Mark Cruz (Klamath) Confirmed; Oregon Senators Vote Against Nominee Package
Cruz will lead the Indian Health Service after being confirmed with 73 other nominees in a 51 to 47 Senate vote
AT A GLANCE
Confirmation:
Mark Cruz, a citizen of the Klamath Tribes, was confirmed Aug. 7 to lead the Indian Health Service.
Senate Vote:
Cruz was included in a package of 74 nominees approved by the Senate in a 51 to 47 vote.
Oregon Senators:
Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, both Democrats, voted against the confirmation package that included Cruz.
Tribal Support:
More than 40 tribes and tribal organizations submitted letters supporting Cruz’s nomination.
New Role:
Cruz becomes the 12th Senate confirmed director of the Indian Health Service.
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — Mark Cruz, a citizen of the Klamath Tribes who grew up in Klamath Falls, has been confirmed to a four year term leading the Indian Health Service, placing a Southern Oregon tribal member at the head of a federal health system serving approximately 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives.
The United States Senate confirmed Cruz on Friday, Aug. 7, as part of a package of 74 nominees submitted by President Donald Trump. The final vote was 51 to 47, with two senators not voting.
For Cruz, the confirmation completes a process that began June 1, when the White House nominated him to lead the Indian Health Service within the Department of Health and Human Services.
But the final vote also included an unusual wrinkle for Cruz’s home state.
Oregon senators oppose confirmation package
Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, both Democrats, voted against the confirmation package that included Cruz, according to the official Senate roll call.
Their votes do not necessarily mean either senator opposed Cruz individually.
Rather than considering Cruz in a separate confirmation vote, the Senate acted on 74 presidential nominations together in an en bloc process. A yes or no vote therefore applied to the entire package, including Cruz.
The Senate roll call does not provide a reason for Merkley’s or Wyden’s votes and does not indicate whether either senator had objections specifically to Cruz.
Every senator recorded as voting in favor of the package was a Republican, while the 47 senators voting against it were Democrats and independents. Senators Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, and Cynthia Lummis, a Republican from Wyoming, did not vote.
Confirmation Hearing: Mark Cruz testifies before the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs during his confirmation hearing to lead the Indian Health Service on June 24, 2026. Screenshot of U.S. Senate hearing.
From Klamath Falls to IHS director
Jefferson Daily News reported in June that Cruz had already been serving as senior advisor to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. before his nomination to lead the Indian Health Service.
Cruz was sworn in as the first Tribal Senior Advisor to the secretary in June 2025 and has worked on Native health policy and Indian Health Service funding priorities.
He previously served in the Department of the Interior during the first Trump administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs for Policy and Economic Development.
His career also brought him back to Oregon, where he served as chief of staff for the Oregon House Republican Office from 2020 to 2023.
Cruz holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Pepperdine University and a master’s degree in urban education policy from Brown University.
During his June confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Cruz spoke extensively about his Klamath Falls upbringing and his personal connection to the communities he will now serve.
In written testimony, Cruz described himself as a first generation college student and former foster child who was raised in Klamath Falls by his grandmother following a difficult childhood. He said the community’s emphasis on hard work, honesty, accountability, and looking after one another continues to guide him.
Tribal Health Conference / Cover Photo: Mark Cruz, a citizen of the Klamath Tribes, moderates a panel at the National Tribal Health Conference in Phoenix on Sept. 9, 2025. Jourdan Bennett-Begaye / ICT via Underscore News.
Broad support from Indian Country
While the final Senate vote largely followed party lines because Cruz was included in the larger nomination package, his individual nomination received substantial support from tribal organizations.
The National Council of Urban Indian Health said more than 40 tribes and tribal organizations submitted letters supporting Cruz’s confirmation. The National Congress of American Indians and National Indian Health Board also supported his nomination.
Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska and chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, supported Cruz during the confirmation process and praised his understanding of the challenges facing tribal communities following the Senate vote.
Cruz becomes the 12th Senate confirmed director of the Indian Health Service.
A large job ahead
The Indian Health Service provides federal health care to American Indians and Alaska Natives through hospitals, health centers, tribal health programs, and urban Indian health organizations across the country.
During his confirmation process, Cruz identified staffing and infrastructure among the challenges he intends to address.
His testimony called for reducing an approximately 30 percent staff vacancy rate, addressing a decades old construction backlog, modernizing electronic health records, improving Purchased/Referred Care, and securing more stable funding for tribal health programs.
The agency operates 21 hospitals and 78 smaller health centers, many of which face substantial infrastructure needs.
For Cruz, the position also carries a direct connection back to the Klamath Basin.
During his confirmation testimony, he told senators that his family, friends, and tribal community would live with the consequences of the work being done at the Indian Health Service for decades to come.
With the Senate’s confirmation, responsibility for leading that work now formally belongs to him.
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June 3, 2026: White House Nominates Mark Cruz (Klamath) to Lead Indian Health Service
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