{"id":12643,"date":"2021-06-09T09:33:57","date_gmt":"2021-06-09T13:33:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=12643"},"modified":"2021-06-09T10:51:51","modified_gmt":"2021-06-09T14:51:51","slug":"assistant-secretary-nominee-bryan-newland-vows-to-build-back-better-after-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/06\/09\/assistant-secretary-nominee-bryan-newland-vows-to-build-back-better-after-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Assistant Secretary nominee Bryan Newland vows to \u2018build back better\u2019 after COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Bryan<\/a> <\/div>\r\n
Bryan Newland. Photo: U.S. Department of the Interior<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n
Assistant Secretary nominee Bryan Newland vows to \u2018build back better\u2019 after COVID-19<\/div>\r\n
Bay Mills citizen comes directly from tribal government to Biden administration<\/div>\r\n
Wednesday, June 9, 2021<\/div>\r\n
By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n
Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n• LIVE at 2:30PM Eastern: Nomination Hearing<\/a><\/strong>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nWASHINGTON, D.C —\r\nIt’s a big day for Bryan Newland<\/a>, who has been nominated to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs<\/a> in the Joe Biden administration. \r\n

<\/p>\r\nNewland, a citizen of the Bay Mills Indian Community<\/a>, goes before the \r\nSenate Committee on Indian Affairs<\/a> for his nomination hearing on Wednesday afternoon<\/a>. He \r\nprepared an opening statement as part of the confirmation process, highlighting his goals and priorities should he be confirmed by the U.S. Senate<\/a>.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cIf confirmed, I will bring that perspective with me to the Department of the Interior. We must help Indian Country build back better after the pandemic,\u201d Newland says in his written testimony<\/a>. \u201cWe must also respond with urgency to the violence against Indigenous women and children. And we must lay the foundation for the next generation of Native children to succeed.\u201d \r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cI believe that tribal governments, rather than federal agencies, are best-suited to respond to the challenges their communities face,\u201d continues Newland, who currently serves as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior<\/a>. \u201cOur job is to be a collaborative trustee and ensure that Indian Country drives our work.\u201d\r\n

<\/P>\r\n \u201cWith your consent, I will be a leader for these important efforts,\u201d Newland tells the committee. \r\n

<\/p>\r\n

PDF: Bryan T. Newland, Nominee for Assistant Secretary \u2013 Indian Affairs<\/a><\/div>\r\n
newland060921<\/a><\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nNewland, an attorney, previously served at Interior during the Barack Obama administration. In his prepared remarks, he cites his efforts to help strengthen tribal sovereignty over their own homelands through laws like the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Home Ownership Act<\/a>, also known as the HEARTH Act.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cWe reformed leasing on Indian lands, putting timelines in place so that other families wouldn\u2019t have the same delays my parents faced,\u201d Newland states in reference to his upbringing on his tribe’s reservation in Michigan, where he lived in tribal housing before his family became the first in the community with a home mortgage backed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs<\/a>.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cWorking with this committee, we saw the bipartisan enactment and implementation of the HEARTH Act, putting tribes back in control of leasing and home mortgages on tribal lands,\u201d he says of his prior efforts at Interior.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n

\"HEARTH<\/a> President Barack Obama signs the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Home Ownership Act, also known as the HEARTH Act, into law at the White House on July 30, 2012. Bryan Newland, who was serving as a policy adviser at the Department of the Interior at the time, is seen on the far left.
Photo: Pete Souza \/ White House<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nAfter working in Washington, D.C, Newland returned to his tribal nation. He first served as chief judge of the Bay Mills Indian Community court system and then later as president, making him one of the few Assistant Secretary nominees to come directly from tribal government.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cI know first-hand the connection between public service and the lives of others,\u201d Newland observes. \u201cWhen you live with the people you serve, you cannot escape that connection \u2013 if you make a mistake, you see it (and, if you don\u2019t see it, there\u2019s sure to be an auntie or a friend to remind you).\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\nSo far, Newland’s nomination, which was formally announced on April 22<\/a>, has drawn nothing but praise from Indian Country. His successor at Bay Mills said he helped secure funding for a $15 million health care facility that will serve their region in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cWe are very proud of Bryan and his service to Indian Country,\u201d said Whitney Gravelle, who is leading an an executive council of all women for the first time in Bay Mills history. \u201cDuring his time as BMIC chairman, Bryan worked hard to represent and serve the interests of our community and our people. I believe he would be a valuable asset to the Department of Interior in this new role.\u201d\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cA great leader is not just someone who just makes decisions, but someone who believes in the potential of others, nurtures their ability, and helps them reach their own goals,\u201d Gravelle added<\/a> in her statement. \u201cGreat leaders nurture other leaders. Bryan nurtured all of Bay Mills, and I have no doubt now in his new role he will nurture all of Indian Country.\u201d\r\n

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