Senate confirms Mark Cruz to lead Indian Health Service

The U.S. Senate voted 51-47 to confirm Mark Cruz, a citizen of the Klamath Tribes, as director of the United States — Indiana Department of Health (IHS), filling a vacancy that had existed since late 2025. Cruz, who previously served as a senior adviser on tribal health to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will retain that role while leading the agency. The IHS provides healthcare to approximately 2.8 million Native American and Alaska Native patients through 21 hospitals and 78 health centers, many of which are aging and in poor condition. Cruz has pledged to address high provider vacancy rates, a 30-year backlog of facility replacements, and to better insulate tribal health programs from federal budget impasses. His confirmation was part of a larger batch of over 70 nominees confirmed before the Senate's August recess. The National Congress of American Indians and the National Indian Health Board welcomed his confirmation, noting the significant funding gap between the $73 billion estimated need and the $8 billion appropriated for fiscal year 2026.