releases: https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=F7A2992A-20AF-4C85-8047-BA8CF57261A7
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=F7A2992A-20AF-4C85-8047-BA8CF57261A7 | New Heitkamp Podcast Tackles Issue of Missing and Murdered Native Women | 2017-11-02 | 2017 | 2017-11 | Democrat | House | ND | Heidi Heitkamp | H001069 | www.heitkamp.senate.gov | legacy | WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today released the latest episode of her podcast, “The Hotdish,” interviewing two experts and advocates who have dedicated their lives to helping indigenous women overcome obstacles and hardship. They focused on tackling the problem of missing and murdered Native American women, which has plagued indigenous communities in North Dakota and across the country. Heitkamp first interviewed Lisa Brunner, Co-Director of Indigenous Women's Human Rights Collective Inc., and Policy Consultant to Sacred Spirits First Nations Coalition. Lisa advocates for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking, and has worked in the field for more than 17 years. Lisa is a member of the White Earth Ojibwe Nation and lives on the White Earth Indian Reservation in Minnesota. Their conversation focused on the historical factors that led to today’s crisis, and explored policy options to address it. Heitkamp then interviewed Sadie Young Bird, Director of Three Affiliated Tribes Victim Services which empowers individuals who are abused, victimized, in economic distress, and in need of resources or emotional support. Sadie is an enrolled member of the MHA Nation and lives on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota and shared her personal experiences with women who have gone missing and been murdered, and the struggle to bring them justice. “There is a hidden epidemic of missing and murdered Native American women in America, and it doesn’t get nearly enough attention or resources to combat it,” said Heitkamp, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. “Every day I come to work in the U.S. Senate, I think about women and girls like Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, who were so needlessly and tragically lost. One idea I’ve put forward is a bill called Savanna’s Act, which aims to help tackle these challenges and improve cooperation among law enforcement agencies at all levels. We must raise awareness about this horrible epidemic to create change and fight for justice and to keep our Native communities – and every community – strong and safe.” “The Hotdish” is available on iTunes and SoundCloud, as well as on Heitkamp’s Senate website. Click here to subscribe to “The Hotdish” on iTunes. On some reservations, Native women are murdered at 10 times the national average, and 84 percent of Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime. In 2016, North Dakota had 125 reported cases of missing Native women according to the National Crime Information Center, but numbers are likely much higher as cases are often under reported and data isn’t officially collected. In the podcast, Lisa Brunner called for a national inquiry - similar to what the Canadian government undertook to look at this issue among women and children from their First Nations - with listening sessions and field hearings to get a holistic view of jurisdictional challenges and other barriers to keeping Native populations safe. When federal laws and policies prevent tribal law enforcement from holding non-Natives accountable, she said, it sends the wrong signal to would-be criminals. Sadie Young Bird discussed her personal experience with violence against indigenous women. Sadie’s best friend went missing and was later found murdered, motivating Sadie’s fight to help other women and their families. Sadie called for greater cooperation between tribal and non-tribal law enforcement agencies, an issue that is addressed in Heitkamp’s legislation, Savanna’s Act. Named for Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, who was abducted and tragically killed in Fargo in August, Savanna’s Act builds on a bill Heitkamp introduced earlier this year to expand Amber alert warnings in Indian Country – where such alerts often do not exist or are not tied in to statewide or regional alert systems – to help stop abductions. Savanna’s Act received a hearing in the Indian Affairs committee last week. Click here for a fact sheet on the legislation. Heitkamp also launched a website with key resources and information on missing and murdered indigenous women, including offering steps to take if you know or suspect a person has gone missing by force. Heitkamp kicked off her podcast in February with an episode on her efforts to combat human trafficking, interviewing anti-human trafficking leader Cindy McCain and North Dakota journalist Kevin Wallevand. Since then, Heitkamp’s podcast has covered a wide range of topics, including negotiations for the next Farm Bill, the role of moderates in Congress, U.S.-Russia relations, health care, her bipartisan bill that would promote carbon capture, the role of refugees and immigrants in our communities, and the threat posed by North Korea. Background Heitkamp has long worked to stop violence, exploitation, and trafficking of Native women and children by: Combating human trafficking in Indian Country. Heitkamp held an initial Senate hearing in September 2013 on stopping human trafficking with a focus on Indian Country. She has worked closely with Cindy McCain, a global leader in the effort to stop human trafficking. McCain testified at a Senate hearing earlier this month on human trafficking in Indian Country and highlighted Heitkamp’s work on the issue. In 2015, Heitkamp brought Cindy McCain to Fort Berthold, to talk about how to combat human trafficking. In September, Heitkamp called forfederal agencies and organizations to provide specific training on human trafficking to federal government employees in Indian Country. Heitkamp also played a key role in passing bipartisan legislation in 2015 to fight human trafficking, and introduced multiple other bills on the issue. Calling for a permanent federal law enforcement presence in Indian Country. When she served as North Dakota’s Attorney General and now as a U.S. senator, Heitkamp has worked to raise awareness about the need for a permanent federal law enforcement presence across Indian Country. In 2016, she brought then-Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James B. Comey to Fort Berthold to press him on the issue. Just a few weeks ago, Heitkamp spoke with the current FBI director about law enforcement challenges in Indian Country and pressed the agency to make these issues a priority. Protecting Native women from violence. In the U.S. Senate, Heitkamp has built on her work as North Dakota’s Attorney General to combat domestic violence. The first bill she cosponsored was the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which she then played a major role in passing in 2013. Heitkamp worked to include a key provision in the bill to address the continuing crisis of violence against women in tribal communities. The provision strengthens the existing programs and provides tribal governments the force they need to prosecute non-Indian perpetrators who commit these crimes on tribal land. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |