Interior Secretary Deb Haaland & Senator Jeff Merkley in Bend

Last Friday (3/17/23)  U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Senator Jeff Merkley gathered, in Bend, with leaders from Oregon’s nine federally recognized Tribes for a conversation about the challenges facing their communities.  Secretary Haaland said they “had an opportunity to sit down with the Tribes of Oregon mentioning the issues that they care about.   I think the bi-partisan infrastructure law has given us a tremendous opportunity to address those issues.  With all the funding going to Tribes for water settlement issues for that infrastructure and working together.  The president has reconvened the White House council on Native American Affairs.”   

Merkley posted on Face book about “advance appropriations for the Indian Health Services—a long overdue move that will ensure critical health care for Tribal patients.”  Merkley is Chair of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Senator Jeff Merkley also held a roundtable with organizations involved in Oregon’s outdoor recreation economy discussed how to continue to work together to protect and enjoy Oregon’s natural treasures for generations to come.  Haaland shared “with more than 104 million acres of public lands in the state, we at the Department of the Interior recognize how important it is to invest in Oregon’s extensive network of outdoor spaces.”   

Merkley said there has been some good progress to address the threat of climate chaos and invest in our public lands and waters through both the Great American Outdoors Act and the Inflation Reduction Act,

Haaland spent the weekend in Oregon.