On Wednesday, June 9, 2021, the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held a nomination hearing to consider the appointment of Bryan Todd Newland to serve as assistant secretary for Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior. Newland is a tribal citizen of the Brimley, Michigan-based Bay Mills Indian Community, for which he recently served as president.
“We must help Indian country build back better after the pandemic,” Newland said in his testimony. “We must also respond with urgency to the violence against Indigenous women and children. And we must lay the foundation for the next generation of Native children to succeed. I believe that tribal governments, rather than federal agencies, are best-suited to respond to the challenges their communities face. Our job is to be a collaborative trustee and ensure that Indian country drives our work.”
Read Newland’s full written testimony here
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