S. HRG. 116–183 RECOGNIZING THE SACRIFICE: HONORING A NATION’S PROMISE TO NATIVE VETERANS TO RECEIVE TESTIMONY ON S. 1001, TRIBAL VETERANS HEALTH CARE ENHANCEMENT ACT AND S. 2365, HEALTH CARE ACCESS FOR URBAN NATIVE VETERANS ACT OF 2019 HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION NOVEMBER 20, 2019 Printed for the use of the Committee on Indian Affairs ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 40–402 PDF WASHINGTON : 2020 VerDate Mar 15 2010 10:49 Apr 22, 2020 Jkt 040402 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 S:\DOCS\40402.TXT JACK INDIA-60013 with DISTILLER COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS JOHN HOEVEN, North Dakota, Chairman TOM UDALL, New Mexico, Vice Chairman JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming MARIA CANTWELL, Washington LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska JON TESTER, Montana, JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii STEVE DAINES, Montana CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO, Nevada MARTHA MCSALLY, Arizona TINA SMITH, Minnesota JERRY MORAN, Kansas T. MICHAEL ANDREWS, Majority Staff Director and Chief Counsel JENNIFER ROMERO, Minority Staff Director and Chief Counsel (II) VerDate Mar 15 2010 10:49 Apr 22, 2020 Jkt 040402 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\DOCS\40402.TXT JACK INDIA-60013 with DISTILLER C O N T E N T S Page Hearing held on November 20, 2019 ...................................................................... 1 Statement of Senator Cortez Masto ....................................................................... 19 Statement of Senator Daines .................................................................................. 17 Statement of Senator Hoeven ................................................................................. 1 Statement of Senator McSally ................................................................................ 11 Statement of Senator Murkowski ........................................................................... 14 Statement of Senator Smith ................................................................................... 16 Statement of Senator Tester ................................................................................... 13 Statement of Senator Udall .................................................................................... 9 WITNESSES Buchanan, Rear Admiral Chris, Deputy Director, Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Service ....................................................... 23 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 24 Dupree, Hon. Jestin, Councilman, Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes ...... 30 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 32 Fox, Hon. Mark, Chairman, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation .................. 26 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 28 Wilkie, Hon. Robert L., Secretary, Veterans Affairs, U.S. Department of Vet- erans Affairs ......................................................................................................... 2 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 4 APPENDIX National Indian Health Board (NIHB), prepared statement ............................... 43 Response to written questions submitted by Hon. Catherine Cortez Masto to: RADM Chris Buchanan ................................................................................... 63 Dr. Kameron Matthews ................................................................................... 56 Hon. Robert L. Wilkie ...................................................................................... 52 Response to written questions submitted by Hon. Tom Udall to: RADM Chris Buchanan ................................................................................... 62 Dr. Kameron Matthews ................................................................................... 60 Tetnowski, Sonya, Vice-President, National Council of Urban Indian Health, prepared statement .............................................................................................. 41 United South and Eastern Tribes Sovereignty Protection Fund (USET SPF), prepared statement .............................................................................................. 50 (III) VerDate Mar 15 2010 10:49 Apr 22, 2020 Jkt 040402 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\DOCS\40402.TXT JACK INDIA-60013 with DISTILLER VerDate Mar 15 2010 10:49 Apr 22, 2020 Jkt 040402 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\DOCS\40402.TXT JACK INDIA-60013 with DISTILLER RECOGNIZING THE SACRIFICE: HONORING A NATION’S PROMISE TO NATIVE VETERANS TO RECEIVE TESTIMONY ON S. 1001, TRIBAL VETERANS HEALTH CARE ENHANCEMENT ACT AND S. 2365, HEALTH CARE ACCESS FOR URBAN NATIVE VETERANS ACT OF 2019 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2019 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS, Washington, DC. The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:38 p.m. in room 628, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. John Hoeven, Chairman of the Committee, presiding. OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN HOEVEN, U.S. SENATOR FROM NORTH DAKOTA The CHAIRMAN. We will call this hearing to order. We are having a vote right now, so members are working their way back and forth. We truly appreciate the Secretary joining us. Thank you for being here, Mr. Secretary. Mr. WILKIE. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. We are going to get rolling, so that you have time to give your testimony and still some time for Q&A from some of the members before you need to depart. Again, I call this oversight and legislative hearing to order. In our first panel, the Committee will receive testimony on Recog- nizing the Sacrifice: Honoring a Nation’s Promise to Native Vet- erans. We will hear from the Honorable Robert Wilkie, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Secretary Wilkie was nominated by President Trump to serve as the tenth Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 23rd, 2018, and sworn in on July 30th, 2018. Secretary Wilkie is the son of an Army artillery commander, and spent his youth at Fort Bragg. Today, he is a Colonel in the United States Air Force Reserve assigned to the Office of the Chief of Staff. Before joining the Air Force, he served in the United States Navy Reserve with the Joint Forces Intelligence Command, Naval Spe- cial Warfare Group Two, and Office of Naval Intelligence. So you have Army, Air Force, and Navy. (1) VerDate Mar 15 2010 10:49 Apr 22, 2020 Jkt 040402 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 S:\DOCS\40402.TXT JACK INDIA-60013 with DISTILLER 2 Mr. WILKIE. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Still working on the Coast Guard and Marine piece of it? Mr. WILKIE. Yes, sir. [Laughter.] The CHAIRMAN. Secretary Wilkie holds an honors degree from Wake Forest University, a Juris Doctor from Loyola University Col- lege of Law in New Orleans, Master of Laws in International and Comparative Law from Georgetown, and a Master’s in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College. Secretary Wilkie is the first sitting VA Secretary to testify in front of the In- dian Affairs Committee since the Committee became a permanent committee 35 years ago. For that, we are deeply appreciative. We are fortunate to have recently hosted Secretary Wilkie in North Dakota, where he was able to see firsthand the good work of our Fargo VA Healthcare Center, which does an excellent job, just an excellent job. You don’t have to take my word for it; talk to a veteran from North Dakota or Minnesota, and they will tell you the same thing. With that, accompanying Sectary Wilkie is Dr. Richard Stone, Executive in Charge for the Veterans Health Administration. With that, Mr. Secretary, again, thank you for being here and we will turn to your testimony. STATEMENT OF HON. ROBERT L. WILKIE, SECRETARY, VETERANS AFFAIRS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS; ACCOMPANIED BY: RICHARD STONE, EXECUTIVE IN CHARGE FOR THE VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION AND DR. KAMERON MATTHEWS, DEPUTY UNDERSECRETARY FOR COMMUNITY CARE Mr. WILKIE. Mr. Chairman, thank you, and thank you for the honor. It means a great deal to me. I also want to thank Senator Moran and Senator McSally. I appreciate the fact that I am the first Secretary of this depart- ment to appear in front of this distinguished Committee. As you know, in our conversations, I spent a great deal of my childhood on the Great Plains, southwestern Oklahoma, amongst the Great Nations of the southern plains. I learned of traditions and sac- rifices. We were taught as young children the proper protocols when we approached the gravesites of Geronimo and the last of the great scouts, I-See-O. I would watch my father command honor details at the graves of both. And in that part of Oklahoma, we are re- minded of the courage of the 45th Infantry Division, the Thunder- birds, comprising 50 tribes up and down the Plains. One of the most decorated units in the history of the United States Army. I made a commitment when I was asked to come to VA that I would reach out, reach out to rural Native America, the two places in our Country that have the highest per capita rate of service of any groups in America. There are 31,000 Native Americans on ac- tive duty and 140,000 are veterans. Per capita, they have the high- est rate of award, of the medal of honor. And to this day, serve at all ranks and add testament to a very, very glorious history. VerDate Mar 15 2010 10:49 Apr 22, 2020