Indian Country Nominations

Floor Speech

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, as chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs, I rise in support of the nomination of three distinguished Native American leaders: Vince Logan, Keith Harper, and Diane Humetewa. These individuals have been nominated to positions that are crucial to Indian Country and to our Nation. It is our responsibility to make sure they can begin this challenging work.

I think it is fair to say that no one in this Chamber is happy about how the nominations have been handled in the last 2 years. There are reasons and frustrations on both sides of the aisle about the process. I understand that. But in the case of these nominees, it is long past time to act. By acting on those nominees, this Congress, which has been criticized for not doing very much, can make a little bit of history.

Vince Logan's nomination was first sent to the Senate in September of 2012. He is a member of the Osage Nation of Oklahoma and was nominated to be Special Trustee for American Indians at the Department of Interior. This vote is long overdue. The position has been vacant for 5 years.

The Special Trustee is charged with overseeing the Department's fulfillment of its trust responsibilities to tribes and individual Indians. It is a difficult job, and I am confident Mr. Logan is the right man to do it. He is a litigator with vast experience in both public and private sectors. He has also shown great passion for working with tribes and individual Indians to manage their trust assets. Mr. Logan was unanimously approved by the Indian Affairs Committee in January. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to do the same.

I would also like to speak in support of Keith Harper, a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Mr. Harper is the President's nominee to be the U.S. representative to the United Nations Human Rights Council. His nomination has been pending since early February. This is a history-making nomination. If confirmed, Mr. Harper would be the first member of a federally recognized tribe to hold the rank of U.S. Ambassador.

Keith has outstanding academic and professional credentials, having spent many years representing Indian tribes across the country. Keith's nomination was first sent here in June of 2013. What message do we send to Indian Country and to the world when we allow endless delay of the nomination of a man who will be the first Native American to hold the title of Ambassador?

Mr. Harper's nomination has the strong support of the National Congress of American Indians and numerous tribes and tribal leaders throughout Indian Country. He has also been active in human and civil rights organizations and has served as a delegate to the 2001 World Conference Against Racism in Durbin, South Africa.

All of these experiences have prepared him to tackle injustice at the global level. It is also important to confirm this position to ensure that the United States has a representative at the United Nations World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in September.

Finally, Diane Humetewa was nominated to serve as district court judge for the District of Arizona, with the strong support of her home State Senators, MCCAIN and FLAKE. Her nomination was reported favorably 3 months ago by the Judiciary Committee, though her nomination has been pending since September of 2013. She is a member of the Hopi Tribe of Arizona. That means, if confirmed, she would be the only Native American serving as a Federal judge. She would be the first Native American woman to ever serve on the Federal bench.

Confirming these nominees during a time of such partisanship will send a strong signal to Indian Country. Whether it is overseeing our trust responsibilities, representing our Nation to the world, or delivering justice, these nominees will help our government function a little bit better and more efficiently.

I ask my colleagues to join me in swiftly confirming these three outstanding nominees.

I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.

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