White House Nominates Mark Cruz (Klamath) to Lead Indian Health Service
Mark Cruz, a citizen of the Klamath Tribes, has been nominated to serve a four-year term as director of the federal Indian Health Service.
Mark Cruz, a citizen of the Klamath Tribes, has been nominated by the White House to serve as director of the Indian Health Service. Photo via Mark Cruz/Facebook.
KLAMATH COUNTY, Ore. — Mark Cruz, a citizen of the Klamath Tribes, has been nominated to serve as director of the Indian Health Service, the federal agency responsible for providing health care services to American Indians and Alaska Natives.
The White House announced Cruz’s nomination Monday, June 1, naming him to serve as director of the Indian Health Service within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for a four-year term. The nomination must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Cruz currently serves as senior advisor to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Native health organizations have described him as one of the highest-ranking Native officials within HHS.
According to the National Indian Health Board, Cruz was sworn in as the first Tribal Senior Advisor to the HHS secretary in June 2025. The organization said he has helped promote Indian health priorities within the department, including work tied to funding for Indian Health Service facility construction needs.
Before joining HHS, Cruz served at the U.S. Department of the Interior during the Trump administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs for Policy and Economic Development.
Cruz has also worked in Oregon state government and public affairs. His federal financial disclosure lists him as chief of staff for the Oregon House Republican Office from December 2020 to August 2023, and in 2023 he testified before the Oregon Legislature on tribal consultation policy, describing himself as a Klamath Tribes member who grew up in Klamath Falls and was living in Salem.
The National Council of Urban Indian Health said Cruz holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Pepperdine University and a Master of Arts in Urban Education Policy from Brown University.
If confirmed, Cruz would lead a federal health system that provides comprehensive health care services to American Indians and Alaska Natives through the Indian Health Service, tribes, tribal organizations and urban Indian organizations.
The Indian Health Service is an agency within HHS and serves approximately 2.8 million American Indians and Alaska Natives from 575 federally recognized tribes across 37 states. The agency supports a national network of hospitals, clinics, health centers and community health programs.
The IHS director position has been vacant since January 2025, according to the National Indian Health Board. The National Council of Urban Indian Health said IHS Chief of Staff Clayton Fulton assumed the acting director role during the leadership transition in December 2025.
Native health organizations have emphasized the importance of appointing a permanent IHS director. The National Council of Urban Indian Health said the nomination will be referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, which is expected to schedule a confirmation hearing before a full Senate vote.
Cover image: Mark Cruz, a citizen of the Klamath Tribes, has been nominated to serve as director of the Indian Health Service within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Photo courtesy Mark Cruz / Timothy Devine.
