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the united states supported schools across 37 states or territories including 21 schools in alaska and hawaii. it confirms that the united states targeted american indians, and native hawaiians with programs of cultural -- these schools were used as a means to the end. with more site discovery and data expected as we continue our research. the first native american cabinet secretary who has the interior said this earlier this week. >> they moved to exterminate, eradicate, and assimilate native

americans, alaskan natives and native hawaiians. the religions, language, all of it was targeted for destruction. nowhere is that more clear than in the legacy of the boarding schools. for more than a century, tens of thousands of indigenous children were taken from their communities and forced into boarding schools run by the government. the department of the interior and religious institutions. the consequences of this policy, including the intergenerational trauma caused by family separation and cultural eradication which were inflicted on generations of children as young as four years old are heartbreaking and undeniable. when my maternal grandparents were only eight years old they

were stolen from their parents culture and communities and forced to live in boarding schools until the age of 13. many children like them never made it back to their homes. each of those children is a missing family member, a person who was not able to live out their purpose on this earth because they lost their lives as part of this terrible system. this is not new to us. this is not new to many of us as indigenous people. we have lived with the trauma of the schools for many years. what is new is the determination to make a lasting difference in the impact of this trauma for future generations. the federal policies that intended to wipe out native identity, language and culture continue to manifest in the pain tribal communities face today,

including cycles of violence and abuse, disappearance of indigenous people. mental health disorders and substance abuse, recognizing the impact of the federal indian boarding school system cannot just be a historical reckoning. we must also chart a path forward to deal with the legacy issue. to address the intergenerational impact and promote spiritual and emotional healing in our communities, we must shed light on the unspoken traumas of the past. host: the interior secretary from earlier this week. there is talk in congress to commit a formal commission to investigate and do more research on what happened to these children. that is what they are calling

for on capitol hill. we want to know what you think of the story. ed in georgia we will start with you. caller: i am sympathetic about what happened to the native american children. the only thing is, most of them are dead now. i don't know what this secretary is trying to get to. i am sure it is money. all i know is we are told one thing and then we are told a different thing. for example, we have a baby shortage -- baby formula shortage. then we found out that it was given to the illegals. host: the report that we were talking about this morning, she said that the legacy of the

schools and what happened lives on today in native american culture. she said in the washington post, it knows the lasting impact of the schools on native americans and their communities. studies from adults that attended schools suffer from much higher rates of illness. they call for continued investigation to the boarding school system including interviewing former students and providing them with mental health care. they also want to transfer the remains so they can have proper burials. that is what they are calling for according to the washington post. joseph in gilbert, arizona.

caller: this is a horrific problem we have had in this country. we have been abusing the indigenous people from when we started moving last to today. even now, we are building pipelines over there burial grounds. we are taking cuts of their money for casinos. we had these schools into the 1970's. if anybody deserves reparations or anything, it is these poor people. this is not just about this horrible situation.

this is a horrible situation about us giving them smallpox in blankets. i remember when general moorhouse attacked the indians and brought them home on the trail of tears. the first thing we need to do is stop abusing them because we still are. like i said, it is an american tragedy that these indigenous people are suffering, but they are still suffering. there is not much said about it at all. host: the native american population today, this is from

indian country.com. the indigenous population has improved. the indian population was not part of the census until 1960. the growth in the american indian population contributes to the nation being more diverse. it increased from 5.2% to 9.7 million. in 86.5 percent increase. we are talking about this new report from the interior department on the abuse of native americans dating from

1900 to the 1960's. what was your reaction when you heard about this investigation? caller: are you still speaking to me? host: no, james and north carolina. caller: i was not surprised. this country has abused indigenous people, black people, anybody who is not a white, anglo-saxon has been abused in this country. what is different is that the country is trying to repair those injuries. they are trying to repair the injury inflicted. hr 40 which has reparations for

black people has been languishing for 40 years. there is always a check ready for everyone else. i encourage all black people in november, stay home. don't vote until people talk about cutting your liberation check. host: from the hearing on capitol hill on this report and the legislation to form a commission to investigate the schools. this is what her group found in her research and what happened to these children. >> their hair was chopped, their close stripped and their names

were replaced with english ones. they frequently received punishment for speaking their language. methods of punishment included solitary confinement, flogging, whipping, and forcing children to administer punishments to each other such as the strap line. people were subjected to forced labor, neglect, malnourishment and physical and sexual abuse. children were beaten to death. this happened routinely enough to compel operators to have cemeteries on school grounds, often in unmarked graves. this violence affected hundreds of thousands of children and their communities so deeply that these effects of trauma can be

seen intergenerational leave. indian boarding school methods are rooted in manifest destiny. it has taken generations to get to this point of public truth and accountability. for those who never had the chance to return home. for those who were forever changed i this extreme cruelty. for those who were chained to basement radiators, and prison cells, and dark closets. for those who were sexually abused, told to wash up and returned to the marching line. for those who were told that they would be forgotten. we are here to remind you to remember these children. to tell the truth, to subpoena others who are carrying that

knowledge and ensure that we get the truth that our families deserve. they need to know the clerk: this is not new, unfortunately. it deeply disturbed my heart. the terrible experience that we as a society have put the native americans, starting with christopher columbus, to look at

new zealand, australia. we exterminated people all over the globe. look at the massive wars of world war ii. 250 plus million people perished. somehow unfortunately, this culture of -- this capitalist culture of going everywhere in the world and exploiting resources. we actually have to blame. and something has to be done with the culture. and the christian church is just a front to allow people to go and further exploit other people. i think there has to be a massive transformation of the european culture. otherwise i don't think any other human being is going to be able to survive this planet. host: these assimilation policies happened in canada as

well. as the caller mentioned, the catholic church ransom of these schools as well. april 1 of this year, the pope apologized to the indigenous people of canada for the deplorable abuses. that's the headline in the guardian.com. the u.s. government has not apologized. cutler in hook set, new hampshire. we'll hear from you. go ahead. the clerk: good morning, greta. this is long overdue. i think this is a reflection of a european culture that wanted to have everybody be like them. and the gentleman before me mentioned columbus. he abused native americans. our whole history is based on trying to make people like us.

if you're not like us, then we're going to change you. i believe the history and the schools should reflect the true history what happened to the native americans and what happened to the blacks in slavery. and that's about all i have to say. host: here. here is russ. native americans have been taken advantage of for hundreds of years. the fact it has been covered up by our government since 1969 is a disgrace. nixon hid from the american people along with others. martin in las cruces, new mexico. martin, let's hear from you. the clerk: yes. thank you, c-span. in 1992, i ran across this continent on behalf of native american peoples for peace and dignity. what we see is that we are living on stolen ground. we're not only have no rights to this land, we have no ancestors

on this land. we prayed to the ancestors. we prayed for the elders. we heard the stories of the peoples and the pain that they went through. it's important that we recognize 2024, there will be nor cross- -- another cross-continental peace and dignity journey which people can participate and pray not only for forgiveness but for strength of the peoples and recognition of their sovereignty. host: all right, martin. during that hearing on capitol hill, shwani tribe leader ben barnes was asked about the importance of having a historical record of what happened. in other words, enacting this legislation to formalize a commission. here's what he had to say. [video clip] >> finding answers and honoring these children's stories are

important to the shani tribe. we tried to assemble all information regarding the school labor school. we discovered that crucial parts of the story are inaccessible within government archives or exist within the private collections of religious institutions that operated some of these schools. as time continues to pass, we will lose the testimonies of survivors and more documents will be misplaced. that is the importance of h.r. 5444. creating a mandated commission and power to locate every record and ensure history is preserved and made available for examination. finding answers to long-asked questions cannot be without consequences. understanding the stories of our children will cause mourning among our people. the discovery of unmarked graves will provoke difficult conversations about best how to honor those children. but the burden will be lifted.

acceptance, healing, and growth will follow. so this commission's purpose is not to point fingers, lay blame or revoke guilt in people who are generations removed from these atrocities. it will simply help american indian communities find information that would otherwise be unattainable and bring an opportunity for some semblance of closure. we cannot go back and change the past. but we can and must hold ourselves accountable for doing the right thing today. the stories of human suffering at these institutions can no longer be hidden from view or ignored. it is time they -- that they take their place in public conscience. host: from the hearing on capitol hill yesterday. this report issued by the interior department investigation that found abuse of native american children at federally sanctioned boarding schools between the early 1900's and 1960's. your reaction to this news. frank in poughkeepsie, new york.

good morning. the clerk: good morning -- the caller: good morning. a little apologetic tone whatsoever for this country. but you want to ask forgiveness from the father and he won't hear you because you didn't apologize those people who you did wrong to. you have to be beggings for apologize. sorry. what do you want? and the children that's been abused and cast aside and buried with unmarked names and -- don't worry. your turn in the sun will come. those will be cast into darkness will be there in the darkness where they belong. host: all right, frank. jersey girl sends this tweet this morning. last summer i read the brooken heart of america about st. louis but in part it details the

horrific u.s. policy towards native people. it's shameful and i didn't know much of it and it was committed by people who were revered in u.s. history. eric in hopeville junction, new york. hi, eric. caller: good morning. as usual, your -- you're right on the topic that needs to be spoken now. i want to relate to you two -- two incidents. one, i was a -- i met a fellow hiking. and he said he was from canada. he explained to me his father was a u boat sailor in world war ii. u boats, hmm, that's not something you find in canada. truly, they immigrated after the war, his father and he and family from germany and he explained to me in discussing the boarding schools in canada

which is sort of a mirror of our experience is that it was ok then, he told me. but it's not ok now. and i puzzled over there in my mind. this fellow, you know, was -- he told me something else that hitler -- all that other stuff -- the only thing he didn't like, he said, he didn't like the mixing of the races. so he was going on this track and i was just amazed that i was in this millennia this fellow telling me these things about how good hitler was and how he tried to surrender 50 times. off topic. the other tale i want to tell, i met a fellow also hiking who -- this is amazing -- he -- his father was a highly, highly, highly decorated fellow in the u.s. military. helicopter pilot. amazing warrior. who married into a native

american -- had a native american wife, cherokee, and he -- his -- when he learned about the trail of tears, he said to his father, i cannot continue the tradition fighting for this country, he said. and he has been -- his life has been a wreck ever since because his father disowned him. it's amazing how long a tail this kind of pain promulgates so i thank you so much for listening to me. have a wonderful morning. host: crystal in pennsylvania. crystal, what were your thoughts this morning when you heard this report? caller: hi. this is my first time calling. i'm surprised. i've never heard anything about that over the years. i'm over 60 years old. but i just wanted to make one comment about the guy who called

from north carolina saying something about black people should -- don't go and vote. that's the wrong attitude. we'd have the republicans back in office if we did that. host: diane in daulton, georgia. go ahead. your thoughts on this federal government abuse of native american children. caller: you know, in the united states, it's everywhere what they're going through with with every culture. it's just not one. it's everyone. all i can say, there is only one heaven, boy, we'll be in trouble for sure, you know it. because we're supposed to take care of every child, every child matters in the united states and everywhere around the world. host: ok. gregory in minneapolis, we'll go to you, gregory. caller: good morning. my observation as an

african-american living in south dakota is, i observed the treatment of the lakota people. witness day after day. particularly the children. [indiscernible] and they just come through together. and i ask the question. you know, generally, people -- not a racist. we just don't want to be around, you know -- [indiscernible] and i say, well -- [indiscernible] what will be next?

that's a different observation. and, you know, it's an ongoing problem, you know. it's -- host: gregory, ilale move on to c.j. who is in minneapolis. who is native american. c.j., good morning. caller: good morning. i called in many times and brought up native american issues, especially regarding the pipeline. when i hear them talk about how biden stopped the pipeline but they failed to tell us is that the pipeline is a violation of the treaty going back to 1861. host: ok, so c.j., can you -- sticking to this report, as a native american, did you know about this history? how do you -- have you seen it continue its legacy continue in generations? caller: absolutely, for sure. and the news media is complicit because you don't hear anything about it in their news except

for what they want us to hear. it's been going on for generations and generations. i mean, my family, when they lost their land, they built a holiday inn resort on my family's property from back in the 1800's. yes, it's been going on definitely, up until now. but the other people, what they call us now -- they call us the other when they come to -- when it comes to our voting rights. we got president obama elected. we got joe biden elected. he made a promise to the native american people he was going to look into things like this which i'm glad he is. this is a great subject. so we need to the exposure. host: we have about 30 minutes left here in today's "the wall street journal." the house is going to gavel in early for their legislative session. so we are in open forum, public policy issues that are on your mind. we'll begin an exclusive from abc news. benjamin sigel saying the house

oversight is opening up an investigation into baby formula shortages. sigel reports the house oversight committee is launching an investigation into the nationwide shortage of baby formula and demanding records and information from four of the largest manufacturers. this follows news from the white house yesterday that the president met with manufacturers of baby formula. and the white house said it received an update from the manufacturers and the president and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are scrambling to address this growing lack of baby formula in many stores across the country. that's one issue for you this morning. there's others, of course, on the table as well. before we get to your calls, though, listen to republican congresswoman, conference chair elise stefanik, a new mom. yesterday on capitol hill blaming the shortage on the biden administration. ms. stefanik: right now families across america are struggling to

feed their babies due to a horrific nationwide baby formula shortage. and i cannot think of a more harrowing panicked crisis for parents to face than desperately trying to find food and formula for their newborn babies. i led on this issue since february and we as house republicans continue to demand answers from the f.d.a. unsurprisingly when i reached out in february from my office to the f.d.a. we received no substantive spobs. joe biden -- response. joe biden simply has no plan. when joe biden's white house was asked about the shortage, they laughed. shameful. make no mistake, there's nothing laughable or funny about this crisis. as a new mother, i understand personally the severity of this challenge. my son, sam, is 9 months old. he's formula fed. even in my trip to the grocery store in upstate new york, the shelves have been fairly empty. and there was an article just today about families having to drive hours to access stores

that have formula. think about the cost of gas for families on limited income. so today, house republicans are here to push for action from the f.d.a. and the biden administration who should have had a plan for this shortage months ago. instead, bare shelves biden has continued to pass the buck. biden and the f.d.a. needed to work directly with the manufacturers and hospitals to make sure that we have an adequate supply of baby formula and make sure that parents know where to go if the shelves are empty at the store. host: that's republican congresswoman elise stefanik yesterday on the hill. "the washington post" reports in their newspapers this morning, at issue are supply chain problems that linger from the pandemic and a recall in february by abbott nutrition forcing many stores to ration how much formula one person can buy at a time. the amount of baby formula was

at 30%, a 10% increase. it marks a stark significance compared with out-of-stock data from earlier this year when the number fluctuated between 2% to 8%. we are in open forum. steve in brookfield, wisconsin, republican. steve, good morning to you. what's the public policy issue on your mind? caller: good morning. just wanted to follow up from your previous guest regarding the abortion issue. she had mentioned that the majority of the polls support abortion in some fashion. which i agree with. rape, incest, ectopic pregnancy. she kept saying it was in the health of the mother, health of the mother when i think all the studies and everybody can agree, most abortions are due to unplanned pregnancies because of a lack of birth control and the men are just as guilty as the women for having unplanned, you know, relationships that cause a woman to get pregnant. this is 2022. social media is everywhere.

people are smarter now, hopefully, than they were 40 or 50 years ago. why are so many women getting pregnant with unplanned pregnancies? and i'm not talking, again, about the ectopic pregnancy, rape, or incest, which is a small percentage. why isn't there more birth control that people should be using? why aren't we smarter than this? there wouldn't be abortion. thank you. host: democratic caller. we'll go to you. caller: are you talking to me? host: yes. caller: i keep hearing about abortion from the point of view of men and women. and i'd like to say, first of all, i think that the soul survives death. when you have an abortion, you are postponing the soul for something better. and that every baby has a right to the best start in life

possible. and if people believe that all knowledge comes from god, there's some reason why we have knowledge of abortion in the first place. and in the second place, doesn't a baby have a right to have a father who's not a rapist or an incestor, do you have a right of having a healthy beginning if -- what help is that to any soul or anybody? it seems to me a right that never gets considered. host: ok. in other news from capitol hill, yesterday in the senate, senator rand paul blocked the $40 billion for ukraine and military aid and other aid saying there's not enough oversight on this spending. he blocked it for a week. that is in the washington times this morning. it passed the house earlier.

also on capitol hill, this is from "the wall street journal." the january 6 committee that's investigating the attack on the capitol hill has suspend five lawmakers. house minority leader kevin mccarthy, along with those four republican lawmakers. jim jordan, mo books, scott perry, andy biggs. reminder to all that the january 6 committee will start holding hearings beginning june 9 on what they have found so far in their investigation. the senate yesterday approved federal reserve chair jerome powell for another term. he's been the acting federal reserve chair for weeks and his nomination approved in the senate yesterday. 80-19 vote. leonard in new hampshire, independent, good morning to you, leonard. caller: hi, good morning, thank you very much for taking my call. i am accused often of thinking

outside the box. and the first caller on this session today brought up my point. and i'd like to discuss it a little deeper. pregnancy -- excuse me -- pregnancy is caused by men. and nowhere in this conversation of recent has the men -- the man been introduced to part of the problem. it all starts that way. and i would like you and/or anybody to start talking more about men's responsibility. and i'll just let it go at that because that's a deep, deep subject. so anyway, thanks for taking my call. host: all right. george, louisville, kentucky. caller: yes, thank you. good morning. host: good morning. caller: here's the thing. the g.o.p. seems to only be concerned -- only seems to be concerned about debts and deficits and all that which are not necessarily the same when a democratic president is in

office. if you trace from 1960 on, all the present day, you'll find the g.o.p. presidents, house reps, senators, whatnot, the g.o.p. on spending appropriation outspends the democratic counterparts by a considerable amount. fiscal conservatives has nothing to do with political conservatism. political conservatism is about preserving the status quo and keeping power into the hands of those who has it and taking the side of goliath over any david. that's the thing about conservatism. the one thing about the keystone pipeline they keep carrying on about -- president biden: good afternoon, folks. i'm flanked by a group of -- [laughter]