WASHINGTON (April 8, 2025) –Today, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution led by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA), and Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI), Vice Chairman of the SCIA, Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA). In addition to Chairman Murkowski and Vice Chairman Schatz, the resolution is co-sponsored by Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), John Curtis (R-UT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hoeven (R-ND), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Tina Smith (D-MN), and Dan Sullivan (R-AK).
The Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, signed into law in 1975, fundamentally reshaped Federal Indian policy by promoting tribal self-determination through Tribal involvement and oversight of programs and services administered to them on behalf of the U.S. government.
“This resolution celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. Congress unanimously passed this law 50 years ago which began a transformation of the federal-tribal relationship. Because of ISDEAA and the expansion of self-determination and self-governance across many agencies, Tribes have raised the quality of life of their people, boosted local economies, improved health care delivery, and designed and implemented services that are better tailored to their unique communities – including in job training, transportation, housing, social services, forestry, and more,” said Chairman Murkowski. “I’m proud to lead this bipartisan resolution, alongside Vice Chairman Schatz, as a way to honor the incredible progress Tribes are able to make when the federal government upholds the trust responsibility while honoring Tribes’ right to self-determination.”
“More than five decades ago, President Richard Nixon stood before Congress and called for a new era of Tribal self-determination—ushering in the most successful federal policy for Native people in our nation’s history,” said Vice Chairman Schatz. “For decades, administrations from both parties have strengthened Tribal sovereignty and self-governance. But today that progress is at risk, as recent actions threaten to make it harder for Tribes to access federal funding and for the government to fully uphold its trust and treaty obligations. Instead of moving backward, we should commemorate this anniversary by continuing to build upon its legacy.”
Full text of the resolution can be found here.