Stronger Engagement for Indian Health Needs Act of 2025

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 741) to elevate the position of Director of the Indian Health Service within the Department of Health and Human Services to Assistant Secretary for Indian Health, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 741, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 741 is a straightforward bill to strengthen Indian health leadership within the Department of Health and Human Services.

The bill redesignates the Director of the Indian Health Service as the Assistant Secretary for Indian Health within HHS.

The Federal Government has longstanding responsibilities for Indian healthcare rooted in the Federal trust responsibility. The Indian Health Service is the principal Federal entity responsible for providing health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Indian health issues do not begin and end at IHS. Many of these issues require coordination across HHS, including healthcare access, workforce recruitment and retention, behavioral health, public health, and health infrastructure.

H.R. 741 will help that coordination by elevating IHS' senior within the Department.

This bill is narrowly tailored. The IHS director is already appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, so H.R. 741 does not create a new Senate-confirmed appointment. It does not create a new program or change how IHS delivers healthcare.

Instead, this bill makes a senior-level structural change to better coordinate health issues across the Department. This is a practical and reasonable step. When Indian health issues cut across IHS, the senior official responsible for Indian health should be positioned to work across HHS.

Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 741, and I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Natural Resources,

Washington, DC, August 24, 2026.

Hon. Brett Guthrie,

Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce,

Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Guthrie: I write regarding H.R. 741, the

``Stronger Engagement for Indian Health Needs Act of 2025,''

which was ordered reported by the Committee on Natural

Resources on May 14, 2026.

I recognize that the bill contains provisions that fall

within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Energy and

Commerce and appreciate your willingness to forgo further

consideration of the bill. I acknowledge that the Committee

on Energy and Commerce will not formally consider H.R. 741

and agree that the inaction of your Committee with respect to

the bill does not waive any jurisdiction over the subject

matter contained therein.

I am pleased to support your request to name members of the

Committee on Energy and Commerce to any conference committee

to consider such provisions. I will ensure that our exchange

of letters is included in the Congressional Record during

floor consideration of the bill and will include such letters

in the committee report on H.R. 741. I appreciate your

cooperation regarding this legislation.

Sincerely,

Bruce Westerman,

Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stanton) and the ranking member for working with us on this legislation.

I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 741, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bipartisan bill, H.R. 741, the Stronger Engagement for Indian Health Needs Act.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Ohio (Mr. Joyce) for co- leading on this important effort.

The Federal Government has a sacred trust obligation to provide healthcare to our Native communities. For far too long, we have fallen short of that obligation.

Deep disparities exist between the health of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities and the broader American population. American Indians and Alaska Natives have lower life expectancies and some of the highest rates of poor health across racial groups. Access and quality of care are impacted by high vacancies at Indian Health Service facilities. When it comes to equality in healthcare, our Nation has a long way to go.

Mr. Speaker, 20 years ago, the late Senator John McCain first tried to pass a similar measure to raise the Director of the IHS to an Assistant Secretary role within the Department of Health and Human Services. Senator McCain, who advanced this measure through the Senate time and time again, never saw it pass the House and signed into law. Today, this bill honors his legacy.

This is a commonsense, bipartisan policy, and Congress should have gotten it done many years ago.

H.R. 741 would finally get this across the finish line. It creates the position of Assistant Secretary for Indian Health at HHS, giving Native communities a voice at the highest levels of Department leadership.

This matters. As an Assistant Secretary, the head of IHS would finally have the pay and hiring authorities needed to tackle chronic workforce shortages and disparities in access to care. It means faster hiring, better retention, and a direct line to the Secretary on every matter affecting Indian health.

Congress must ensure our health systems better honor our trust obligations to Native communities. This is a meaningful step forward, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 741, the Stronger Engagement for Indian Health Needs Act, introduced by my friend and colleague from Arizona (Mr. Stanton).

The Indian Health Service, or IHS, is the primary Federal agency responsible for providing healthcare to American Indians and Alaska Natives. Yet, for decades, the agency has fallen short of meeting our trust and treaty obligations as we have left IHS underfunded and underprioritized.

Tribal leaders have long called for greater Federal attention to Indian health in IHS. H.R. 741 responds to their advocacy by elevating the Director of IHS to an Assistant Secretary within the Department of Health and Human Services.

This simple but meaningful change would give IHS a stronger voice within the Department, ensure the healthcare needs of Tribal patients are properly represented, and elevate health disparities, including inadequate infrastructure, limited services, and staffing shortages, facing Tribal communities.

It is the Federal Government's responsibility to ensure that Indian Country has the culturally competent, robust, and accessible healthcare they deserve, and H.R. 741 will help us uphold this premise.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge support for the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stanton), the sponsor of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this critical

legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.