U.S. Senator Steve Daines called for increased public safety resources for Montana tribes and commended tribal efforts to protect youth and families during a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing featuring Harlem Councilwoman Joan Johnson.
Daines emphasized the Trump administration’s support for Indian Country, including enhanced law enforcement presence and the opening of a new FBI Field Office in Billings. “I applaud the Trump Administration’s immediate actions to close the southern border and dispatch law enforcement personnel to Indian Country,” Daines said. “With more law enforcement resources certainly needed, there’s still more to be done to address public safety than arrests and drug interdictions.”
The discussion also focused on the Tiwahe Initiative, a federal program designed to strengthen tribal services for children, youth, and families while promoting self-governance. Fort Belknap Indian Community was one of the first tribes to participate in the program.
“Through this pilot program, the tribe received funding to strengthen and integrate services to better serve young people on the reservation and help parents break generational trauma,” Daines said. “One of the strengths of this program is that it puts tribal leaders in the driver’s seat and relies on self-determination.”
Councilwoman Johnson described the program’s impact on youth: “I’d answer that in a spiritual way—helping them find their culture, their identity, and knowing who they are.”
Daines noted measurable outcomes from the first four years of Tiwahe: decreases in child abuse, family assaults, and elder abuse, and a drop in juvenile recidivism from 80% to 35%. “Has the Fort Belknap been able to sustain that success over the last four years?” he asked. Johnson confirmed that the tribe has continued to build on the program’s early successes.
The hearing underscored the importance of federal-tribal partnerships in improving public safety, supporting youth, and empowering tribal communities across Montana.