[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 184 (Tuesday, November 4, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S7900]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO MANUEL HEART

  Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the leadership 
of Manuel Heart, who recently retired after serving 15 years as 
Chairman of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and 27 years on Tribal Council.
  Chairman Heart led the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, a sovereign Nation of 
the Weenuche band of Utes, with reservation land in Southwest Colorado, 
as well as New Mexico and Utah, with humility, perseverance, and a deep 
love for his people. Over several decades, Chairman Heart grew from a 
young council member to a respected statesman in Towaoc and across the 
Southwest, setting an example for Tribal and non-Tribal leaders alike. 
He balanced cultural perseverance with forward economic and social 
progress for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and dedicated his service to 
fighting for a better future for all of its members.
  As Chairman, he strengthened the Tribe's sovereignty and advanced its 
voice in State and national policy. He helped establish Bears Ears and 
Camp Hale National Monuments, raised the voice of tribes in the 
Colorado River Basin, and advocated for the protection of the Dolores 
River Basin. He also led the effort to secure full Federal trust status 
for the Tribe's Pinecrest Ranch in Gunnison County, an area he knows 
well from countless seasons running the Tribe's cattle below the 
Uncompahgre Mountains.
  It was an honor to work with Chairman Heart over the years. We met 
many times on the Ute Mountain Ute reservation and across the ancestral 
homeland of the Ute Tribes in Colorado and Utah. Throughout our time in 
office together, we have had the pleasure of rafting the Colorado River 
to discuss water policy and climate change, visiting cultural sites in 
the Dolores River Basin, and gathering along the Continental Divide to 
discuss how the Camp Hale National Monument should tell the story of 
the Ute people and their long ties to that land. He was a regular 
visitor to my office in Washington, DC, and in 2021, we visited the 
White House together to celebrate the restoration of the Bears Ears 
National Monument.
  In Towaoc, Chairman Heart led with conviction and compassion. He 
guided the Tribe through the COVID pandemic, protecting the Tribe's 
elders and most vulnerable members. He has also sought solutions to on-
reservation gun violence and substance abuse issues and advocated for 
better access to healthcare and law enforcement. He brought that same 
vision and steadfast leadership to complex water negotiations, where he 
advocated for the Tribe's right to access and benefit from their full 
water rights, which are essential to the Ute Mountain Farm and Ranch.
  When we wrote the Tribal Access to Clean Water Act, the Chairman 
testified before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on the Federal 
Government's obligations to provide the Tribe--and all of Indian 
Country--their sovereign right to access clean, reliable drinking 
water.
  Chairman Heart also understood that the sovereignty of a Tribal 
nation also lies in the preservation and vitality of culture and 
language through future generations. He led the effort to create the 
Kwiyagat Community Academy, the first charter school on a reservation 
in Colorado, focused on instilling Ute history, language, and culture 
in children from kindergarten through 5th grade. The academy embodies 
the exemplary values and leadership style Chairman Heart carried 
throughout his tenure: prioritizing the health and well-being of the 
Tribe while looking to the future. It was an honor to visit the school 
with him and hear the students speak in Ute and share pride in their 
heritage.
  Chairman Heart never let the United States forget its promises to 
Tribal nations. He ensured that national conversations about water, 
education, economic development, healthcare, and justice include the 
voices of sovereign Tribes. He taught me what true government-to-
government respect means. I remain deeply grateful for his friendship, 
his wisdom, and his example.
  Colorado and the United States owe Chairman Heart profound gratitude 
for his decades of service and leadership. We also thank his wife Marie 
and his entire family for their support of his leadership. His heart of 
service for his people has inspired me, and working with him remains 
one of the greatest honors of my time in the Senate. I wish him well in 
his retirement as he enjoys well-deserved time with his entire family, 
including his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

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