Mullin Joins House Res. Designates May 5 as MMIWG Awareness Day

WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Markwayne Mullin (OK-2) today joined a bipartisan resolution designating May 5 as a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). The resolution was issued on behalf of 18 members of Congress.

Chair of the Natural Resources Committee Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) led today's announcement. The resolution, along with other efforts to combat the 'silent crisis' of MMIWG, was designed in collaboration with seven national tribal organizations, each of which have endorsed the committee's action.

“The violence perpetrated against Indigenous women and girls is an epidemic that requires our attention and urgent action,” said Chair Grijalva. “This resolution recognizes and honors Indigenous women and girls who have gone missing or have been murdered with a national day not just of recognition, but of solidarity."

"The House Committee on Natural Resources is committed to providing adequate resources and removing systemic barriers that prevent tribal governments from addressing this crisis. We have held hearings, listened to Indigenous women, and assisted in passing bills to address this silent crisis. I am grateful for the Biden-Harris administration and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s partnership as they bring this issue to the forefront of our national awareness. We must work together to hold accountable the people and systems that have failed to protect Indigenous women and girls.”

In October last year the 116th Congress, the Natural Resources Committee held the first ever House hearing to address the MMIW crisis. Following those hearings, Congress passed S.227, known as "Savanna's Act", a bill that requires the federal government to account for the numbers of missing and murdered Native Americans. Congress also passed S.982, the Not Invisible Act, which established an advisory commission of survivors and family members to address missing and murdered Native Americans.

Chair Grijalva joined fellow members of Congress in requesting that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) examine how federal agencies respond to the MMIW crisis on a national scale. This study is ongoing, and its preliminary conclusions will be made available later this year.

This year in the 117th Congress, Congress is continuing work to help end the disproportionate cycle of violence against Indigenous women. The House recently passed the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization, a bill that expands the definition of domestic violence to include violence against, or witnessed by, children under the age of 18 and “elders”, as defined by tribal law, and alleviates the costs that tribal governments incur when expanding their criminal jurisdictions.

In addition, last month the incoming Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, a former Vice Chair of the Natural Resources Committee, announced the creation of a Missing & Murdered Unit within the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Office of Justice Services. This unit will coordinate federal resources to investigate the long-overlooked and widespread Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women cases.

Joining Rep. Mullin and Chair Grijalva in co-sponsoring the resolution were Sharice Davids (D-KS), Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Greg Stanton (D-AZ), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Darren Soto (D-FL), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Ron Kind (D-WI), and Norma Torres (D-CA).

Endorsing organizations include the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center, the Alaska Native Women's Resource Center, the National Congress of American Indians, the Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes, Pouhana O Na Wahine, the Alliance of Tribal Coalitions to End Violence, and the United South and Eastern Tribes Sovereignty Protection Fund.

Committee Members recorded a video in support of the National Day of Solidarity for MMIWG. The video can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO6wqlBUSdk.

Chair Gijalva's video address commemorating the National Day of Awareness can be viewed at https://youtu.be/UrnFCKQWgE8.