Indian and Insular Affairs

The Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs is a specialized panel within the House Committee on Natural Resources that handles a distinct slice of the parent committee's jurisdiction: federal policy affecting Native Americans and U.S. territories. As a subcommittee, it conducts initial hearings and reviews legislation before the full committee can report bills to the House floor. The subcommittee oversees the federal government's trust responsibility to 574 federally recognized Indian tribes with approximately two million members, as well as Native Hawaiians, Alaska Natives, and residents of U.S. territories including American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Chaired by Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-CO) with Ranking Member Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM), the 11-member subcommittee addresses a wide range of issues affecting tribal communities and insular territories. Its jurisdiction includes the federal trust responsibility and tribal sovereignty, management of Indian lands, welfare programs for Native Americans, and federal assistance to freely associated states like the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. The subcommittee also works on policies related to tribal self-determination, health care, public safety, and economic development.

Recent activity shows the subcommittee actively reviewing legislation. In early 2026, it held oversight hearings on federal economic development programs in Indian Country and legislative hearings on bills addressing tribal land disputes, Indian school trust lands, and other matters affecting Native communities. The subcommittee's work reflects the specialized focus needed to address the unique legal and policy relationships between the federal government and Native American tribes and U.S. territories.