landscape, from law enforcement resources, our engagement was never stronger. a single application for a wide range of tribal specific government programs. covering areas like unity abuse,g, substance correctional alternatives, and violence against women. since 2010, the apartment has awarded more than just totaling $620 million to tribals -- to tribal communities. many tribal communities have very oftenprogress by adapting traditional methods to contemporary challenges. as this committee is well aware, those challenges remain considerable. american india's -- american indians continue to be victimized at alarming rates. still hamperrns

investigations and impede justice. resources remain scarce. the report by the tribal law and commission noted the need for a thousand law enforcement officers. a 50% staffing shortfall. that is why resources requested in the president's budget are vital. excluding funding for a prison, the budget allocates $300 .illion for public safety this funding would be historic and allow us to build on progress to make inroads into solving problems faced by our tribal partners. page andt would take a donate significant funding to initiatives. a flexible tribal grant, 7% set aside of programs from my office $111 give tribes access to million in grant resources. this would remove some of the unpredictability around the competition for federal funding for which under resourced tribes

often at a distinct disadvantage. makesesident's budget targeted investments as well. $25 million would be devoted to meeting the needs of native american victims who remain chronically underserved. funds from the department for community oriented policing resources would hire officers and train and equip them to protect their communities. for the violence against women would support a variety of efforts aimed at reducing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking -- sex trafficking in indian country. it would expand on a ground breaking program that would reverse decades of injustice by giving tribes the authority to adjudicate the mystic violence, dating violence and protection against violence, cases against non-indian defendants on tribal land. the justice department's work extends well beyond funding it

our u.s. attorney's office is have established close working relationships with tribes and an active subcommittee on a native american issues composed of u.s. attorneys providing advice and counsel to the attorney general and we are training travel prosecutors and bringing them on to support prosecution in federal court. we work to resolve trust in management claims and protect tribal sovereignty. in all of these efforts, we cordon eight our efforts closely to make sure we are maximizing resources and meeting every public safety need in indian country. the department of justice is working hard across its components and other agencies to give our tribal partners the resources to achieve justice in the community. there is no substitute for federal dollars. click safety in indian country is an investment we cannot afford to forgo. the president's budget request, represents a coverage of .trategy

the department of justice looks forward to working with the committee to fulfill our responsible the two-hour tribal partners and meet our collective goal of a safer tribal community. quick think you very much. now mr. roberts. afternoon, itood members of the committee. i want to thank you for the opportunity to testify. it is an honor for me to be here before you all as acting assistant secretary for nina faris. i want to begin by thanking each for yourone of you dedication to indian country. i know you work everyday to educate your colleagues on the challenges faced by tribes and the importance of upholding trust and treaty obligations. i want to begin by reflecting on our collective work. how it is with tribal leadership how it is made a difference. in fiscal year 2008, appropriations for indian affairs was $2.29 billion. fy million decrease from

2007. budgets were shrinking. employees were asking to do more with less. there is no doubt that today's budget climate remains difficult. the washington post reported the budget increase discretionary spending by less than 1% did a less that's unlike the rest of the budget, the budget request for indian affairs presented a 4.9% increase. today,ompared to 2008 to indian affairs proposed budget and an increase over fy 2016, i think we can agree that strong bipartisan support for budget is there to foster self-determination. they -- the increase of imperfect -- the work of tribal leaders. since 2008, our career staff has decreased by 1600 employees. that is nearly 17% of indian

affairs workforce. we have seen that whether it is a direct service tribe, tribal leadership has proven that with increased funding, they can deliver results. we have seen it in the reduction of violent crimes through focused resources. we have seen in the reduction of recidivism. we are seeing progress in the program could the president's president's budget again includes full funding for contact support clause. the 17 budget proposes $21 million increase to objectives, including 12.3 million dollars for social services, they put $4 million for indian child welfare act programs. improve access to suitable housing good the president's budget reflects the need to invest in indian families and promote safe communities that provide an environment that

removes those various does -- those barriers. increased funny -- increased money for college and the navajo technical university. they propose a 1.1 ilion dollar budget for b.i.d.. schools inbes in educating the youth -- to address the needs at a hundred 83 campuses. -- 183 campuses. it continues the momentum launch with the appropriations and provides funding stability to

develop a pipeline. the president's budget continues the funding and fy 16 for indian energy service center. it will active i test it will active -- for renewable energy projects to ensure development occurs safely and manages risk appropriately. the department is working with tribes to promote cooperative management. the president's budget request to million dollars to increase to request subsistence management in alaska. it provides management for fish and wildlife. i guess i will close by saying in this fiscal climate, and fy 2017 budget proposes increases above the 16fairs enacted levels. indian affairs is the

second-largest total requested budget increase of any bureau inside the department of interior. your bipartisan support and leadership, the budget will continue to foster self-determination. i am happy to appear before you today. i'm happy to answer any questions. thank you very much. ramirez: -- ms. ramirez: thank you very much for your partnership and this opportunity to discuss the school year 2017 budget requests. specifically the proposed investments and alaska natives and native online communities. as you know, native american people hold a special place in our country's history. they have made lasting country visions to every aspect of our nation's life. our commerce, culture, character and more the statute is far too many members of this community faces significant barriers to decent housing. studies show that native people

are more than three times as likely to live in overcrowded conditions. eyewitness these challenges when i travel to the pine ridge reservation in south dakota. i met families who are struggling to get by. when i asked them one thing would make their lives better, a young girl said i house. -- said e-house. she will guess she wanted to know why her family cannot find a decent place to rent to see explained she has lived her life with her extended family in a small overcrowded house. her mother has been on a housing waiting list for nearly a decade or did -- sticky. -- in a tribal community, it is common to see three or four families living together in a single home here to she recognized what we all do. safe affordable housing provides the foundation that all americans need. we have requested $700 million from the indian housing program.

the largest single source of funding for affordable housing under the native american housing assistance and the self-determination act. we expect this 8% funding increase to support progress to 567 tribes in 34 states. hud also request money for the indian housing loan program to assist native americans across the income spectrum in buying a home and building wealth. we want to help local leaders surround housing with the assets that every community needs to thrive, such as jobs, growth and infrastructure. million forng $80 developmentommunity program. an increase of $20 million to spark economic development and tribal lands. i saw the impact of this funding during the recent visit with the nation in arizona. the tribe leveraged funds to

finance and build 122 new affordable housing units, including elderly housing and community park in the town of what lupe. -- in the town of water lupe. whether they are young or elderly, a family or veteran returning from service overseas. that is why i request honors the president's commitment to native american youth. a government wide initiative to improve the lives and opportunities or native youth. we are working to ensure that every veteran has a home. i think members of this committee for helping to create the tribal hud demonstration, to assist brave native americans who served our country and are now experiencing homelessness. awardedthe eva

assistance to 26 tribes to assist veterans. hud is working closely with the this programsure succeeds in indian country. hud request $70 million. we recognize the right of indian self-determination and tribal self-governance. we have fostered relationships that provide tribes the flex ability to design and implement housing programs according to their local needs and customs. we strongly support the reauthorization of -- the tribes have made strides even in very challenging budgetary environments. hud looks forward to making test to working with this committee and the on this vital piece of legislation. the budget represents the administration's strong commitment to indian country and recognizes the positive results

that have been achieved through our native american programs. we are proud of the strong and growing capacity that our tribal partners have mistreated, including their limited resources to work. increasing their ability to leverage federal dollars. thank you again for the invitation to discuss our budget proposal. i look forward to the conversation today. thank you ms. ramirez. mr. smith. thank you so much for this opportunity today. i am mary smith, principal deputy director. i have only been in my job for a little over a week. although i have been at the agency for slightly longer, i served approximately five months in the role of deputy director. it has become clear that while the ihs is committed to the mission of providing quality health care for american indians and alaska natives, we face deep operational and quality of care challenges. this situation is unacceptable. i do want to thank this

committee. i know it was over a month ago that this committee held in oversight hearing on the indian health service. we appreciate the opportunity and leadership that you have shown to shining light on this issue. i from the believe that we are not talking about them, that we are not adjusting them. i appear before you today to underscore my commitment to fixing these challenges. including those in the great plains and more systemic issues we face as an agency, such as staffing and housing. we are committed to fixing this issues, not simply in the short term but so that the changes are sustainable over time. committed to creating a culture of quality, leadership, and accountability. it is far from business as usual at indian health service. with that preamble, i am pleased to provide testimony on the president's proposed budget for ihs. it will allow us to continue to make a difference in addressing our agency mission to raise the

physical, mental and social health of american indians in alaska -- american indians and alaska natives. i am committed to working with our partners to providing access to quality of care to native americans. presidents budget proposes to increase the budget to $6.6 billion which will add four to $2 million to the fy 2016 enacted level. if appropriate, this level would present a 53% increase in funding for the indian health service since fy 2008. overall funding increases proposed in the president's -- continue to address long-standing health -- specific investments include expanding behavioral and mental health services. improving health care quality, capacity and workforce, supporting self-determination by fully funding -- ensuring health

care access for adjusting critical health care facility and for such needs. the president's budget proposal includes funding for costs and population growth increases that are critical to maintaining the budget of our ihs and tribal hospitals. the budget includes programs million ofo $49 which $46 million will be focused on critical behavioral health services. including substance abuse and suicide prevention projects. to increase the number of child and adolescent haverhill professionals, continued integration between medical, behavioral health and tribal committee organizations. prevention.lence a newdget includes proposal, it is a two-year mandatory proposal to address mental and behavioral health.

this proposal includes a new $50 million tribal crisis response fund which would allow ihs to expeditiously assist tribes experiencing behavioral health crises. an additional $10 million to increase the number of behavioral health professionals through the american indian into psychology program and ihs scholarship. includes funds for infrastructure that is critical to health care delivery and to fund newly constructed facilities. to acknowledge that we are working aggressively to adjust quality of care issues at all three of our facilities in the great plains area. winnebago, the challenges there are long-standing, especially around recruitment and retention of providers.

we have an intense effort underway now. we have deployed commission officers throughout hhs. the activity secretary is convening a consecutive -- an executive council on quality which will bring to bear all of the resources of the department will assist ihs. we have established a new deputy position to focus on quality of care. we look forward to working in partnership with you to enact the president us budget. i want to emphasize that we take these challenges to delivering high-quality care very seriously. you have my commitment that we will work to make meaningful progress. >> thank you ms. smith. mr. payment. the payment: on behalf of congress of the ma can indian, i thank you for holding this hearing. howof the key measures of

and whether the federal government is building its trust us possibility. respect for self-determination is essential for tribal government to meet our needs for citizens. continued emergencies and needed health emergencies -- overall, we appreciate the coordination and the budget request and encourage congress to recognize the budgetary needs of indian country must be addressed across federal agencies to be successful. it is not enough to boost funding for education and public safety without also adjusting the need for housing, teachers

and law enforcement personnel. a great example of cooperation is the initiative which is a pilot program that adjust families and community well-being. we ask you to? violence, party in indian -- poverty in indian country. we have seen progress in congress is support for indian 2016 included substantial increases for the ihs and other government programs that we are hopeful the and017 budget is built on those investments made in the indian country. although tribes have made some progress, there are key examples of egregiously underfunded services. i am appalled by what happened in flint. over 200 of my members were affected. congress and the rest of the nation is playing close attention to what can happen when community infrastructure

breaks down. i am appalled that no one is paying enough attention to the structural needs in indian country which lay far beyond the rest of the country did our citizens have conditions under which no plan for addressing the infrastructural problems in indian country. ask you to consider this when the report on the crisis later this year. we call in congress to consider that long-term privatization of programs is necessary to reverse the trends of underfunding that have long-standing that you mental impact on the nation's first people. -- indian child welfare, social 70's -- social services, and indian development. fy 2017 vi funding has

increased by 24%. when adjusted for inflation, the fy 2016 enacted level is below two 2013 -- two 2003 level. the administration's budget increaseproposes an 8% . we are grateful for that. ihs travel budget from elation workgroup requested $6.2 billion to maintain current services and provide expansions in areas of benedict and behavioral medicine -- areas of inventive and behavioral medicine. i want to adjust a few of these proposals for fy 2017 budget request that we urge this committee to support. those items are because the vocation of support costs of mandatory which we have been working on it currently

authorized in the diabetes program and the customary fix it including language would provide great benefits to indian country . congress must answer the moral and legal call to action so native people can look forward to improved prosperity and progress for future generations. where tribes exercise self-determination, success stories abound. we need you to pass the federal budget that reflects an honors the trust responsibility of the united states. i want to thank you and i am happy to answer any questions. ask make you very much -- >> thank you very much mr. payment. i will start with you, because i agree with your statement about it being an acceptable. if we are not addressing the problems. members of this committee, as .ou know had the hearing

members of the senate who are not on the committee because of the concern that we have with regard to the conditions of the indian health service in the great lanes area specifically. in 2016, yet only been on the job for a short time. congress appropriate to million dollars to address some of these emerging issues. despite how dire the conditions are, the great plains area, it took the administration several months to figure out what to do with the $2 million. i do it you were not there at the time, meanwhile the facilities have lost their medicare provider status, on the verge of losing it. patients paying the price. and of the funds would not have solved all of the problems in the area, but they were appropriated for the specific purpose. they could've made a difference. what is it that takes the administration so long to figure what to do? ms. smith: thank you senator, i want to thank the senators for this funding did i think the

funding you are referring to, it was funding allocated to any facility that had received a notice of deficiency from the centers of medicare and medicaid. that was $2 million. we are greatly appreciative. we hadlet you know that decided to use that funding to replace equipment needs. some of the needs that were cited by cms. we started replacing that equipment and getting the procurements and process before we were able to apportion the money. i will tell you it was a process and it was a thoughtful process because we wanted to make sure the funds were distributed equitably. we had three facilities that were eligible for this funding. the we agreed to do was for first $1 million we would divide them up equally. we wanted to make sure the tribal communities had access.

the second $1 million, we wanted to make sure went with the sentence -- the senate intent to replace a possible loss building. the second $1 million would be allocated to protection. we went through what equipment is needed but i will make clear that the equivalent that an rosebud that was cited, we had already replaced that equipment or put it in procurement. that is money on top of the $2 million. what we had decided to do with the $2 million is we will replace the central monitoring unit which is the unit that holds the whole hospital together. i understand that those funds will be available to that area this week it thank you again. >> looking at the whole funding issue, the health and human services act, the debbie secretary mary wakefield

testified that under the funding for indian health services has increased about 43% over the vast number of years. we continue to hear their underfunded. a big part of the problem to me seems to be issues related to transparency, accountability. use some of those words and your testimony did people do not know what -- you do not know where the money is going. i hope you can help me get a better understanding. prior years under this administration, what percentage of the appropriate funds was used for patient care echo -- patient care? percentage is used for administrative purposes. if you can get that to us in terms of sentences and dollar figures as we are looking for accountability and getting an understanding. ms. smith: certainly senator. will get that to you.

a letter about the situation and great plains. you are familiar obviously. it asked we take swift action to ensure the indian health service department of human services is working to adjust the immediate needs of indian people. it goes on to say the crisis in the great plains continues to escalate even after the hearing last month. an example is the impact of diverting patients from rosebud. people are dying in transit. to not indian hospitals and surrounding communities. other hospitals are getting overwhelmed. a 67% spike in patients. they report to us that the indian health services is not indicating with the hospitals where the patients are going to in order to ensure patient safety. the tribes continue to be outraged. i think they have a right to be. this is a bipartisan issue.

we need real swift action. -- could you help us talk about specifically what the indian health services is going to do to make things right. ms. smith: we have seen the letter as well. i agree with you. i perfectly understand the frustration of the tribe. the situation is unacceptable. there is an urgency at indian health service and we are working urgently. i have only been on this position for a week but there is no more important thing that we need to work on than getting these three hospitals on track. one of the major challenges with this hospital is the staffing level. we have a three pronged approach that we are working on to adjust the staffing issues. we are doing deployments of officers to try and get the emergency department at rosebud specifically back up and

running. toare working on a contract provide and manage the emergency department at the hospital. we are working on long-term strategies for permanent hired -- hires. i have one bit of good news. one of the challenges we face is the pay we pay versus the private sector. agencies, government this week we get approved for a pay package so that we are not able to provide line doctors and emergency doctors $300,000. we are able to pay supervisors $325,000. we are attacking it on many levels. >> thank you. senator cantwell. ask,cantwell: i wanted to ms. ramirez about the low income

housing tax credit as it is used in indian country. and you describe the budget the increase for indian housing after years of stagnant funding. as a member of the finance committee, i have been to montana where we saw low income housing projects being used. i am wondering how you think that tax credit could be better used to leverage housing development in indian country? ramirez: your correct. tribes are leveraging. financing resource that enables tribes to be able to build affordable housing. during my testimony, i referenced i had an opportunity to visit the docking nation. they have been successful with

security -- with securing tax credit designations. we are focused on increasing the public and private partnership. to that point, we are working closely with tribal leaders also with senator heitkamp pulling together a housing form that will enable tribes to understand other private sector funding resources that are available to be a will to continue to address the growing need of affordable housing. cantwell: it is a very viable tool? yes, it is a very viable tool. i am pleased to see -- sen. cantwell: i am pleased to see that it was maintained. it is not enough to deal with the shortfall. one of the issues seems to be

the condition index. the nation operates a travel school that is at capacity. when you apply for the conception, they did not think they qualify because that only operated at 37 years and the building was over 50 years old. there is always a lot of mystery here and what gets funded. -- mystery here in what gets funded. it should not be a mystery. how are they fixing the index? mr. roberts: i will say in terms of the process that we are going .o address new school construction for campuswide facilities. the rules are very clearly laid out through negotiate safe -- negotiated rulemaking. having observed that process, i think there are ways we can work with the for future funding in terms of better addressing and

making comments and choices for construction. let me give you an example. as part of this process, for those 10 schools that were invited by the committee to present, we reached out to all of the tribes to say we need to make sure all of the tribal schools the indexes were up-to-date. we did a lot of outrage over the course of the last year to reach out with each of the schools to offer technical assistance, and also we have contractors visit each of the schools every the years to do a facility condition index. having said all of that, moving forward, quite frankly i think some of the schools we need to take a look at how many students are they serving? i don't think that was a metric rulemakingproposed or negotiated rulemaking that was resolved. i do know the facility condition

index was 85% of the total scoring. there was a 50% scoring for those -- there was a 15% scoring for those top 10 schools. i hope that answers your questions. it is vitally important. sen. cantwell: i am not sure it does. he would be my goal sen. barrasso: -- my goal. in my state, you have projects and you have a certain degree where you are on the list. when funding me to certain level, you might get funded. i think here, there are people who have been on the list for decades and never know when they are going to get funding. it just seems to be a mystery, so i get that you want to have an index. i think the index is great but i think we need to have a disability for indian country when there project is likely to be funded. or if it is going to be cost of ing be cost of thing for other projects because of population?

policymakers the ability to look at policies and make suggestions if people are falling through the crack's. >> that gets to one of the statements that senator tester made. while we are completing the school construction for the schools that are on the 2004 list and now selecting the schools for the 2016 list, the department is going to be internally working at a long-term program to layout for this committee and the tribes, here is where we are, here's the funding that is needed and here is how we propose to move forward. sen. cantwell: i think you may have expired. >> thank you senator cantwell. tribes are getting hit with massive fines because of the obamacare mandate. the blackfoot tribe is going to face $1.1 million in penalties. the crow tribe will be hit with

a $1.6 million penalty unless something changes. i have introduced a tribal employment which will exempt tribes and employers from the obamacare employer mandate and prevent these unreasonable fines. the national congress of american indians and the national indian health board have endorsed this bill. while the president recognizes the impact of obamacare on many likes we question changes the cadillac tax, he failed to be concerned with the employer mandate heavy impact on tribes in indian country. for payment, could you speak to the burden that the employer mandate placed on tribes and the need for the legislation to exempt them from this mandate. sec. payment: this question is can to me because i echoed this in speaking loudly on this issue. my tribe in particular.

i do have an example. the cost for the implementation of employer mandate is likely to be about $3 million for my tribe. we are beginning to see some of the gains under the affordable care act and the reauthorization of the ihs under the affordable care act. gains seeing some of the we perceived to be erased because of the consequences of the employer mandate. more importantly on a broader sense, we have met with representatives from the white house is that we need to understand the bold impact and the unintended consequent is before implementation. not afterwards. we have asked for that. there is a diversity the way that funding gets to indian tribes through self-governance tribes did there is tribes that have insurances. some tribes don't have insurance. there is a complex maze to figure out what the unintended

consequences are going to be. i would venture that is more than $50 million, the negative consequence of the intimidation of the mandate. i would ask that this would be put on hold until we do consultation with tribes and we fully appreciate what the full costs are going to be. >> i want to shift gears and talk about wildfires. montana expense one of its worst fire seasons. the fires in the blackfeet reservation were so severe, the tribe opened a separate facility for elders and those with special health needs have been displaced. here's one of the challenges, oftentimes, these fires start on federal lands and spread to tribal lands. the tribal force reduction act of 2004 that attempt to adjust the problem. a proposal passed the house to provide more tribes more freedoms to protect resources from wildfires through active

management. supporton, do you increasing authority to manage lands and the neighboring federal force lands? mr. roberts: i personally am not familiar with that act but i am supportive of greater tribal self-determination, tribal sovereignty. i understand that the act is focused on the department of agriculture. it doestand that provide deadlines for certain types of funding to be provided to tribes. i think we are supportive of deadlines. i would like to talk more with my colleagues at the department of agriculture and circle back on questions we might have. >> we saw clear examples where there was proper force treatment and active management. we stop some of these fires from spreading. wildfires are not in respect of boundaries.

i would like to get your commitment to work with me and usda to adjust these tribal -- mr. roberts: absolutely. >> senator heitkamp. sen. heitkamp: thank you for letting me go first. i think when we usually go to these hearings, there is one agency who is setting in front of us hope we can hold accountable for outcomes. one of our great challenges is the following of services for the tribes, whether it is health care which is really hss. whether it is housing and hide. whether it is all of the issues that fall and with the above. i want to say i applaud this administration for doing the most that i ever seen to try and courtney among all of you, to try and build relationships across the agencies to change

outcomes. with that said, we continue to see incredible challenges, whether it is housing or indian education, indian health care, , respect fornt sovereignty and respect for consultation. so i start at that juncture. it is going we rapid fire because there is so much to talk about. miss mason, we have extended the invitation to director call me to come to north tacoma -- north dakota, even montana to see what is happening with the lack of law enforcement personnel. protection really for a very vulnerable population. he has not responded. i hope you'll go back and ask him once again, given that you have primary jurisdiction.

mr. mason: i will share that partnership the office of victims and crime have been working collaboratively to provide services for victims. >> it hasn't stopped drugs from coming into the reservation. trust me. we are debating now a heroine bill. let me tell you, if you want to see children born under conditions that they should not be borne, come to any one of my reservations. there are people operating there with impunity. that crosses over to the problems we have in indian health, housing. i want to applaud the great work of secretary castro. we have had is number of meetings. thank you for mentioning our efforts to get a major summit. i am curious about the report when you expect to be done. when we will be seeing you all in north dakota or maybe montana. i have offered to maybe share

the responsibility. we know we have a housing crisis. >> thank you, senator. we appreciate the opportunity to foster public and private partnership. it will be completed this year. we are looking at the preliminary -- >> can you narrow it? >> i can. in july we will release the preliminary findings stemming from the report. at that time, the report will be made available to the tribe for further tribal consultation. we welcome the opportunity to present to this committee the findings of the report. the final report will be completed by no later than december of 2016. important toit is look beyond, it is obviously not getting the job done as it

relates to indian housing. that exacerbates all of these problems, whether it is locating law enforcement. so i guess my last question would be for mrs. smith, recognizing that you have not been added very long. i think to follow-up on the chairman's comment, we are being asked to provide more resources and most of you know that i am in that camp. the worse this is just the resources are not adamant -- adequate to fulfill our responsibility. we need to make sure that what is being spent is being spent appropriately. theook forward to hearing outcome of what deputy secretary wakefield told us was the new structure for analyzing these problems and working across the line. i will encourage you, so many

members actually qualify for medicaid. they could provide a third-party reimbursement funding source that would in fact satisfy some of my hospitals concerns that i -- that ihs does not pay the bills. that happens. i want to encourage you to encourage tribal members to enroll in medicare and medicaid. that this is a great concern, that somehow that is an aggregation or inappropriate giving desk given the treaty obligation. opening the national congress can work with us. and we can fashion a program that could in fact make indian people more comfortable with getting health care through a third-party fee for payment service. >> thank you senator for the question. we are working very hard on

encouraging people to sign up for medicaid. i would say i have spoke with tribal leaders in north dakota two months ago about medicaid expansion. that is exactly the topic we were talking about. we are collaborating closely. >> tribal leaders get it but many members are not. the more advocacy that we can get out of there, the better the opportunity to expand services and give native american people a choice on where they get their health care. thank you mr. chairman. >> thank you, mr. chairman. thank you for the work that you do. i want to begin my question this morning by just a general comment about consultation. over the past few months, i cannot tell you the number of conversations i have had with alaska native people both here in washington, d c, and alaska,

that are expressing more concerned about the processes and policies around consultation. we all know the imperative behind consultation. federal government has a duty to consult with tribes. and do so in a way that is meaningful, not just to check the box. in terms of responsibilities that you all have with your respective agencies, i look at it and say it has to be one of our top responsibilities. you as youaging develop your budgets and update your procedures, in your day-to-day operations, keep these consultations as a very high priority, because some of you, i think, are doing a better job. i'm not going to single anybody out but i will put it front and center. when you are doing all that you do on a daily basis, do not forget the consultation part.

toid have an opportunity spend a fair amount of time with you, ms. smith, in the appropriations committee this morning did i think you for that and your willingness to come to the state and see for yourself some of the issues that we have discussed. ms. ramirez -- ms. castro ramirez, i would invite you to come to rule out -- rural alaska to see some of the housing issues. knowing that we have some concerns and issues that are perhaps unique. i want to ask you specifically about this conference of housing need. you say this is close to completion and the results of the study are used to be driving policy and strategy. this concerns me. it concerns me because i am told that out of the 229 federally recognized tribes in alaska, there were only three that were included in your household survey.

would you have a sampling rate alaska vastly lower in than in the lower 48? this is bought desk this is been brought to the attention of your contractors. know that i am very concerned about this in very important alaskato make sure that and alaska tribes are not underrepresented or misrepresented. i need to know that this is clearly an brought to your attention. ms. ramirez: thank you very much for the question. i wanted to provide some context . the housing study that is being conducted by hud is by our policy, the department. the national study is using statistically valid sample. we have engaged in substantive tribal consultation. this is one of the reasons there has been a delay.

we are working closely with the alaska tribes. in fact, we held to tribal consultations sessions. i will follow-up and i note your concern. i will follow up. >> i appreciate that. it is three out of 220 nine p these are very small communities for the most part. i want to ask you a question, mr. roberts, regarding travel course. i have made tribal courts in alaska and priority, as well as other pl 280 states. we had leg which included in the in 2015last year -- that directed a study of the budgetary needs of travel courts. last year, there was a $2 million for the tribal pilot

appeal to 80 states. we are making progress here. i keep saying we got our foot in the door here my question to you is whether or not you have an update for me on how this pilot system may move forward. 17 -- fy 2017 budget request plans to cut the funding that we had included, the $10 million, $8 million. from the 16 enacted levels. question is on the pilot, and any explanation on the proposed decrease? mr. roberts: thank you for that funding. we really appreciated it. i heard from a number of leaders and alaska -- leaders in alaska. it is important to get that funding out as quickly as possible. i think it is also important to consult with the tribes and that's tribes in the l2 eight

states. we are going to have telephonic consultations within the next 30 to 35 days. a couple of days of consultations. funding -- how that funding should be utilized, i heard a number of different things. i think it is important to have court assessments. i heard it is important from the tribes that we implement some of that money and the courts themselves. that is going to be part of the consultation with tribes, given that it is $10 million. fy 27 requests, it had a bump up $2 million. about we appreciate all the support. because it was destined the 22nd budget was passed in the closing days. we were able to maintain that funding for the 17 request.

i'm going to be talking with tribal leaders about -- and a couple of weeks. i am hopeful that we can build all of the great work you did for the fy 2015 budget. i agree with you 100%. it is very much needed. we are going to try and make a great use -- the best use of those dollars. >> we want to try and make a success of it. i want to add mr. chairman, i on mr.pared to jump roberts here this afternoon about some payments as they relate to compact funding that were due to bristol bay native association, the second-largest employer within this region. they were asking to furlough some of their employees because i have not received their fy 2016 compact funds. i received this afternoon that

the issue has been resolved and the remaining funds will go out today. ralph anderson and some of the others are most appreciative. they have been waiting since december. they're very appreciative that this is it -- that this has been resolved. >> senator franken. sen. franken: thank you mr. chairman and vice chairman for holding this hearing. mr. roberts, ever since i first came to the senate, i have been about the negative negation school -- the nagonagesha lake school -- getting money to rebuild the school. an opportunity to see the school but spent real time there. see the deplorable conditions

herself firsthand. teachers and students have to deal with everyday. this is kind of disgraceful the school. have you had a chance to go to the school? >> i have not, senator. coldfranken: it is drafty, . structurally, it is not sound enough so that it to win blows hot -- if the wind blows hard, they have to leave the school. in minnesota, it gets really cold. if the wind is blowing more than a certain amount, they have to leave and run to another building. deplorable condition. question, i am, you know, i have been trying to get this thing build every year.

what is the status? mr. roberts: thank you senator. secretary jewell has been out there. kevin washburn has visited. everyone i have talked to within the department notes the horrible conditions of the building. it is a building that was never really intended for educational purposes. there were some questions by your colleagues about be a campuswide replacement. does not fit in that character -- in the category because it is a single building. we do have appropriations. i am hoping within the next 30 days or so i have an answer for you on how we are moving forward with the school. that is my hope. i'm meeting with the chairwoman later this month. i am also meeting internally with the team because everything i have heard from our facilities folks is there isn't a building

in worse condition there. i don't have anything for you today except that i am very well aware of it, focused and i appreciate you champing -- you championing this issue. i've been to some the schools that on the campuswide conceptualist, and the process we have four school replacement right now, we need a lot more resources. sen. franken: usually when we have these budget meetings, the becomes clear. i want to say to my colleagues again who are on this committee, that i believe it is our job to go to our caucuses and tell them, because we are the only one who

>> with her not honoring our obligations. it is something that all of us on both sides of the aisle need to be telling our caucuses. especially when we have this hearing reporting on budget and becomes especially apparent. i want to talk about opioid use. in has become epidemic minnesota, in indian country. and in urban settings. infants incan indian minnesota make up only 3% of kids born in public systems programs, they make up 28% of the infants born with neonatal syndrome. the tw h, i know

initiative is intended to address this. are you hearing about similar abuse acrossid indian country, as i am hearing the minnesota and how will initiative, or other programs in thisbudget, fight rapidly increasing problem in my state and around the country? senator for your question and your leadership on the topic. unfortunately, there is a very real problem with opiate abuse in indian country. we are working on it. we have in our budget, we have included $15 million for additional funding for our substance abuse initiative, but basis we areonal attacking it on a three prong basis.

we have a policy that -- it goes out to our providers as to how to prescribe the correct dosages. we have mandatory training for all of our providers. and then in terms of treatment, we utilize what is called medication assisted treatment to ensure we are trying to you know, address this epidemic. methadone? >> actually, because we are on this panel, it is not a solution, but it is one of the things that helps with the program. we are cooperating with the bureau of indian affairs. we have provided naloxone to the indian authorities. >> for overdoses.

i would like to say that epidemic is very much tied to or housing, poor jobsh care, poor -- the situation and the sense of hopelessness people get when they are living in those kinds of situations. thank you. >> senator? >> my questions are for deputy director smith. theour testimony, you note challenges of recruiting and maintaining quality health care professionals, specifically in the great plains region. aboutly, i was informed the process required by ihs. i have heard this process is cumbersome because it has to be renewed every year. i am worried this will disqualify qualified professionals who are in good standing with state medical boards from working in these uninsured areas.

i would like to get your thoughts on that. what is the purpose of the -- particularly, having to go through it every single year? does it have an impact on holding onto qualified staff? >> thanks for your question about attracting and retaining staff and we do have a few challenges there. obviously, credentialing is necessary to make sure we are providing quality health care and the providers are credentialed. with respect to our credentialing system, i do think there are improvements that can be made. consortiumew quality that will look at a lot of these quality standards. one of the areas they are looking at is a more uniformed credentialed process that would allow for more flexibility for providers. so, i appreciate your question. >> is that a change you anticipate you will be making? or is that something you are looking into? >> i think we will make changes.

--on't know exactly specifically which changes. one of the things we are looking at is different software packages or credentialing. i don't have a answer today whether that will go forward, but we definitely will make changes to streamline the process. >> do have any estimate on the timeline for that? >> i hope we would be able to do some changes this year. >> something this year? >> yes. >> ok, as you know there have been serious problems of the ihs facilities in the great plains region. -- in some problems cases, they were due to lack of funding. no question about it. but in other cases it is a lack of accountability next question is, in your opinion, how does the president's budget leverage resources power ihs facilities and hold them accountable? we talked about trying to

leverage ihs resources to address the resource issue. so, how do you do that and how accountability for performance on the part of ihs? >> thanks for the question. it is not easy sometimes, but it is creating a culture of quality and accountability. i think it a starts at the top and i think that you need key leadership positions. one of the things we are doing, and there is money for this in the budget -- there is $2 million for our quality consortium. as i mentioned, we have created a new position, deputy director of quality. we will be setting up a quality system, which is a compliance system with trading, and we will be working to ensure the systems are in place and that people are held accountable. i think that was one of the

problems -- why those problems arose in the great plains. that is one of the top priorities we will be addressing this year. otherhink there are service providers you can partner with to leverage your resources, but as part of that too -- and this goes to accountability -- is reimbursement to hospitals, clinics, doctors, and others who do provide services either on or off of the reservation. they have a real problem with backlog in accounts receivable, collecting those receivables from ihs. so, anything you can do to make sure ihs working with the tribes gets payment out to those health care providers in a timely basis is not only important for the service providers themselves, but will help generate more services both on and off the reservation for native people. >> thank you, senator.

i agree. leveraging the resources and ensuring prompt payment. i was talking to the person who runs our purchase referred care process about what she is putting in place to streamline those payments. thank you, senator. >> we hear from the health care providers that they have a real problem collecting those receivables. any help would be much appreciated. >> thank you, senator. i would like to thank the panelists for being here today. we will start with you, carol. year, it was at $2.5 million and correct me if i am wrong. his $5 million going to be adequate? >> thank you for the question, senator. on march 15, we went into full implementation of the expanded ability to prosecute non-native offenders for domestic violence.

we have 45 tribes participating in our voluntary working group. we expect that the five who have exercising it then started 14 -- plus the others who will now implemented -- we expect to have many more people applying for the money. >> so will that money be adequate? >> we will make it adequate. >> that is all i need to know. the doj appendix mentions allocating $1 million for researching violence against native women. it is in the same section as implementation. is that $1 million coming out of the $5 million, or is it separate? >> no, that is a separate funding source. >> that is good news. now i will go over to you larry. you have heard this before. we will talk to you about different issues in indian country and they have a lot of them. we often say to you, you have to fight harder during the budgeting process to make sure this budget meets the needs of indian country.

does this budget meet the needs of indian country? >> thank you, senator for the question. i do think the budget reflects the commitment to indian country on the part of the president. the discretionary funding across federal agencies is less than 1% increase. for indian country -- >> i gotcha, but that wasn't my question. >> i know, but what i will say still haven't regained the footing from sequester that was hit. that was $142 million. if there is anything -- i know many of you helped us for the budget. anything you can provide. >> what i am hearing is saying is this is the best you can do, but it is still not adequate. >> i think everybody knows there are still additional needs. >> perfect, larry. i want to go back to the chairman said when he opened up. if you have metrics that could

justify these increases in budget it would be helpful. quite frankly, i do think there is anybody in this committee that does not understand that some or all programs in the via are in trouble. the obama administration has done a pretty good job, but it was so dog gone bad that they had a long way to go. >> some of the metrics we can provide tomorrow are the great work we have done in indian country with tribes on preventing violent crimes, reducing recidivism. >> i got it. otherwise, we just bring you in here and hammer you. that is why it is important. we have an obligation too. we have heard from tribes, organizations, entities who do business. it is a great economic development tool. and god knows in my neck of the woods, they need development tools.

it is a great program. we could use more, we can't always bump up everywhere across the budget, right? so, we're focused on schools, youth, and social services. we are doing the best we can. ms. ramirez.go to year's budget proposal had a $50 million increase to native housing programs, which is good. previous questions about the housing but it has been stagnant for almost 20 years. so, i appreciate the advocacy for a bump up. one, thatl, number these additional dollars will be able to get out the door? >> yes, senator i definitely believe the dollars will get out

the door and the tribes will be able to invest and make use of these dollars. >> do you think this program is critically important when it comes to housing in indian country? is this one of the big programs, or is this an ancillary program? >> senator, this is the core program. this is the single source of funding that provides tribes the opportunity to develop affordable housing, to renovate. >> can i ask you a question? if this is the primary 1 -- have you guys done an assessment on the standards of housing in indian country? -- what percent are substandard? have you been able to do any of that? >> i have, senator. i mentioned earlier that we are in the process of completing a housing needs study that speaks to the conditions of housing across -- >> what does that study show? are they 80% substandard, 50%

substandard, 10% substandard? >> in 2014, we released preliminary results using the census. a few key statistics that were included were one of th serious overcrowding in indian country -- three to four times that of the national average. tribes are having to use more of their ihb funding to rehabilitate and renovate existing structures. >> they give for the courtesy, mr. chairman. >> let's start a second round of -- the want to start? >> thank you, mr. chairman. a couple things and they don't go necessarily to this budget, but they go to a potential for change. and one is obviously something we have been working on in this community and that is looking

across the board on trauma and making sure we have trauma health care professionals making sure we have trauma informed and trauma-based folks in our department of justice and in the bureau of indian education, just making sure everybody understands this kind of new brain research that is going on. you that i will continue to be a broken record as it relates to trauma as a potential path forward for change. the other thing obviously, we have been talking a lot about this week has been opioid abuse, heroin abuse. i met yesterday with a number of folks. it is that time of the year. one of the meetings that sparked a great deal of interest in me was when i met with the

women who were representing the obgyn. they believe they are prescription medications that are dispensed in a different way. i can't speak to all of the options that are out there that would actually provide treatment that is not methadone treatment for women who are addicted who are pregnant. i am wondering whether indian health has taken an active look on other kinds of treatment options that they have for addiction, especially with pregnant women. >> thank you, senator. yes, we are working on a multi-pronged approach with opioid dependence. i don't -- we have a whole division on behavioral health. i was talking with dr. cotton yesterday about the opioid crisis. i know we are looking at a number of different things. i don't -- we can get you if we

are doing anything specifically with respect to pregnant women, i can give you that information. >> we have been looking at it, but in the meantime, this has ballooned into a full-blown, absolute horrible crisis. especially in indian country, but across the country -- but especially in indian country in north dakota. if we are not pursuing state-of-the-art treatment options than we are going to fail. if we are not offering help i when people come in who desperately need help, i think obviously, from the standpoint of very many of the people who provide services to pregnant women, there is a big incentive for women to look at addiction and change behavior. tto me, there is a real option to get this done. one of the frustrations i have with indian health is you continue to do what you have always done over and over and over again and expect a different result in indian

country. it is not going to happen. we have to change how we approach it and we have to look at a system that really treats the family, a system that treats the individual and does not just say, here is your diabetes and expect people to be compliant when they are addicted. it is not going to happen and we are going to continue to spend a dollar after dollar without really treating the individual. i would appreciate any kind of information on the structure that you plan on pursuing, especially for addictive pregnant women. that has become a crisis, in fact. we have heard reports as high as 50% of the babies are born from women who are addicted. i have heard the same kind of information up at turtle mountain. that is not a formula for a successful society in any case. that falls on your shoulders and

we expect to know what we are doing about it. so thank you, miss smith. >> think you, senator. mr. mirus, the president 's budget -- you have the budget raise from 15 basis points to 25 basis points. is going to be assessed by some of the people most at risk as homeowners. further on you state that the tribal consultation will take place prior to implementation of this change in the policy raising it from 15 basis points to 25 basis points. currently, you use negotiated rulemaking to conduct tribal consultations. this does appear to be a successful model for a tribal consultation. are you going to be open to using this negotiated rulemaking to implement this increase in

the 184 program annual fee? >> thank you, chairman for the question. as you stated, the loan guarantee program is a critical program in indian country. we know that this is a program that works and enables the opportunity for homeownership. with regards to the modest annual fee increase, this modest annual fee increase is driven by the credit reform act of 1990. of theot a program hosta. however, chairman you have our full commitment that as we begin to have further discussions with tribes, we will engage in tribal consultation on the changes to the 184 program, but also on opportunities for the department

to be able to improve the program in general. >> thank you. the road maintenance program is responsible for maintaining owned 30,000 miles of via roads and my hundred 31 bridges constructed with federal funds. this provides a level of a need to maintain only 16% of the roads and 62% of the bridges in acceptable condition. the funds are used to simply maintain the current condition. far too many bridges or public roads are in poor or failing condition.if only 16% of the roads and 62% of the bridges will be in acceptable condition, how can we accep safely tickets to school or drive someone to the hospital -- how can we safely get kids to school or drive someone to the hospital? >> it is of incredible

importance in indian country. the department of transportation takes the lead on those funding issues. i will say the president's budget reflects maintaining the as int you identifieda moderate or acceptable condition. it is extraordinarily challenging to improve infrastructure in this fiscal climate. i share your concern about the issue. >> in addition to transportation, let's go to education. in the budget request, education funding requests increased. we all understand the urgent need to fix the broken school systems. i would like to bring to your attention the request for $28.4 million for "education management." can you talk about what type of services "education management" provides? >> absolutely.

a sickly, chairman the president's budget requests eight $800 million budget. this is for essentially 15 positions. contracting, acquisitions, construction -- it is all of the 15 positions we need for them to address those services under the new organization. i am more than happy to provide additional information to your staff on the that funding. , what about mason the vision 21 project? it focuses on current crime victimization in underserved communities, enhancing partnerships, improving integration -- it is intended to facilitate the ability of networks to meet current and future crime victim's needs,

stronger collaboration, the things you talked about previously. the president's budget request includes a budget grant for tribal victims of violence. can you talk about how you will -- how will the development of these grants the tailored for tribal communities? >> the $25 million request and the president's fiscal year 2017 budget is designed to give us more flexibility than we currently have. we have a history of consulting with the tribes. this request is a result of having numerous conversations with our tribal partners. >> senator, any additional questions? >> i do, thank you, mr. chairman. we are going to go back to you, larry. there is a request in here you discuss in your testimony -- a $4 million request.

is there more to it than an internet website? >> absolutely, the internet site -- basically, all of the different agencies will put their information on this internet website to provide tribes and individuals -- they can access the programs. let's say they have a housing issue. they can access that site. >> let me refine my question. is there funding for a physical site to go to? or is it all on the internet? is allnderstanding is it on the internet right now. >> $4 million, while. this is a lot of money for an internet website. >> fair enough, but there is quite a bit of data. >> i have no doubt about that.

let me ask you. broadband is pretty deficient in indian country. we building something they will have access to? >> um -- >> i think it is a great idea, but if they don't have internet service, how will they access the website. >> the president's budget does support additional broadband access. there is increases. i am not sure what the other federal agencies have for broadband, but i don't think bes internet site will something that needs the highest capabilities. i think these tribes will be able to access it. it is something the tribes have been asking for -- a one-stop shop where they can find and identify those programs. i think it is well worth the small investment and hopefully, what it does is save tribes a lot of money. >> your testimony also talks about assisting tribes in

adopting and updating the trouble court codes. court codes. and the same thing for uniform commercial codes. is any of that work being done now? >> i believe it is. i will have to get you more information on that. once again ild, -- think it is a great idea. my next question would be, do you have the infrastructure to do this? >> we have a great team at ojs. just don't have the details on that for you right now. >> i have one must question for mr. mirus. it has to do with the home loan guarantee program. this is one of the programs we saw cut. it was cut from last year's budget. native americans want this expanded to include

live offericans who reservation. would you support that if this program was extended? to be able to use this money, these loan guarantees, for homes outside the reservation. >> in principle, senator, yes i would support it. i would need to look into the technical requirement behind the loan guarantee program because i know it was designed for indian country. but yes, i think anything we can do to expand and increase homeownership opportunity. >> that is good. the second thing is, it is kind of the same question i asked other people in different programs. but this is a pretty dog gone good program. it is being cut. what is the justification? is it simply dollars? you had to cut somewhere, so this is the one that got the axe? >> senator, our request for $5.5

million for fy2015 takes into account carryover funds from previous years. >> how much carryover do you have? >> we are predicting about $1 million of carryover funds. >> on the one hand, that is good. it atwe will just leave that. think you, mr. chairman. i appreciate it and i appreciate all of your testimony. i grilled mary pretty hard this morning so i told her i would let her off the hook this afternoon. and aaron, i am sorry. i will catch you next time. >> erin, just following up on what the senator is talking about. talking about broadband deficiency in indian country. we are putting all of this effort into a state-of-the-art website where all of this information can be integrated. talk a little bit about house all the needs are -- top about how all of the needs are because there is a little bit of a lack

and infrastructure. >> can you think of infrastructure like pipes in indian country, it is virtually neglected. in indian country, we built basically what we do have. in my tribe's case we were recognized late, in 1972. we have had to acquire everything we have. mostly what we have acquired our old swamplands. we have build the infrastructure ourselves. broadband is a critical need in indian country. we are not as rural as most other tribal communities. we do have some access, but it is limited. i have council meetings in the districts and we find we don't have the ability to connect. others look and us and laugh with us because we can't connect. they live with that day today and try to do their jobs. absolutely, if the program we are talking about is a wonderful concept -- we talked about that

recently to try and get some across.ncy that could not be the best use of resources. it is a loss of opportunity to use the resources. >> i don't want to get in the middle of a fight. i would say that -- >> if there are number questions for today, members may also submit written follow-up questions. the hearing record will remain open for two weeks. than all of to youk for being here today and your testimony. the hearing is adjourned.

>> i think what is so unusual, if i can be sappy for a second, to be able to have professional and personal partnership over more than 15 years is a really unusual thing. temperament and great vision in terms of editing is something i don't have and never really -- i have not spent any time on it. i stuck very closely to the grunt side of the equation. susanday night on "q&a,"

glasser and peter baker, who are married, join us to talk about their careers and their upcoming plans to move to israel. >> it will be a great adventure. susan and i were in moscow to gather for "the washington post." we have done the overseas thing before, but have never spent time in jerusalem. it is part of the world that has so much history to it. we spent a lot of time writing about it in washington, but we have never lived there. >> i will also basically be changing roles and continuing at ourtico, helping to meet editorial growth. we are continuing to expand in the united states and internationally. just this last year, we launched politico europe.

i came to politico to start politico magazine two-and-a-half years ago. we started that. it has been a really exciting new platform to take us in to both ambitious longform reporting. >> sunday night at 8:00 eastern on c-span's "q&a." >> i am a history buff. i do enjoy seeing the fabric of our country and how things, just how they work. >> i love american artifacts. something i really enjoy. tv gives youistory the perspective. today, usaid administrator gayle smith talked about foreign aid programs, an event hosted by

the brookings o institution. she took part in a discussion about u.s. foreign aid. this begins with remarks from .enators david perdue it is one hour and 15 minutes.

>> again, ladies and gentlemen. welcome. person rules, protesting is prohibited. these make sure your cell phones are shut off.

it is now my honor to welcome from ai, danny clackum. [applause] everybody for not protesting and clapping instead. gentlemen, your eminence, it is a great pleasure to welcome you to this joint american enterprise institute brookings event with the new agency for international development administrator, gayle smith. we have titled this event "u.s. leadership in international development." that could mean absolutely everything, but i know gayle has a will of fresh ideas and fresh thinking that i hope will take the last year of this administration into a strong start for the next administration, whatever that is . and remember, no protesting.

[laughter] let me take a moment and introduce senator david perdue, who will help us open today. he is the junior senator from georgia and is the chairman of the senate foreign relations committee, which oversees the authorization of aid. i am delighted on behalf of brookings and aid to welcome him to the podium. [applause] >> thank you, i really appreciate that. i want to thank you for being here today. this is one of the most important things we do, a believe, in the united states congress because this is where we put the face of america before the world. i am a freshman senator. i have just been here one year now. we share two spots on the senate foreign relations committee that oversees this effort that we are going to talk about today.

i have lived outside the united states and i have seen the best of america through our embassies, our state department people, but also through usa id and the way we manifest our care for human beings through our money. the good news today is i stand here before you, barn eight of the 34 countries is up over 50%. these are real dollars. the bad news is, it is only a fraction of what is needed. if you talk to people who are professionals and look at the needs around the world, some 60 million people today are displaced. 60 million, think about that. that is bigger than most countries. over 11 million people in syria have lost their homes. i was blessed to be able to visit serbia a few weeks ago in a trip over there to see the refugee pipeline from greece to

macedonia, to austria, to germany, all the way up to scandinavia. have heads ofwere state that said refugees are being weaponize. .hat is a concern right now there are countries like russia and syria who are purposely going through an effort to rid their area of certain ethnic people. we have seen that before in the world. the history of the world, in my mind, has had dangerous periods. we are certainly in one right now. it is measured in two ways. one, we have a global security crisis on three levels. we have the rise of traditional rivalries, russia and china being evermore energetic militarily. the second thing is, you have the growth of terrorism. isis and some 19 affiliates now all the way from malaysia, philippines, all the way to algeria. they have proven they can strike anywhere anytime, as we have just seen here in our own

homeland. but the one that really bothers me is the fact that we now have proliferation of nuclear capability among rogue nations like north korea and iran. so, the world is very dangerous and yet, at the same time, one of the biggest dangers that faces the globe today is this sweeping global debt crisis. we are certainly a big player. the united statesnuclear capabie nations like north korea and iran. so, has a big economy and we certainly have a large debt. that threatens our ability to lead all around the world, not just in moments of crisis. one of the greatest pressures right now are these fragile democracies that are fumbling through, trying to fund their young democracies and at the same time, take care of this great he military need that is on their borders today -- to take care of this great humanitarian need that is on their borders today. 10 countries in europe have

slowed down their take of refugees and so forth. that will create a problem in greece. and now, in egypt. i am going there in a few weeks because i believe there is a problem there and it will only get worse. the other part of the global crisis is our own funding in the united states federal government. we are the largest philanthropy or. there twice as large as second-largest player in the u.k. we are substantially the leader in terms of philanthropy. the chinese are getting involved. they don't publish their numbers. they are somewhere around 4 trillion or 5 trillion -- or billion, i wish it were trillion. we are at the 35 billion range and friendly, we would love that to be much higher. the state department and usaid from 1992 to the year 2000, we averaged about $20 billion running the entire enterprise. between 2000 and 2008, it went

up to about 30 billion dollars. the because of iraq and afghanistan, we went from $20 billion to $40 billion. militaries come out of embattled areas and you can see the need d go up to. we are now at the $54 billion range. you can see the pressure that those of us -- i am on the foreign relations committee and on the budget committee. i see both pressures and this is one we have to come to grips with. we are the richest country in the history of the world. yes, we are the largest supporter of philanthropy in the world today and i am proud of that. i am proud of the fact that these professionals -- gayle i am herfeel like parent. she came before me and was a nominee. we held hands as we went through that process together. she faced some tough questions before the committee. she whether that and she really

presented -- she weathered that and she really presented a great plan for usaid. get really give me confidence that she is the right person for the right time. i am hoping she will have a lot more time than she thinks she will have in this role. when you look around the world, i am so excited about the success stories. we give 25% right now of all philanthropy in the world -- and that is not count urges or individual philanthropy, which i would argue is greater than 25% of their comparative numbers abroad. they look at things in africa, for example. you have an entire continent where 1/3 of the people don't have access to electricity. there are four things you have to have for economic development and cheap power is the key one. you have to have an infrastructure. all of those are in jeopardy in africa.

usaid has one of the best models out there. the take a dollar of usaid or foreign aid and they put it with private dollars and they get a leverage effect. it is a force multiplier. the best example of that is the power africa initiative. with $7 billion, they were able to attract $43 billion -- and i am a business guy, so i love this. as a politician and someone on the budget committee, i love it more because they are taking dollar philanthropy and multiplying it with economic investment. they are facilitating capital investment that would otherwise not be made. africa will, 1/3 of be addressed in terms of providing power. i think that is so remarkable. i want to take my hat off to usaid and thank them. now we have to get serious about focusing on the priorities. we don't have enough money to

meet every need. we can hold the hand of every person who is displaced. we have to prioritize and make sure every dollar we spend is leverage a bowl and actually gets the results -- is leveragable and actually gets the results. we have to make sure they are effective. gayle talked about. this is not just throwing money at the world. people respond to that. they respond to when they see thyour heart. i know what the ugly america looks like, but i also know what the philanthropic america looks like. no american can turn down a helping hand. the is just not in our nature. and so, i think usaid does a phenomenal role. i am in just to see gayle's footprint on this as we go forward. i would like to thank all of you for your continued support in this vital effort.

thank you. [applause] i am george with the brookings institution. have a distinct pleasure to be here with danny and aei, sponsoring this event for gayle smith. it is my honor to introduce senator shaheen. notenk the one thing i can is that with your service on the arms services committee, the foreign relations committee, and the appropriations state operations subcommittee, that you must personify the three d's. diplomacy, and defense. those of us in the development community appreciate you being a leading champion on the importance of development, and the efforts he went to to get gayle confirmed.

thank you for being here today and for being such a champion of development. [applause] george. you, here i thought you were going to say, i get to decide where the money goes. well, good afternoon and welcome crowd, or what i know will be a stimulating conversation. i have some brief repaired remarks, but before i do that i want to make a statement about the importance of this kind of dialogue. i am delighted to be here with --colleagues, senator perdue who sits with me on the foreign relations committee -- but more importantly, i think it is that brookings and aei are here hosting this conversation. one of the things that we are saying through this election cycle and that we have seen too much in recent years is division throughout this country on almost every issue.

and so, do have a conversation where we listen to each other and hear other people's opinions, where we can disagree in a safe way and try and build some consensus, i think it is critical. thank you, george. and thank you to brookings and danny for hosting this conversation. >> now, it is really great to see so many scholars and experts from the washington policy committee. i appreciate senator perdue, e's remarks. these are bipartisan issues that are in our shared, mutual national interests. a very special welcome to those of you who are here from usaid and of course, to your new leader. your evidence, it is always nice

to have you in the crowd. prayers we the can get. , fostering at usaid sustained economic growth and sustained democratic society has never been more important. powerful dynamics, including war, strife, poverty, and climate change are to stabilizing countries and entire regions -- are destabilizing countries and entire region. by contrast, economic development are great stabilizers. make a mistake, usaid's work is national security work. the national security strategy issued in 2015 notes that we have an historic opportunity to end poverty and put our societies on a shared and sustained pass to prosperity. we will foster export markets for u.s.

businesses, improve investment opportunities, and decrease the need for costly military intervention. usaid is hard at work addressing the crises, the refugee crises, the syrian civil war, and advancing development in afghanistan and across the world from southeast asia to africa to central and south america. opportunity to travel to afghanistan right after i got elected to the senate. and be part of a conversation about what we were going to do there to continue to promote afghanistan. i remember very clearly, listening to the conversation about what was working there and people talked about, do we need more of a military buildup? what has worked? the thing that seemed to be a unanimous opinion about having worked the best at that point in

afghanistan was the effort to build health clinics across the country. have these, my only clinics provided access to health care for people, but they have given people in villages -- particularly women -- a voice in decision-making in those villages. and what a difference that has made in afghanistan. so, there is no doubt as we look at our opportunities around the world, that those efforts to invest in economic development and promote opportunities for people make a huge difference, as the president said when he was here speaking to the joint session of congress. he said, educating one afghan girl would change the next five generations of a family, putting all of those children in schools in afghanistan makes such a huge difference.

this is something the development professionals of usaid understand so well. i commend them all for their devotion to these efforts. because the usaid mission is more important than ever, it is critically important that we have a leader of the highest caliber at the top of this agency. and this is why i was thrilled that the senate confirmed gayle smith to serve as administrator. i wish we had been able to get it done faster, but i am glad that it finally got done. ms. smith has been administrator since early december, but more than that, for seven years she has been a leader within this administration, in shaping and guiding america's international development policy. to put helped development front and center in the u.s. national security agenda. servedtrator smith with the president at the national security council, where

she helped manage the u.s. response to more than 15 major crises. administrator smith was previously a senior fellow at the center for american progress. she was cofounder of the project and cofounder of the modernizing foreign assistance network. during the clinton administration, she served as special assistant to the president and senior director for african affairs and the national security council and a senior advisor to the administrator and chief of staff for usaid. clearly, she has the experience to be the leader of usaid, but what i did not know until i did research is that she had a life before she came to government service, which is very interesting. prior to her government service she worked as a journalist in africa for more than two decades, covering military, economic, and political affairs the associated press,,

the times, and other outlets. she won the world journalism award in 1991. and then, she won the national security council samuel nelson award. andes and gentlemen, usaid all of us are fortunate to have depthinistrator with such and experience in promoting economic development across the globe. it is an honor and pleasure to introduce usaid's administrator, gayle smith. [applause] gayle smith: wow, good afternoon, everybody. aei andnt to thank brookings for hosting us here today.

i want to thank george and danny specifically. it would also like to welcome the members from the diplomatic corps. i told the state department this last month. we really value your partnership. i want to thank senator perdue and senator shaheen. i am truly honored by your words , but also by your partnership, which sends the important signal to all of us about what we can do. i also see in this room a lot of forle who work for usaid many many years. many legends, many people who build the foundations of this agency i am proud to serve today. i want to say thank you to you and i hope i can live up to your hard work and everything you have done. i think the senators here today represent something critical to our success. that is the incredible bipartisan -- in fact, i think it is a most nonpartisan -- the support that we now enjoy. i have had a lot of meetings with members of congress since i was nominated. in it no single meeting did any

to make the case that development was important for that usaid is important. that is a big change and that is a big deal. as it turns out, with bipartisanship we can get a lot done. i remember when i first started in this administration and on day one, we had the millennium challenge corporation. all good ideas realized by president bush. it never crossed president obama's mind to do anything but built on the progress that we have achieved. as supportingfar lifesaving treatment for nine and a half million people, and it has provided 68 million people around the world with testing and counseling. is ads-free generation possibility for the first time. that is because the republican president had the courage to invest billions and a democratic president was smart enough to continue what. that is because two parties and

branches united around the idea that the night is states should be the one to lead the fight against this epidemic. future leaders will keep going until be live in an aids-fre e world. that is the way it should be. the senator mentioned power africa. last week i was able to cohost the reception. the act was passed by congress and signed into law last month. there, senators and representatives from both parties, and members of president obama's administration, were united in a simple message -- we can change people's lives when we were together. because of their efforts, the work of power africa can continue from administration to administration until the lights are on in every home, business, and a school in africa.

that is the way washington should work. -- the global food security act. if passed, the act will solidify the incredible progress made by seed the future and position the u.s. for continued leadership in the global fight for malnutrition -- in malnutrition. gains build on the ranging from 33% drop in ghana in bangladesh. when we work together, we are powerful force for change. i'm glad to have all of you by my side as we work to lock this coming year what we have accomplished and to meet the challenges ahead of us. i'm enormously proud to lead u.s.a.i.d.