Wyden Blasts Musk and Trump for Hurting Tribal Communities by Cutting Health Staff
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues in condemning Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s efforts to lay off Indian Health Service staff at a time when a significant health care workforce shortage already exists for Tribal communities in Oregon and nationwide.
“Tribal Nations have a legal and political relationship with the United States, and the federal government has a fundamental obligation to fulfill its treaty and trust responsibilities to Tribal Nations – an obligation that includes providing services such as health care to Native communities,” wrote Wyden along with nine other senators.
Recent reports show more than 850 IHS employees, who provide critical medical care for Tribal communities, are at risk of being immediately laid off.
“Not only will this lead to worse health outcomes, but overall costs will also rise. With less health care services at existing IHS facilities, there will be increased Purchased Referred Care referrals. This will increase costs for the Federal government and require increased travel, accommodations, and expenses, creating increased hardships and barriers for patients and families seeking care far from where they live on Tribal lands.,” the senators continued.
The letter was led by U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján D-N.M. In addition to Wyden, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.
Full text of the letter is here.
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