Gosar Dental Health Amendment Passes House

Press Release

Yesterday, the House of Representatives approved an additional $4.3 million in funding for Indian Health Service dental health programs. The amendment was part of the deliberations on H.R. 2584, the Interior Appropriations Bill, which contains funding for the IHS.

The Gosar Amendment transferred $4,367,000 from administrative accounts within the Department of the Interior to the Indian Health Service, specifically in order to provide enough funding for IHS Dental Health programs to match the President's request. After winning the vote, Gosar commented, "As someone who has practiced dentistry in Northern Arizona for twenty five years, I have seen firsthand the profound value of access to oral healthcare, especially for young children early in life. Chronic tooth decay has afflicted the young Native population at a heartbreaking rate, setting these children up for health problems later in life. We can and should do better. I commend Chairman Simpson for his work on this legislation and am pleased that this increased IHS funding was approved by my colleagues."

Among other programs, the Interior Appropriations Bill will fund critical programs for Native American tribes, providing for the fulfillment of trust obligations.

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