[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 30 (Thursday, February 13, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S967]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Executive Orders

  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I want to shift gears for just a 
moment. Colleagues know that I am the chairman of the Senate Indian 
Affairs Committee. I have been on this committee since I came to the 
Senate, and it is a position that I hold very close. I represent a 
constituency of Alaskan Natives back in my home State.
  We have over one-half the Tribes in the United States of America, and 
so my responsibility to them as their Federal representative is one, 
again, that I take very, very seriously.
  There has been a fair amount of confusion, I think, uncertainty that 
has been brought about by many of the Executive orders, some of the 
Federal actions that we have seen, whether it is funding freezes or 
programs that are being put on pause. But one area that I want to make 
very, very clear to colleagues, as I have sought to make clear to those 
who are part of the incoming administration, that when we are speaking 
about our Indian Tribes and our Tribal programs, and the Federal 
funding that they receive, they do not fall into the category, if you 
will, of diversity, equity, inclusion.
  And so when the Executive order was announced in the very first week 
of the Trump administration, there was confusion as to whether or not 
Indian and Tribal programs were impacted, and in that confusion, I 
think, a lot of undue stress and anxiety.
  And so I immediately asked the OMB--I met with Mr. Vought personally, 
and I asked him to take steps immediately to reaffirm the unique 
treatment, the programs and services to Indian Tribes based on their 
political and their legal status, which is recognized in our U.S. 
Constitution, in our treaties, under many Federal laws and policies, to 
ensure that there is no disruption to our Federal Tribal programs.
  We know--our Supreme Court has affirmed our Indian Tribes are a 
unique political class--this is not a racial one--and their sovereignty 
and their trust relationship with the Federal Government must be 
upheld. And I shared this in a letter to the Acting Director of OMB.
  We have seen, at least in a couple of the Departments already, that 
they clearly understand this distinct legal and political relationship. 
The Department of the Interior very quickly moved to add clarification.
  On January 30, the Department of the Interior issued a Secretarial 
order that acknowledges that nothing in their order should be construed 
to affect the activities that implement the legal requirements, 
independent of the EOs, including the statutory authorities, treaty, 
and/or trust obligations of the Department to our Tribal nations and to 
our Native Hawaiian community. And so I appreciated that very clear 
message coming out of the Department of the Interior so early.
  I think that it can be used as that model, that template, for other 
Federal Agencies because it is not just within Interior that we see 
Tribal programs, it is in other areas. We have just recently seen, out 
of the Department of Health and Human Services, that they recognize 
that as well. We are working, again, to make sure that any Tribal 
program has the clarity that they need and assurance that they and the 
beneficiaries will not be impacted.
  We have a trust responsibility. We have an obligation that is clear. 
So avoiding any confusion, misunderstanding, or anxiety is something 
that I think we owe to our indigenous peoples across the country, and I 
am thankful that many within the new administration have stepped up to 
work with us to clear up any confusion that may be out there.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.

                          ____________________