Rep. Johnson Introduces Legislation Honoring Ben Reifel

Washington, D.C. – This week U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) introduced legislation that would designate the United States Postal Service building in Rosebud, South Dakota as the Ben Reifel Post Office Building. Click here for full speech.

"Throughout Ben Reifel's career at the Bureau of Indian Affairs and for a decade in Congress, he worked tirelessly to further economic opportunity for American Indians," said Johnson. "He celebrated education, hard work and self-determination. I filed a bill asking for Ben Reifel's name to be added to the Rosebud Post Office. It is my hope that young American Indian boys and girls will see that name and realize that great American leaders can come from anywhere, including the sacred ground they call home."

Former Congressman Ben Reifel was a strong proponent of the Indian Civil Rights Act and fought to ensure that tribes received proper compensation for native land transfers. He was a leader in Congress on Indian Affairs and the first person of Lakota Sioux descent in Congress.