The U.S. Senate confirmed Mark Cruz to serve as director of the Indian Health Service on Aug. 7, ending a vacancy that stretched nearly 19 months, according to Underscore Native News.
Cruz, a citizen of the Klamath Tribes, was confirmed as part of a batch of 74 Trump administration nominations in a 51-47 Senate vote. He was nominated in early June for a four-year term and testified before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on June 24.
The role had been filled by two acting directors — Benjamin Smith, Navajo, and Clayton Fulton, Cherokee — since former Director Roselyn Tso, Navajo, resigned in January 2025. Cruz previously served as a senior advisor in the Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and as deputy assistant secretary for Indian affairs at the Department of the Interior.
In his June testimony, Cruz said he would prioritize advance appropriations, reducing the agency’s staff vacancy rate and modernizing electronic health record systems. “I firmly believe that tribal consultation is a process, not an event,” he told the Indian affairs committee. “Tribal leaders and Congress can count on me to engage early, listen carefully, and be transparent.”
The IHS director oversees health care access for roughly 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives across 575 federally recognized tribes.
