VIDEO: In Interior Appropriations Hearing, Ranking Member Pingree Addresses the Importance of Investigating Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

During a House Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on missing and murdered indigenous women on Wednesday, Ranking Member Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) highlighted the importance of raising awareness about the growing crisis-and providing the necessary resources to address it. Maulian Bryant, incoming Executive Director of the Wabanaki Alliance and member of the Penobscot Nation, testified at the hearing alongside Tribal leaders from across the country.

"For decades, Native American and Alaska Native communities have dealt with the challenges of high rates of assault, abduction, and murder of tribal members. The statistics are truly sobering," Pingree said in her opening remarks. "Some steps have been taken to address the crisis […] but we need to do so much more to ensure that people feel safe and secure, and that they are safe and secure in their homes and communities. I know this is going to be important, and as the chair said, heartbreaking conversation today, but it will shed more light on the crisis. It will help us to come to a better agreement of how to move forward and do more to solve these problems."

The complete transcript of Pingree's opening remarks is copied below

In her testimony before the Subcommittee, Bryant addressed the ongoing disparity in public perception as it relates to indigenous violence, abductions, and disappearances.

"When an Indigenous woman goes missing there is not the same attention and action as when a Caucasian woman is," said Bryant. "In the case of Gabby Petito, the young woman who was missing before it came to light she was murdered by her boyfriend a few years ago, we all saw her face and knew her name. That is how it should be and we don't begrudge her family and loved ones for working so hard to make it so. However, we all had a moment of sharp reflection knowing that people from our Tribal Nations are often missing and the victims of ghastly crimes and nobody is looking for us."

In addition to more faithfully addressing historical traumas and cultural stereotypes, Bryant underscored the critical importance of improving communication between law-enforcement agencies.

"There needs to be clear duties and processes delineated before, during, and after these crimes occur," Bryant said. "We cannot have these cases slip through the cracks simply because one hand doesn't know what the other is doing."

A 2016 study by the National Institute of Justice found that more than four in five American Indians and Alaska Native women (84.3 percent) have experienced violence in their lifetime, including 56.1 percent who have experienced sexual violence.

While these rates are staggering, research shows that less than half of violent victimizations against women are ever reported to the police

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Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. And thank you, in particular, for hosting this hearing. And thank you to Chairman Cole for being here. Your, expertise on these issues is extremely valuable. I really appreciate you taking the time to be with all of us. Good morning to our two panels.

Thank you for being with us here today to discuss your work on missing and murdered indigenous women, and to share your firsthand and very painful, often very painful knowledge. I want to particularly thank, formerly the Ambassador of Maulian Bryant, now soon to be Director Bryant, who's traveled from Maine to participate in this hearing. Thank you so much for all the work you do in Maine, in particular the work you've done on domestic violence.

We appreciate the insights and all the information that you will share with us today. As we all know, this is a complex crisis. And while there has been growing awareness and focus on resolving unsolved cases, understanding and addressing other contributing factors such as drug and human trafficking, domestic violence, poverty, housing issues - they're all equally important to confront the scale and severity of this issue.

The Not Invisible Act and Savanna's Act have heightened our awareness of the challenges associated with data collection and law enforcement, as well as the need for additional funding for staffing and public safety, safety and justice programs that can comprehensively address this crisis. That's why it's imperative we pass a full year Interior Appropriations bill and not have programs constrained by operating under a Continuing Resolution.

For decades, Native American and Alaska Native communities have dealt with the challenges of high rates of assault, abduction, and murder of tribal members. The statistics are truly sobering. 4 in 5 American Indian and Alaska Native women, 85%, have experienced violence in their lifetime, including over 50% who have experienced sexual violence. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that indigenous females experienced the second highest rate of homicide in 2020, and homicide was in the top ten leading causes of death for indigenous females aged 1 to 45.

Overall, more than 1.5 million indigenous women have experienced violence in their lifetime. The Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates that there are approximately 4,200 missing and murdered cases that have gone unsolved. Well, these rates are staggering. Research shows that even that less than half of violent victimization against women are ever even reported to the police, and that even though approximately 71% of indigenous women live in urban areas, research is missing on the rates of murder and violence for these women.

Some steps have been taken to address the crisis, such as establishment of Operation Lady Justice in 2019 to pursue these unresolved cases. The creation of Missing and Murdered Unit within the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services in 2021 to provide leadership and direction for cross department and interagency work. And the 2023 launch of the Department of Justice Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places ten attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the United States to help respond to cases, as well as the grant funding and public service announcements from the Administration for Native Americans.

But we need to do so much more to ensure that people feel safe and secure, and that they are safe and secure in their homes and communities. I know this is going to be important, and as the chair said, heartbreaking conversation today, but it will shed more light on the crisis. It will help us to come to a better agreement of how to move forward and do more to solve these problems.

And I can't thank you enough for coming here, telling your personal stories, telling us about the work that you've been doing. You've all made a tremendous difference, but really, it's up to us to make sure we get this across the finish line and reduce those numbers and, and really change the situation. So again, I want to thank the chair for holding this subcommittee and I know we all want to work together as a subcommittee to resolve this issue.

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