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  • Rep. Gallego Leads Bipartisan Call For Appointment of A Tribal Affairs Expert at The Congressional Research Service

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    Congressman Ruben Gallego
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    WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) led a bipartisan letter to the Director of the Congressional Research Service requesting immediate appointment of a tribal affairs expert. 29 Members of Congress signed on to the request.

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    Rep. Gallego Leads Bipartisan Call for Appointment of a Tribal Affairs Expert at the Congressional Research Service

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    WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) led a bipartisan letter to the Director of the Congressional Research Service requesting immediate appointment of a tribal affairs expert. 29 Members of Congress signed on to the request.

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    338 views4 pages

    Rep. Gallego Leads Bipartisan Call For Appointment of A Tribal Affairs Expert at The Congressional Research Service

    Uploaded by

    Congressman Ruben Gallego
    WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) led a bipartisan letter to the Director of the Congressional Research Service requesting immediate appointment of a tribal affairs expert. 29 Members of Congress signed on to the request.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Congress of the United States Washington, DE 20515 December 3, 2018 Mary B. Mazanee Director Congressional Research Service Library of Congress 101 Independence Ave, SE Washington, D.C, 20540-7210 Dear Dr. Mazanee: We write to urge the immediate appointment of a Specialist & Senior Specialist at the Congressional Research Service (CRS) on American Indian Affairs in order to provide for seminars, reports, short products, and inclusion of a brief presentation at New Member Orientation, It is critical that Members of Congress have access to readily available experts who ‘can monitor legislative developments and quickly provide information and analysis on the unique challenges and opportunities of American Indian and Alaska Native peoples. Federal Indian law and policy is a well-established academic discipline and field of expertise. Yet of the 600 policy experts, attorneys, librarians, and support personnel on staff at CRS, there is not a single tribal affairs expert available to assist Members and their staff. Congress has a trust responsibility to ensure the survival, welfare, and continued growth of federally recognized Indian tribes. The federal trust obligation to tribes has been solidified in federal law and policy and is the foundation of decisions regarding American Indians reflected in congressional policies, executive branch directives and decisions, and judicial opinions. American Indian Affairs crosscuts nearly evéry major policy issue. Yet CRS issues only a handful of reports each year that address the impacts of policy and major legislation as it relates to Native Americans and Alaska Natives. This is not surprising given the lack of tribal affairs expertise at CRS — but it is not an accurate reflection of the congressional agenda. In the 115th Congress alone, American Indian Affairs has been a critical factor in legislative debates on everything from Medicaid, Tax Reform, Border Security, Farm Bill, Veterans Affairs, Opioid Epidemic, Energy & Water Programs, as well as the confirmation of Supreme Court Justices and presidential appointments requiring Senate confirmation. Tribal Affairs expertise is vital for enabling Members to understand and assess the complex dynamics shaping the unique relationship between the federal government and Indian tribes and make informed policy decisions. In the 2017 Annual Report to Congress, you affirmed CRS’s commitment to serving “a diverse Congress with a wide spectrum of informational, research, and analytical needs.” We are a diverse Congress, and we are united by our reliance on CRS for quality, non-partisan, reliable information and research, We believe that if Congress has increased access to authoritative, objective, nonpartisan, confidential and timely research and analysis on Tribal Affairs issues through the service that CRS provides, the legislative branch will be better suited to fulfil its trust responsibility. We urge you to immediately appoint a Specialist & Senior Specialist on Tribal Affairs. Thank you for your attention to this request, and we look forward to hearing from you, Sincerely, Ruben Gallego Member of Congress, Member of Congress ie ere ijalva Tom Cole. Member of Congress Member of Congress Norma J. Torres Member of Congréés Member of Congress Dm aaa A a Don Young, ‘ber of Congress Member of Congress Date ty Darren Soto ‘Mimi Walters Member of Congress Member of Congress David Schweikert Member of Congress Michelle Lajan Grisham Tom O’Halleran Member of Congress Member of Congress ed Hu Colleen Hanabusa jember of Gongress Member of Congress a AM sb pros Vsacer dui, Basogic e F. Napolitano Nanette Diaz Barragan Member of Congress Member of Congress

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