§5633 Under Secretary for Indian Affairs

Summary

The Secretary may create an Under Secretary for Indian Affairs who reports directly to the Secretary. Normally, the President must appoint the Under Secretary with the Senate’s approval. The person serving as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs on June 22, 2016 may become Under Secretary without a new appointment if that person was originally appointed by the President with Senate approval and the Secretary agrees within 180 days after June 22, 2016. The Under Secretary must help move the duties of the Special Trustee for American Indians into the right parts of the Department. The Under Secretary must, as much as possible, coordinate the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ work and policies with five agencies: the Bureau of Reclamation; the Bureau of Land Management; the Office of Natural Resources Revenue; the National Park Service; and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Under Secretary must also hold regular consultations with Indians and tribes that own trust resources or trust fund accounts. The Under Secretary may hire staff and set their pay, but hires must follow civil service law, pay rules in title 5, and give hiring preference to Indians under section 5116.