Simpson Remarks at Investigation Hearing on the Crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
The committee will come to order.
Good morning everyone and thank you for being here. I would like to extend a special thanks to our Tribal witnesses who traveled here to share their experiences on this tragic issue. I would also like to welcome the agency officials who will be joining us on the second panel.
Before we begin, I would also like to thank Chairman Cole for joining us today. As the first Native American to serve as chair of the Appropriations Committee, and a member of the Chickasaw Nation, he continues to be one of the biggest champions for Indian Country.
I sincerely appreciate that Chairman Cole took the time to be here this morning to discuss and address the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 2 in 5 American Indian and Alaska Native women are raped in their lifetime. Homicide is the number three leading cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native females between the ages of 10 and 24 and the number five leading cause of death for 25- to 34-year-olds.
40 percent of all victims of sex trafficking are identified as American Indian and Alaska Native women. In 2023, over 5,800 American Indian and Alaska Native females were missing – and 74 percent were children. This is tragic and unacceptable.
I even see this in my home state of Idaho. The Idaho Missing Person’s Clearinghouse 2023 report shows a total of 79 missing Native Americans, and the average rate of missing indigenous people is almost 19 per 100,000 people. This is nearly double the rate for non-Native Americans in Idaho. This is completely unacceptable, and I will continue to use my role in Congress to address this.
The fiscal year 2025 House Interior Appropriations bill provided a $191 million increase for the Bureau of Indian Affairs Public Safety and Justice programs. Included in that is an additional $141 million for Criminal Investigations and Police Services.
We also provided an additional $13.5 million – for a total of $30 million – for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Initiative to help address this crisis, including resources for criminal investigators, software platforms, and evidence recovery equipment.
The bill also expanded on the work being done to combat drug abuse and distribution in Indian Country by creating a Narcotics Reduction Task Force.
This Task Force will dismantle and disrupt opioid, heroin, and other dangerous drug distribution networks. Language was also included to support strengthening efforts to take down international cartels targeting Tribal communities for human and drug trafficking.
These steps are just the beginning. Beyond the Interior bill, I vow to continue to do all that I can to support all the federal agencies that are working to address this crisis. This is a bipartisan issue that I know my colleagues on the other side will continue to join us in supporting as well.
In terms of the hearing today, our first panel will consist of a group of Tribal members and representatives who have dedicated their work to addressing this crisis. I would like to personally thank each one of you for your tireless work. I am here to listen and learn and will do what I can to support all your efforts.
Our second panel will consist of representatives from the Department of the Interior, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Justice.
We will now begin with our panelists. Each panelist will present their opening statement before Members are provided an opportunity to ask questions.
