Newhouse Commends President Trump’s Executive Order on MMIW, Announces Indian Affairs Secretary Visit to Central Washington
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) released the following statement after President Trump signed an Executive Order to establish Operation Lady Justice, an interagency task force led by U.S. Attorney General William Barr and U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to address the crisis of missing and murdered Native Americans and Alaska Natives, particularly missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW):
"The crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women affects tribes and Native communities across the United States, and the injustices they face are unacceptable. They need action now," said Rep. Newhouse. "I am sincerely grateful to President Trump, Attorney General Barr, and Secretary Bernhardt for listening to the concerns of the tribes and coming together to be a partner in tackling this problem. Operation Lady Justice will go a long way toward making progress for the families and loved ones of missing and murdered indigenous women across the country. I look forward to working with the Administration and continuing to urge action in Congress to finally deliver justice on behalf of these women and their families."
Click here to read the text of the Executive Order.
Rep. Newhouse also announced the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney will visit Central Washington on December 16. The announcement follows a request from Rep. Newhouse to the U.S. Department of the Interior, urging officials to visit the 4th Congressional District to hear from tribes, law enforcement, and advocates about how this crisis directly affects Native communities. As part of Assistant Secretary Sweeney's trip, she will participate in a Summit on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, hosted by Rep. Newhouse on the Yakama Nation reservation.
Background:
Operation Lady Justice establishes the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives, co-chaired by the Secretary of the Interior and the Attorney General. The Task Force will:
- Engage with tribal communities on the scope of the issue
- Develop protocols to apply to new and unsolved cases
- Establish a multi-disciplinary, multi-jurisdictional team to review cold cases
- Establish greater clarity of roles, authorities, and jurisdictions involved in these cases
The Executive Order follows Attorney General Barr's announcement of a nationwide initiative to address the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous persons on the Flathead Reservation in Montana.
Earlier this year, Rep. Newhouse joined his colleagues to introduce Savanna's Act and the BADGES for Native Communities Act. Both of these bills have strong bipartisan support and aim to address the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW).
On Wednesday, October 16, Rep. Newhouse hosted an hour-long Special Order in the House of Representatives to urge congressional action to end the MMIW crisis.
Washington state is ranked second among states in number of cases related to missing and murdered indigenous women with 71 identified cases. Washington's 4th Congressional District is home to two federally recognized tribes, Yakama Nation and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.