Mark Cruz to lead Indian Health Service amid staffing and infrastructure challenges

Mark Cruz to lead Indian Health Service amid staffing and infrastructure challenges

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP, Aug. 7, 2026) — The U.S. Senate voted Friday to confirm Mark Cruz, a citizen of the Klamath Tribes, to lead the federal agency that provides healthcare for some 2.8 million Native American and Alaska Native patients. Cruz was confirmed to serve a four-year term as director of the Indian Health Service, a position that has sat vacant since late 2025. At his July confirmation hearing, Cruz said he would advocate “ferociously…