U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) led a bipartisan group of 36 colleagues in unveiling a resolution that would designate May 5 as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
“Indigenous women and girls living on reservations experience murder rates of more than 10 times the national average, and more than 4 out of 5 Indigenous women have experienced violence,” said Rep. Newhouse.
House Resolution 353, which Newhouse sponsored on May 2, commemorates the lives of missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Native women whose cases are documented and undocumented in public records and the media.
“We must do more to ensure these crimes are solved and no longer under-reported or under-investigated,” the congressman said, adding that the day of awareness will help “shine a light on these heartbreaking tragedies and serve as a reminder to Congress that we must continue to support our Indigenous communities as we work to bring them the justice they deserve.”
The group of lawmakers joining Rep. Newhouse in cosponsoring the resolution included U.S. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Tom Cole (R-OK), Stephanie Bice (R-OK), Pete Stauber (R-MN), Adrian Smith (R-NE), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), Dave Joyce (R-OH), and Gwen Moore (D-WI).
“Too many women in America find themselves living in fear of becoming a victim of violence and predatory behavior,” Rep. McMorris Rodgers said. “This is especially true in Washington State, where Native American women are murdered or go missing at the second-highest rate in the country.”
Rep. Cole, co-chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus and member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, said indigenous women have been disproportionately targeted by dangerous predators. “Because of this, bringing awareness to the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls crisis and providing for additional resources to combat violence in Indian Country is imperative,” Rep. Cole said.
Rep. Bice noted a recent study by the Urban Indian Health Institute rated Oklahoma in the top 10 states for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. “We must continue working to bring awareness to these heartbreaking tragedies so that affected families may find justice,” she said.
Rep. Stauber added, “As a former law enforcement officer, I know that our Native American communities face disproportionately high rates of violence, including in my home state of Minnesota.” He said he cosponsored the resolution not only to raise awareness of the crisis but to recognize the additional work needed to keep women and children safe.
In March, Rep. Newhouse also introduced a bipartisan bill with U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) called the Bridging Agency Data Gaps and Ensuring Safety (BADGES) for Native Communities Act, H.R. 1292. The legislation would strengthen tribal law enforcement and increase public safety in Indian Country to combat the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.