Today, August 7th, 2026, the United States Senate confirmed Mark Cruz (Klamath) of Oregon to serve as Director of the Indian Health Service (IHS) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Mr. Cruz currently serves as the first Tribal Senior Advisor to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He was sworn into the newly created Senior Advisor position in June 2025, becoming one of the highest-ranking Native officials within HHS. He will continue to serve in this role as he takes on the responsibility of IHS Director.
During his confirmation hearing, Mr. Cruz emphasized he will “advocate even more ferociously for the equities of our Tribal partners and our urban Indian partners” in this new role. Additionally, he laid out his priorities as IHS Director, including:
- supporting advance appropriations
- fully funding contract support costs and 105(l) lease payments,
- completing the 1993 priority facilities construction backlog list,
- reducing the staff vacancy rate,
- improving Purchased/Referred Care; and
- modernizing electronic health records systems.
Additionally, he repeatedly expressed that Tribal consultation “is a process, not an event” and looks forward to engaging with Tribes in his role as Director.
Prior to HHS, Cruz previously served at the U.S. Department of the Interior during the Trump administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary–Indian Affairs for Policy and Economic Development (DAS-PED), a role he assumed on September 24, 2018, after being appointed by then Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Tara Mac Lean Sweeney.
The National Indian Health Board applauds the swift confirmation of Mark Cruz for IHS Director. We look forward to working in partnership with Incoming IHS Director Cruz to continue to advance and improve healthcare in Tribal communities.
