House Unanimously Passes Stanton’s Bipartisan Bill to Improve Native American Health Care Outcomes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House unanimously passed U.S. Representative Greg Stanton’s (AZ-04) bipartisan legislation to improve health outcomes for Native American communities. The late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) championed this proposal, first introducing legislation in 1994. It passed the Senate five times, including when efforts were made to include it in the Affordable Care Act, but the bill never received a vote in the House. Stanton and Joyce have continued Sen. McCain’s legacy by introducing similar legislation in the last two Congresses. H.R. 741, the Stronger Engagement for Indian Health Needs Act of 2025, elevates the Director of the Indian Health Service (IHS) to Assistant Secretary for Indian Health within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This creates a direct line of communication to the Secretary on all matters related to Indian health policy, shaping federal health care policy to directly address health care needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). The Assistant Secretary would work to enhance the government-to-government relationship between Indian Tribes and the United States, increase access and collaboration among agencies within HHS as Indian health policy and budgets are developed, and ensure these issues are a priority in current and future administrations. Stanton spoke on the House floor ahead of passage, saying, “The federal government has a sacred trust obligation to provide health care to native communities. And for far too long, we have fallen short of meeting it.” He continued, “As an Assistant Secretary, the head of IHS would finally have the pay and hiring authorities needed to tackle chronic workforce shortages and disparities in access to care. It means faster hiring, better retention, and a direct line to the Secretary on every matter affecting Indian health.” Video of Stanton’s speech is HERE . Native communities in Arizona and across the country continue to face significant disparities in access to quality health care. IHS has long struggled with chronic underfunding and staffing shortages that have left critical health needs unmet. In fiscal year 2023, IHS health care expenditures amounted to just over $4,000 per patient, compared with more than $13,400 in health care spending per person nationwide in 2022. Native American advocacy groups, including the National Congress of American Indians, National Indian Health Board, and National Council of Urban Indian Health support the bipartisan effort.