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Washington, D.C. – This week, the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee brought together Tribal members from across the nation to testify on issues and policy priorities for Fiscal Year 2026. During the multi-day hearings, witnesses and lawmakers conveyed a focus on healthcare, law enforcement, and education. Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) and Subcommittee Chairman Mike Simpson (R-ID) reiterated their commitment to working towards upholding America’s trust and treaty obligations and ensuring strong investments to address critical needs.
Good morning. Thank you to our witnesses who have come to testify before us for this important hearing. Today, this subcommittee will examine the effectiveness of Federal K-12 funding and the importance of school choice. I look forward to learning more from our witnesses about the state of our public K-12 schools, challenges facing these students, and the trends these experts are seeing in the field.
America’s students are struggling. There is no way to sugar coat this fact. The results from the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress showed student test scores overall are below 2019 levels in all grades and subjects. Students have still not recovered from the pandemic, and the lowest-achieving students are disproportionately falling further and further behind. One-third of eighth graders nationwide are currently reading below the basic level.
The committee will come to order.
Good morning and welcome to the second day of our public witness hearings for American Indian and Alaska Native programs. I want to welcome all the distinguished Tribal elders and leaders here today and to thank our witnesses for appearing before the Committee to share their concerns on these important topics. In terms of hearing logistics, I will call each panel of witnesses to the table one panel at a time.
