Congressional hearing spotlights management, safety and funding failures at Haskell and SIPI

A joint hearing of the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development examined longstanding management, safety and funding problems at two federally run tribal postsecondary schools — Haskell Indian Nations University and the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) — and considered possible oversight and legislative responses.

The hearing focused on recent inspector general findings of sexual‑harassment and supervisory failures, accreditation problems and persistent deferred maintenance that, witnesses and members said, have reduced educational capacity and student safety. Committee leaders and the Department of the Interior official testifying pledged further oversight and cooperation with Congress.

Members opened the hearing by stressing the federal government’s duty to tribal nations. Chairman Gosar said, “we have a trust responsibility to our tribal nations that cannot be pushed aside.” That theme framed repeated member concerns about leadership lapses at Haskell and SIPI, from background‑check failures for regents to the Department of the Interior Office of Inspector General’s May 5 summary finding that a Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) employee harassed members of the Haskell women’s basketball team and that supervisors failed to report the conduct.

Lawmakers cited campus infrastructure and accreditation as immediate problems. Ranking Member Dexter and other members said Haskell faces roughly a $90,000,000 deferred‑maintenance backlog and that Haskell changed its accreditation status to “continued accreditation with monitoring.” SIPI’s graduation rate was cited in the hearing as 9 percent in recent reporting. Members also said Haskell turned away newly enrolled students at the start of the 2024–25 academic year because of insufficient housing.

Several members linked those operational problems to staffing and funding decisions. Witness Scott Davis, senior adviser to the secretary exercising the delegated authority of the assistant secretary—Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior, said his office is “committed to providing educational choice” and to working with Congress, tribal leaders and school officials on solutions. Multiple members said recent mass staff reductions and the administration’s fiscal proposals risk worsening the situation: witnesses and members referenced staff cuts in February that they said affected roughly 25 percent of campus staff at Haskell and SIPI, and members repeatedly noted a proposed administration budget that committee members characterized as cutting BIE postsecondary funding by about 90 percent and cutting BIE education construction funding by about 80 percent.

Members and the witness discussed governance options. Representative Mann described draft legislation to move Haskell’s governance from BIE to an independent Haskell Board of Trustees nominated by tribal communities while retaining federal support; Scott Davis said he had not yet reviewed the bill text but expressed willingness to work with Congress. Several speakers urged that any reorganization preserve federal treaty and trust responsibilities.

Oversight and accountability surfaced across questions. Members asked what steps the department has taken on background checks after testimony from a former Haskell president that multiple regents failed checks and that one regent had been convicted of serious felonies; Scott Davis said background‑check and personnel‑policy implementations were underway. Members also asked whether BIE and the department have changed policies prohibiting sexual relationships between staff and students after a 2018 OIG investigation cited the absence of such a policy; Scott Davis said a policy has been developed.

Members pressed for details about use of existing funding streams, including the Great American Outdoors Act (GOA), which several members said had allocated roughly $95,000,000 in 2020 for BIE‑run schools but which committees said had not been used for Haskell or SIPI under the prior administration. Scott Davis and members discussed exploring additional funding sources — federal, state and private philanthropy — and possible foundations or partnerships to supplement appropriations.

Procedural items: the committee agreed to keep the hearing record open for written responses. Members were instructed to submit follow‑up questions for the record by 5 p.m. on Friday, June 27; the subcommittee stated it would hold the record open for 10 business days for those responses.

The hearing did not include a formal vote or legislative action on the floor; members used the session for oversight, to request written materials, and to signal support for potential legislative fixes and additional appropriations. Scott Davis repeatedly committed his office to work with Congress and tribal leaders, and several members indicated bipartisan interest in pursuing appropriations and statutory solutions to address accreditation, safety, governance and infrastructure at Haskell and SIPI.

Members closed the hearing emphasizing that tribes and students must be central to any reform, and that Congress and the Department of the Interior share responsibility for ensuring safe, accredited and adequately funded tribal postsecondary institutions.