Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

05/22/2026

Chairman Lisa Murkowski and Vice Chairman Senator Brian Schatz led Committee passage of the following eight bills at a business meeting:

S. 236, To amend the Act of August 9, 1955 (commonly known as the “Long-Term Leasing Act”), to authorize leases of up to 99 years for land in the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation and land held in trust for the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), and for other purposes (Sen. Markey);

S. 1513, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Project Lands Restoration Act (Sen. Cantwell);

S. 2098, the Southcentral Foundation Land Transfer Act of 2025 (Sen. Murkowski)

S. 2735, the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians Land Transfer Act (Sen. Padilla)

H.R. 681, To amend the Act of August 9, 1955 (commonly known as the “Long-Term Leasing Act”), to authorize leases of up to 99 years for land in the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation and land held in trust for the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), and for other purposes (Rep. Keating)

H.R. 2302, the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians Land Transfer Act (Rep. McClintock)

H.R. 2388, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Project Lands Restoration Act (Rep. Randall)

H.R. 3620, the Southcentral Foundation Land Transfer Act of 2025 (Rep. Begich).

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaiʻi), Vice Chairman of the Committee, led Committee passage of the following eight bills at a business meeting: The Chairman and Vice Chairman released the following stat...

05/21/2026

Chairman Lisa Murkowski delivered a floor statement on the impacts of ex-Typhoon Halong, which displaced more than 1,000 Alaskans and devastated communities along the coast of Western Alaska last October. During her floor remarks, the Senator discussed ongoing recovery efforts, challenges with the potential relocation of villages, and the need to strengthen federal mitigation and recovery programs.

Watch her full remarks here:

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, delivered a speech on the Senate Floor to discuss the impacts of ...

05/19/2026

Tomorrow, May 20, at 2:30PM ET, Chairman Lisa Murkowski and Vice Chairman Brian Schatz will hold a business meeting to consider several bills related to Tribal land restoration, trust land transfers, and long-term leasing authority. Following the business meeting, the Committee will hold an oversight hearing to examine the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service. Watch live here:

1. S. 236, To amend the Act of August 9, 1955 (commonly known as the “Long-Term Leasing Act”), to authorize leases of up to 99 years for land in the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation and land held in trust for the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), and for other purposes. (Markey) 2. S. 1...

05/14/2026

05/14/2026

Chairman Lisa Murkowski recently held a two-part field hearing in Alaska. Part one of the hearing consisted of a roundtable in Anchorage focused on disaster impacts, recovery, and resilience in Alaska Native communities. Leaders from Kipnuk and Kwigillingok shared their firsthand experiences following Typhoon Halong, including challenges with the federal disaster response, the need for long-term resilience, and community-driven solutions for the future. Assistant Secretary for U.S. Indian Affairs William “Billy” Kirkland also participated in the roundtable.

05/13/2026

Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Billy Kirkland joined tribal leaders and Alaska Native communities during U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs field hearings on disaster impacts, recovery and resilience this week.

During the hearings, Kirkland announced $20 million in emergency funding for Alaska Native villages.

Read more at https://www.bia.gov/news/indian-affairs-delivers-20-million-in-emergency-funding-alaska-native-villages

05/13/2026

Last week, YKHC hosted the US Senate Committee on Indian Affairs' Field Hearing titled, "From Disaster to Resilience: Strengthening Tribal Communities through Federal Response, Mitigation and Relocation Programs" & Tribal Leader Listening Session (Part II). Hosting this event supports our 2026 Napartet Priority to "Advocate and support recovery from Typhoon Halong."

YKHC Interim President & CEO Patty Smith provided testimony outlining the leadership of YKHC in responding to past disasters including the recent Typhoon Halong and outlined YKHC's recommendations for federal emergency response operations in the future.

To read the full testimony, visithttps://www.indian.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/05.06.26-Testimony-Patty-Smith.pdf

05/13/2026

05/07/2026

Chairman Lisa Murkowski released the following statement after the U.S. Indian Affairs announced $20 million in emergency funding to help 16 Alaska Native villages that were facing severe shortages of basic, necessary supplies. The funding includes $4 million for immediate relief, delivering essential resources such as heating fuel, water, and firewood to 16 villages, and $16 million for critical infrastructure and climate resilience efforts in the Native Village of Chefornak.

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released the following statement after the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) announced $20 million in emergency funding to help 16 Alaska Native villages that were facing severe shortages of basic, necessary supplies. The funding includes $4 million for immediate reli...