Tara Sweeney Makes History as First Alaska Native to Serve as the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs
Last week, by unanimous consent, the United States Senate confirmed Tara Sweeney to serve as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior. Sweeney is the first Alaska Native to serve in the position and the first woman to fill the role in 20 years.
Confirmation hearings were held for Ms. Sweeney in May and she cleared the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs at the beginning of June.
“The Senate’s confirmation of Ms. Sweeney is an important step to help ensure Indian Country has a strong leader and advocate at the Interior Department,” said Senator John Hoeven (R-N.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in a statement heralding the confirmation. “Ms. Sweeney will be a powerful voice for Indian nations as she supports Secretary Zinke in upholding tribal sovereignty, promoting Native American self-determination and carrying out the federal government’s trust responsibility to Indian tribes and Indians.”
Senator Lisa Murkowski, the senior Senator from Sweeney’s home state, said “I believe that if anyone is up to this hard and difficult task that it is Tara Sweeney. She has the determination and tenacity to take on this challenge and achieve remarkable things in her position. She truly has a heart for all Native people. As a proud Inupiaq, she has lived first-hand the challenges that many in Indian Country face. Her talents as a manager will serve her well in the position of Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, and she will do everything in her power to bring the agencies under her back on course. I’m proud to see her confirmed, and now it is time for her to start kicking down doors and get to work.”
In addition to Murkowski, Sweeney also received praise from Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, as well as the rest of the Alaska Delegation.
Sweeney reacted to the confirmation by saying “I am honored to be confirmed to serve Indian Country in this capacity. My goal is to develop strong relationships with Tribes, Alaska Native corporations, and Native Hawaiian Organizations to work on innovative solutions for lifting up our communities. I am motivated to work with Indian Country to find efficiencies inside the Bureau of Indian Affairs, improve service delivery and culturally relevant curriculum in the Bureau of Indian Education, and create a more effective voice for Tribes throughout the Federal Government.”
“Thank you to Senators Murkowski and Sullivan, Congressman Young, AFN, and NCAI for their unwavering support,” she continued. “I am also thankful for the bipartisan support for my nomination. I am humbled by the confidence President Trump and Secretary Zinke have shown in me and I am ready to serve.”
