Indian Affairs sets hearing on water rights

A view of the Colorado River near Page, Arizona. Photo: Oleg Chursin

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

Indianz.Com

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is meeting to focus on tribal water rights, including a bill to settle a long-running dispute in Arizona.

At an oversight hearing and legislative hearing on Wednesday afternoon, the committee will take testimony about tribal water rights in general. The Department of the Interior is sending an official to discuss the policy of President Donald Trump and his administration.

The committee is also taking testimony on S.953, the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025. The bipartisan bill settles the water rights of the Hopi Tribe, the Navajo Nation and the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe in the Colorado River basin in northeastern Arizona.

“This is a historic moment for the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe. After years of hard work and collaboration, we’re delivering a water settlement that secures reliable, clean water and strengthens Tribal sovereignty,” said Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona), who introduced S.953 a year ago on March 11, 2025.

“I’m proud to have worked alongside Tribal leaders and introduced this legislation last year and I will keep working with my colleagues to get this done and deliver on our promises to these communities,” Kelly added.

Arizona Mirror: Bipartisan bill provides $5.1 billion for tribal water settlement

The Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act addresses the water rights of the Hopi Tribe, the Navajo Nation and the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe.

Indianz.Com

The hearing takes place at 2:30pm Eastern in Room 628 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building. The witness list follows:

PANEL 1
The Honorable Mark Kelly
Senator from Arizona
Sponsor of S.953

PANEL 2
Mr. Scott Cameron
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Water and Science
Exercising the Delegated Authority of Commissioner
Bureau of Reclamation
Department of the Interior
Washington, DC

The Honorable Buu Nygren
President
Navajo Nation
Window Rock, Arizona

The Honorable Lamar Keevama
Chairman
Hopi Tribe
Kykotsmovi Village, Arizona

The Honorable Johnny Lehi Jr.
Vice President
San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe
Tuba City, Arizona

The hearing will be broadcast at indian.senate.gov. The stream goes live shortly before the start of the hearing on Wednesday.

The committee’s last major water rights hearings took place in July 2024 and September 2024, during the 118th Congress. A prior version of the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act was being considered at that time.

At the hearings, officials from the administration of then-president Joe Biden, a Democrat, expressed support for settling tribal water rights claims, calling it part of the trust and treaty obligations of the United States government.

Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Notice

Oversight Hearing on “Examining Federal Policies Governing Indian Water Rights Settlements,” and Legislative Hearing to receive testimony on S. 953, Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025 (March 11, 2026)