Opening Remarks

House Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2026 – 9:00 AM
Location: Capitol Complex, 2008 RHOB, Washington, DC, 20515, USA
• LIVESTREAM: youtu.be/-LNDKvPcgG0
Witnesses
Panel one
Darrell G. Seki Sr.
Chairman, Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians
Michael Fairbanks
Chairman, White Earth Nation
Virgil Wind
Chief Executive, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
Grant Johnson [Note: did not appear in person]
Tribal Council President, Prairie Island Indian Community
Panel two
Bruce Savage
Chairman, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Austin Lowes
Chairman, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
Winnay Wemigwase
Chairperson, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians
John Johnson
President, Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians
Panel three
Jason Schlender
Executive Administrator, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission
Whitney Gravelle [Note: did not appear in person]
President, Bay Mills Indian Community/Board Member, Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority
Aja DeCoteau
Executive Director, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
Panel four
Ashton Picard
Vice-Chairman, Nez Perce Tribe
Donna Thompson
Chairwoman, Fort Hall Business Council of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes
Chief Allan
Chairman, Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Panel five and seven
Stacy Shepherd [Note: Did not appear in person]
Executive Officer of Member Services, The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
Dr. Toni Tsatoke-Mule
Executive Director, Kiowa Education Agency, Kiowa Tribe
Kristina Andrew
Third Chief, Curyung Tribal Council
Vivian Korthuis
Chief Executive Officer, Association of Village Council Presidents
Panel six
Brian Harris [Note: did not appear in person]
Chief, Catawba Nation
Panel seven [Note: See panel five]
Panel eight
Duane Clarke
Chairman, The Hualapai Tribe of Arizona
Derrick W. Leslie
Tribal Education Department Director, White Mountain Apache Tribe
Duane Jackson Jr.
Council Member, Gila River Indian Community
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