The Senate has confirmed Mark Cruz as permanent director of the Indian Health Service, filling a seat that had sat without a Senate-confirmed occupant since early 2025 at an agency responsible for the care of roughly 2.8 million American Indian and Alaska Native patients.
Cruz, a citizen of the Klamath Tribes of Oregon, was confirmed on Aug. 7 as part of an en bloc package of nominations and will serve a four-year term as the agency's 12th director. He will continue to serve as the first Tribal Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, a position he has held since June 2025.
