WASHINGTON—Today, Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson–Chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee–held an oversight hearing on the ongoing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis. Subcommittee members heard testimonies from Tribal leaders and pressed relevant agency officials for answers.

Below are excerpts from Rep. Simpson’s prepared remarks:

I would like to extend a special thanks to our Tribal witnesses who traveled here to share their experiences on this tragic issue.  I would also like to welcome the agency officials who will be joining us on the second panel.

Before we begin, I would also like to thank Chairman Cole for joining us today.  As the first Native American to serve as chair of the Appropriations Committee, and a member of the Chickasaw Nation, he continues to be one of the biggest champions for Indian Country.  

I sincerely appreciate that Chairman Cole took the time to be here this morning to discuss and address the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 2 in 5 American Indian and Alaska Native women are raped in their lifetime.  Homicide is the number three leading cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native females between the ages of 10 and 24 and the number five leading cause of death for 25- to 34-year-olds. 40 percent of all victims of sex trafficking are identified as American Indian and Alaska Native women.  In 2023, over 5,800 American Indian and Alaska Native females were missing – and 74 percent were children.  This is tragic and unacceptable. 

I even see this in my home state of Idaho.  The Idaho Missing Person’s Clearinghouse 2023 report shows a total of 79 missing Native Americans, and the average rate of missing indigenous people is almost 19 per 100,000 people.  This is nearly double the rate for non-Native Americans in Idaho.  This is completely unacceptable, and I will continue to use my role in Congress to address this. 

Rep. Simpson recently released an op-ed highlighting the importance of this issue. The full op-ed can be found here.

Chairman Simpson’s full remarks, as prepared for delivery, can be found here or viewed here.