Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women in the United States suffer from life-threatening pregnancy complications, known as severe maternal morbidities , twice as often as non-Hispanic White women; Whereas American Indian and Alaska Native women in the United States are more than twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as non-Hispanic White women; Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women are more than twice as likely to receive late or no prenatal care compared to non-Hispanic White women; Whereas American Indian and Alaska Native women in the United States experience high rates of births by Cesarean section which exposes them to additional risk of developing complications; Whereas the rate of poverty among American Indian and Alaska Native women is nearly double the national average for all people; Whereas the Federal Government is required to provide health care services to American Indians and Alaska Natives as a result of promises made in hundreds of treaties with the Indian Tribes, authorized by the Constitution, and reaffirmed by United States Supreme Court decisions, Federal legislation, Executive orders, and Federal regulations; Whereas the aforementioned body of authority makes up the foundation of Federal Indian law and explicitly defines the Federal trust responsibility owed American Indians and Alaska Natives based on their political status; Whereas Federal Indian law makes clear that Indian Tribes, American Indians, and Alaska Natives hold a political status, and are not a racial group; Whereas American Indians and Alaska Natives receive health care services, in partial fulfilment of the Federal Government’s trust responsibility to the Indian Tribes, through health programs administered through the Indian Health Service (IHS) and Tribes and Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs), collectively known as the ITU or IHS/Tribal/Urban