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Dr. Ruiz Announces Appointment as Ranking Member on the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian, Insular, and Alaska Native Affairs

January 27, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Dr. Raul Ruiz (D-Palm Desert) announced his appointment as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Indian, Insular, and Alaska Native Affairs on the House Natural Resources Committee for the 114th Congress.

"Our tribes are vital to the fabric of our community and nation, and I am proud to represent eleven tribal nations in California's 36th district," said Dr. Ruiz. "As the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Indian, Insular, and Alaska Native Affairs, I will work with my Democratic and Republican colleagues to find real solutions to issues facing our tribes like improving healthcare, education, and economic growth, while vigilantly supporting the sovereignty of all the nations of Indian Country."

The Subcommittee on Indian, Insular, and Alaska Native Affairs is responsible for all matters regarding Native Americans, including the 565 federally recognized tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, nearly 1.9 million American Indians, and the insular areas of the U.S., to include the territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), as well as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

As the Ranking Member, Dr. Ruiz is now the most senior member of the minority party on the subcommittee, and in coordination with the Chairman, sets the agenda for the Subcommittee.

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