Washington, D.C. – Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) and Congressman Dan Newhouse (WA-04) today introduced a bipartisan resolution to designate May 5, 2022 as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls.

“Too many women in America find themselves living in fear of becoming a victim of violence and predatory behavior. This is especially true in Washington State, where Native American women are murdered or go missing at the second-highest rate in the country,” said Rodgers. “This is a statistic we should be doing everything in our power to change for the tribes in our Eastern Washington community. I’m proud to help lead this resolution to stand with the families of every victim and reaffirm our commitment to ending this nationwide crisis before another innocent life is lost.”

The resolution demonstrates the lawmakers’ solidarity with the families and loved ones of missing and murdered indigenous women, and it calls on the people of the United States to commemorate the lives of American Indian and Alaska Native women whose cases are documented and undocumented in public records and the media.

“While Native Americans make up 2% of our state’s population, Native Women account for 7% of our state’s reported missing women. Those statistics are unacceptable, and despite these sad and staggering numbers in our community, the closest Cold Case Task Force Office is currently located in Billings, Montana,” said Newhouse. “Establishing a Cold Case Task Force Office in Yakima is imperative if we want to keep moving forward in addressing this crisis. We must continue to take up the banner for those who no longer are able to. They deserve answers, and I will continue working to deliver them.”

Rodgers and Newhouse were joined in introducing the resolution by Representatives Derek Kilmer (WA-06), Kim Schrier (WA-08), Adam Smith (WA-09), Cliff Bentz (OR-02), Matt Rosendale (MT-AL), Kelly Armstrong (ND-AL), Chris Stewart (UT-02), Markwayne Mullin (OK-02), Tom Cole (OK-04), Stephanie Bice (OK-05), David Joyce (OH-14), Dusty Johnson (SD-AL), Maria Elvira Salazar (FL-27), Pete Stauber (MN-08), and Jay Obernolte (CA-08).

CLICK HERE for the full text of the resolution.

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