Feinstein, Warren, Colleagues Request Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Hold a Hearing on the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States Act

Press Release

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) joined Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and a group of their colleagues to urge the leadership of the Senate Committee on Indian Affaris to hold a hearing on the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States Act (S. 2907).

The bill would establish a formal commission to investigate, document, and acknowledge past injustices of the federal government's Indian Boarding School Policies, including attempts to terminate Native cultures, religions, and languages; assimilation practices; and human rights violations. The commission would also develop recommendations for Congress to aid in healing of the historical and intergenerational trauma passed down in Native families and communities, and provide a forum for victims to speak about personal experiences tied to these human rights violations.

In addition to Feinstein and Warren, the letter sent to the committee was also signed by Senators Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai"i). The senators noted that dozens of tribal nations, tribal organizations, human rights groups and other entities support the bill, and requested that the committee schedule a hearing to consider the legislation at its earliest convenience.

Full text of the letter is available here.

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