Kalle Benallie
ICT
The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs conducted their hearing for William “Billy” Kirkland’s nomination for assistant secretary of Indian affairs on Wednesday, July 17.
President Donald J. Trump nominated Kirkland in February.
If Kirkland is appointed, he will be the first Navajo Nation citizen to hold the position and the 15th person to serve as assistant secretary of Indian affairs. He will take Bryan Newland’s position after he resigned in January. Newland is a Bay Mills Indian Community citizen. The assistant secretary of Indian affairs has jurisdiction over Native American, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native affairs under the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of Interior.
“As this committee knows, Indian Country is not a homogenous community, one size does not fit all. Each tribe is distinct — each with its own identity, history and needs. My goal will be to meet those needs and further self-governance,” Kirkland said in the hearing. “If confirmed, my goal will be to honor the diversity of Indian Country by ensuring our policies are responsive, respectful and rooted in partnership and meet our trust responsibilities.”
Kirkland was the special assistant to Trump during his first term and deputy director for intergovernmental affairs. He was raised in Georgia and received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia.
In February, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren praised Trump’s nomination of Kirkland.
“The gravity of this responsibility is a big deal. You will be called upon to understand the challenges that American Indians and Alaska Natives face in our country and to work to provide solutions,” said Lisa Murkowski, U.S. Senator of Alaska, Republican, and chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.
Brian Schatz, U.S. Senator of Hawai’i, Democrat, and vice chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, asked Kirkland to confirm that he will sell his political consulting group, the PWK Group, to Potomac South, a registered lobbying firm, if appointed.
Schatz also asked if Kirkland was involved in Trump’s alleged racketeering in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. In 2016, Kirkland was a senior presidential campaign advisor in Georgia.
Kirkland denied involvement.
Schatz also asked how Kirkland would work in the position due to his lack of experience in federal Indian law and tribal leadership.
Kirkland cited his past work in the White House and said he plans to spend his “first 90 days listening to tribal leaders and the Congressional Committees of jurisdiction to understand top priorities and develop a clear action plan.”
“I will work to build consensus and move quickly once met. I will lean on the committee’s experience and expertise,” Kirkland said. “I have reached out to and sought advice and counsel from past Assistant Secretary Tara Sweeney and Larry Echohawk and if confirmed I will rely on all committee members and their input to most effectively fulfill the duties of the Office of Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs.”
U.S. New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, Democrat, pressed Kirkland on his work with the Faith and Freedom Coalition, whose founder Ralph Reed was accused with lobbyist Jack Abramoff of defrauding Indian gaming enterprises. Reed was never charged and Kirkland denied meeting Abramoff.
Some other issues talked about during the hearing were funding for water settlements, public safety, treaty obligations, probate backlog, homelessness, health and safety, online transparency, the fentanyl crisis, and defunding of programs and investments in Indian Country, like public broadcasting.
Murkowski emphasized Kirkland’s responsibility with working with multiple departments in the federal government and his commitment to speaking with the president and others in the government about these issues.
“We need people who are going to carry the burdens of Native people and the challenges that they have faced, oftentimes for generations, and champion them and get people to pay attention in the administration because I think you’re gonna find that the people behind this dais care deeply about it,” she said.
Kirkland said he looks forward to working with the committee members.
“I hope to be able to honor the trust relationship that the federal government is responsible for and to advance self-determination and tribal sovereignty,” he said.