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This Blog includes news and announcements pertaining to the Urban Indian community across the nation.
WASHINGTON, DC (July 9, 2020) – On July 9, 2020, in a historic decision the US Supreme Court sided with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in McGirt v. Oklahoma, a case set to decide the jurisdictional fate for the eastern part of Oklahoma. In a 5-4 decision, the court acknowledged the treaties which the US government has continually broken. “On the far end of the Trail of Tears was a promise. Forced to leave their ancestral lands in Georgia and Alabama, the Creek Nation received assurances that their new lands in the West would be secure forever…Because Congress has not said otherwise, we hold the government to its word” (McGirt v. Oklahoma). This marks a major victory for Indian Country, as the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s treaties with the US government are upheld.
Washington, DC (July 9, 2020) – Today, House Appropriations Committee released the bill report for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies funding bill. The bill includes $6.5 billion for the Indian Health Service (IHS), an increase of $445 million above the FY 2020 enacted level and $199 million above the President’s budget request for FY 2021. The full Appropriations Committee will mark up the bill on Friday at 9:00 a.m.
Washington, DC (July 8, 2020) – Today, the National Council of Urban Indian Health released the following statement:
The Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley in San Jose, California was a target of a recent racist vandal. As the national representative of 41 Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs), including this one, we vehemently admonish this horrifying attack against our community.
WASHINGTON, DC (July 1, 2020) -- Today, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA) held an oversight hearing on “Evaluating the Response and Mitigation to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Native Communities” and a legislative hearing on S. 3650, the Coverage for Urban Indian Health Providers Act. NCUIH Vice President Robyn Sunday-Allen, who is also the CEO of the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic, submitted written testimony emphasizing the importance S. 3650, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
We stand in solidarity with our Black relatives who have been subject to centuries of violence. The recent senseless murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, are a painful reminder of this country’s dark history that has not been forgotten. The National Council of Urban Indian Health stands with our Black brothers and sisters and our Afro-Indigenous relatives. We condemn racism in any form and demand justice from the system that caused this suffering.
Washington, DC (June 11, 2020) – Today, the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies held a hearing on the Indian Health Service (IHS) Covid-19 Response. The first panel included Rear Admiral Michael Weahkee, Director of IHS. The second panel started with Stacy Bohlen, CEO of the National Indian Health Board and finished with Francys Crevier, Executive Director of the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH). The hearing brought attention to the disparate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Indian Country and the response by the Indian Health Service.
On June 11, 2020, Executive Director Francys Crevier of the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) will testify before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. The hearing is on the COVID-19 Response and will be led by Chair Betty McCollum and Ranking Member David Joyce.
Washington, DC (June 4, 2020) – Today, the Senate passed S. 886, the Indian Water Rights Settlement Extension Act with a substitute amendment offered by Senators Tom Udall, Jerry Moran and Mitt Romney. The four-bill package included S. 2365, the Health Care Access for Urban Native Veterans Act of 2019 which allows the Indian Health Service and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to enter into agreements for the sharing of medical facilities and services with urban Indian organizations.
Washington, DC (May 15, 2020) – Today, the House of Representatives passed the latest iteration of COVID-19 legislation, the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act. This new stimulus bill totals over $3 trillion and includes additional state and local government funding, additional health care funding, and another round of direct payments to individuals. NCUIH’s President and CEO of NATIVE HEALTH Walter Murillo also testified before the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indigenous Peoples on the HEROES Act today.
Washington, DC (May 8, 2020) – Yesterday, Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and James Lankford (R-OK) introduced bipartisan legislation with Senators Tom Udall (D-NM) and Martha McSally (R-AZ) to expand Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) coverage to urban Indian organizations, giving them a desperately needed boost in resources as many suffer critical supply shortages, closures, and financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Coverage for Urban Indian Health Providers Act (S.3650), would amend the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to create parity within the Indian Health System. This is a companion bill to H.R. 6535, introduced on April 17, 2020 by Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK).