my mom was born on the navajo reservation. she came to san francisco at age 18 after a government boarding school in utah. she worked as a housekeeper and nanny, a retail store stock clerk, pricing and stocking dolls and airline safety equipment maker and tester at c.j. henry and volunteering for the church. she participated in gatherings at the american indian center, where she and others transplanted here after boarding school formed a small, but tight-knit community. she worked as the friendship house receptionist and bookkeeper and then c.e.o. she dedicated her life's work to the friendship house. senator mark leno called it the jewel on jewel avenue. she helped others reconnect with their spirituality and reuniting families. mom would say, what else would i want to do with my life? after mom's passing, governor gavin newsom wrote us and said it's hard to measure just how much of an impact she has had on our city and the state of california, but the thousands of healthy and recovered families are any indication, it's one t

mines on the navajo reservation were abandoned after the cold war, and as a result, tribal members are dealing with contaminated groundwater and higher rates of cancer. if congress enacts a reclamation fee or some other revenue generator are not hard rock mining, should that be prioritized for abandoned mines in the west and economically disadvantaged communities? mr. wood: there's about 122,000 miles of impaired stream throughout the mine -- the country from abandoned mines, and 52% provide drinking water for municipalities, so there needs to be the reclamation fee, and i'm not sure there is disagreement with industry. it should go to the legacy of dealing with our abandoned mines. sen. kelly: it is a significant issue in arizona. it is having a profound negative effect on the health of the navajo people. thank you, yield back the remainder of my time. sen. hoeven: miss sweeney, you reference the house reconciliation bill. your testimony includes the proposed new fees, taxes, and royalties that would impact mineral producers. how will these policies hamper u.s. strategic competitivene

over 300 minds on the navajo four reservation were -- and tribal members were dealing with contaminated groundwater. if congress annex a reclamation fee or some other revenue generator, for hard rock mining, should that [inaudible] and for economically disadvantaged communities? >> yes, thank you for the question. as i said earlier before you in the room, the analysis tweeted shows there are miles of impaired streams around the country. and 52% of that drinking water is. absolutely, there needs to be a reclamation fee. a reclamation fee, whatever it is. it should be applied to cleaning up abandoned mines. >> thank you. it is a significant issue in arizona. and more than 500 mines for the navajo nation are having a profound, negative effect on the health of the people. so thank you and mister chairman i yield back the remainder of my time. >> thank you. we sweeney, in your testimony, you reference the house reconciliation bill that is under consideration. your testimony includes proposed new fees, taxes, and royalties that would impact mineral producers. how will these policies for their

how the new administration has come in really and wants to gauge what it feels like to be part of the navajo nation or part of other indigenous communities out there. having the seat at the table and making sure that we are heard from our perspective because your perspective and my perspective, i live here and i'm navajo 24/7. this is all i know. you have come to visit or other people are trying to understand the perspective to live on navajo. you heard a little bit about the water issue and the public safety and safety and the health. how it's vastly different compared to western society and the western world out there. so having that ability to know the difference between the two worlds, society that we have to live by is very imperative that we continue to voice our opinions and make sure that we continue to get strong men and women of native heritage in these high positions within d.c. or the states, legislatures or even here within our tribal government, as well. >> it's really one of the best conversations i've had in the last year in "velshi" across america. coming up in the next hour