Trahant Reports: Recent Episodes
Native Voice One - NV1
Trahant Reports is going away. But there is what’s next: I am planning on spending the next year writing about Indigenous economics.
My weekly commentary as Trahant Reports is coming to an end. And this comes at a remarkable time when more people are receptive to the idea that Native voices must be included in any national conversation. We are the media (as well as its consumers).
One thing about Charlie LaDuff’s career .. he has often focused on those who do the hard labor. The working stiff.
His 9/11 story is the same.
It’s easy to be impatient with COVID-19. We want this pandemic over. But the only way out is continued vigilance. The virus needs to have fewer places to spread.
Who is Native?
That should be a simple question, right? Not so much. The answers are complicated by history … and generations. So the answers will come tribe by tribe as citizens sit down and debate what's next.
This is a unique moment for tribal nations. There will be more money flowing into tribal governments and enterprises than ever before in history. So how do we make sure that money is well spent … and how do we measure what success looks like?
This might be a moment for a new climate conversation. Jade Begay, who just was appointed to a White House advisory council on environmental justice, says a rethinking could “liberate us” from dependency on fossil fuels and create a space for practices that are more harmonious. This column previously aired in April.
The story we tell about sports, or about life, builds on the stories that have come before. In the days ahead we will know about the trials and successes of the Indigenous athletes in Tokyo. Each of those stories will go back to those that have come before, including Billy Mills.
Last week was a major gathering for Native people in Las Vegas -- sort of our first post-pandemic experience. It was a major reunion for people who really wanted to be together again. The Reservation Economic Summit or RES 2021 and the National Indian Gaming Association Trade Show and Conference. More than 8,000 people were registered at the two events. Both conferences decided to go ahead and meet because of the high vaccination rates in Indian Country, nearly 70 percent across the country but some tribal nations are higher than that, even reaching levels required for herd immunity.
The Morongo Band of Mission Indians wasn’t interested in a traditional utility right of way. The tribe wanted ownership so a deal was put together to make that happen. And create a new model for economic development.
Indian Country Today had its 40th anniversary last week. The newspaper has published a lot of history in that time. And one narrative that stands out, the story of founder Tim Giago.
A new film explores the story of John Peabody Harrington. He was an ethnologist and linguist who spent more than fifty years conducting exhaustive research that preserved some 150 languages (including detailed notes with more than 1 million pages). (Repeat)
Are the United States and Canada ready to reconcile their national myth with a brutal truth of history? Secretary Deb Haaland’s op-ed in the Washington Post was a first step.
Cartoonists have the talent to take a complicated idea and boil it down to its essence. The best cartoons make us laugh. And then we think. So it’s disheartening when the Pulitzer Prize board cannot reach a conclusion and give its annual award.
There is a lot of complexity in criminal jurisdiction in Indian Country. That’s because when federal policy changes … the law often does not. So some laws support tribal sovereignty while others undermine that same idea. And that’s how a common sense decision became a “bare minimum standard” for law enforcement in a tribal nation.
The return of inflation impacts people in a variety of ways. It’s an old problem, one that really hasn’t surfaced in recent years.
A memorial day story. American Indians and Alaska Natives have a long history of signing up for military service. Even the Public Health Service is a uniformed civilian branch of the United States. And so many people lost their lives wearing one of those uniforms.
The latest research confirms what we already know: The impact from sports mascots is harmful to Native people. And, as people learn more, they are compelled to be good neighbors. It only takes one visit to a team with a mascot, watching the fans in all their crazy and offensive celebrations, to understand.
The latest research confirms what we already know: The impact from sports mascots is harmful to Native people. And, as people learn more, they are compelled to be good neighbors. It only takes one visit to a team with a mascot, watching the fans in all their crazy and offensive celebrations, to understand.
As tribal governments decide the next steps to limit the spread of COVID-19, one thing is clear. American Indian and Alaska Natives have the highest rates of vaccination in the country, according to the CDC. Already nearly 40 percent of the total population has had at least one dose. That compares to 25 percent of white Americans.
Summary: Fifty years ago last week the federal government’s experiment with a policy called “termination” was crushed at the ballot box on the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington state. Termination was a policy that was designed to end the United States government’s role in Indian affairs. The vote on May 8 was not close.No other tribe anywhere in the United States had to deal with the termination policy again.
American Indians and Alaska Natives had a tough time during the pandemic and faced a disproportionate impact. But there is a brightspot: Vaccinations. As Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flangan said: “We know how to do this.”
This might be a moment for a new climate conversation. Jade Begay, who just was appointed to a White House advisory council on environmental justice, says a rethinking could “liberate us” from dependency on fossil fuels and create a space for practices that are more harmonious.
The Biden administration announced a plan to spend $$2 billion to supplement third-party billing within the Indian health system. This is a big deal and perhaps a step toward Medicaid reform and changing the way the Indian healthcare system is funded.
A new film explores the story of John Peabody Harrington. He was an ethnologist and linguist who spent more than fifty years conducting exhaustive research that preserved some 150 languages (including detailed notes with more than 1 million pages).
A few years ago a Senate report pegged the unmet infrastructure needs in tribal communities at $50 billion. Now the federal government is about to spend a lot of money … but there is still a much longer “to do” list.
Indian Country Today is on a new path. The 40-year-old newspaper is no longer owned by the National Congress of American Indians. In fact, the Associated Press’s headline was cool. “News outlet Indian Country Today has a new owner: itself.”
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has made history by taking office. But the thing is … Haaland is not alone. The administration of President Joe Biden has made a number of key appointments across government, including, most recently, Janie Hipp, as the general counsel for the Department of Agriculture.
As we begin the “what’s next?” after the pandemic, Indian Country Today’s experience moving into a new studio has lessons for all. Innovations? Yes. But first be safe.
SUMMARY The latest coronavirus relief package has a couple of more steps before it becomes law. But that path is now clear. This legislation does more to address poverty, especially child poverty, than any law since the 1960s and the Great Society or 1930s and the New Deal.
Let’s talk about the challenge to spend billions of dollars.
The need is clear. The economic activity that supported jobs, social services, and growth all came to a halt last year. Congress responded with an unprecedented investment in Indian Country targeting money for relief.
The challenge is to spend money effectively.
Tribes are expecting a lot more than just window decoration from the Biden administration and Deb Haaland as Interior Secretary. The hope is for a secretary who deeply understands tribal issues and is ready to act accordingly.
But first she has to get past the Senate.
On this Presidents’ Day, let’s take a minute to consider the President of the United States and a complicated history for the people Indigenous to this land and the governments that were here first. And the ongoing government-to-government relations between the White House and tribal capitals.
It’s often said that elections have consequences. In this case the Georgia Senate race last month could make all the difference if Rep. Deb Haaland is confirmed as the first Native American to be Secretary of the Interior. Republicans will need Democrats to vote against her to prevent her from taking office.
The distribution of vaccines to Indian Country is working well because tribal governments, unlike their state counterparts, already have a culture of public health. And, more important, the Indian health system is just that, a system.
The Senate is having a tough time coming up with rules about how the next two years will work with Republicans and Democrats split evenly. And it’s one more reason why it’s time to reconsider that very body.
This week marks Martin Luther King Day and the beginning of a new presidential administration. A good moment to reflect on legacy.
We now know how close this whole affair came to an even more lethal day with some of the provocateurs promising to kidnap or kill the vice president, members of Congress, and their staff. It also opened up a political honeymoon for the Biden administration that could result in profound changes that have been held up by divisions.
Indian Country Today remains in an expansion mode -- and the goal is to change the narrative of the Indigenous world (by reporting on stories that would too often go untold.)
Our children and grandchildren should remember the stories we tell about 2020. The pandemic, the resilience, and, of course, memories of those we lost.
There are few jobs as complicated in Washington as running the U.S. Department of Interior. It’s a structured conflict of interest. But Deb Haaland brings something to the post that’s never been seen before, she has experienced the impact of the agency’s policies.
Representation by Native Americans in government falls short. At the Interior Department, the agency responsible for the relationship between the government of the United States and tribal governments, there have been 53 secretaries. And the math here is easy. Zero from 53 is still zero.
Idaho’s sockeye salmon have not returned to Pettit Lake in some thirty years. Now after litigation, mitigation and field preparation the iconic fish showed a promising return.
Congress has a lot on its agenda, including a December 11th deadline to pass a budget. There are loud calls for a new pandemic relief bill, including funds to help distribute vaccines.
There is a lot of speculation about Rep. Deb Haaland being named Secretary of the Interior. She is Laguna Pueblo and she would make history because a Native American has never served in a presidential cabinet. And she clearly has a shot at history. But that’s only one possibility of many appointments that could benefit Indian Country.
A COVID-19 vaccine is on the day and that’s the most hopeful news of the year. Vaccines are tricky in Indian Country. We know that influenza continues to kill people and that disease can be prevented with a vaccine. Yet year after year only about 30 percent of us bother to get that shot.
Now that the election is over, what’s next? In a word: complexity. Challenging issues ranging from slow transition planning to continued questions about governance especially in a country that remains divided.
Native Americans have unique challenges when it comes to campaign commercials, yet more and more are telling more nuanced stories.
Both campaigns are reaching out to Indian Country in the final days of the 2020 presidential campaign.
The state of Navajo has been an idea that surfaces from time to time. And the idea of an Indigenous state has a rich history in the United States as well as around the world.
Statehood will not fix the problems facing the Navajo Nation but it would do two things: Add representation in Congress and open up funding.
This week Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris will debate in Salt Lake City. Here is one lens to consider: Native American history; there is a curious relationship between the office of Vice President and Indian Country.
A history of the 1919 influenza pandemic by the National Institutes of Medicine concluded there as a lesson to be learned. “In handling any crisis, it is absolutely crucial to retain credibility. Giving false reassurance is the worst thing one can do.” A lesson our government has yet to learn.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg had a lot of support, good will, and memories from Indigenous leaders. Former Arkasas law dean Stacy Leeds, Cherokee Nation, said “her vote to reaffirm Muscogee (Creek) Nation boundaries on the final day of her final term will long be remembered.” What’s next? One answer could be found in what happens in Arizona on election day.
President Donald Trump released a batch of names last week that he says are under consideration for a Supreme Court appointment, should he serve a second term. After 230 plus years it seems time for Native American candidates to be considered. There is a deep pool of qualified talent.
Looking back at another census from Indian Country’s past, it reminds me how much tribal nations are losing because of the failed US census that is 2020. Generations from now there is so much we will not know about this time because it’s not recorded.
Are tribes Democrat or Republican? The answer is neither, of course. Both party conventions turned a spotlight on Indian Country.
Slade Gorton was one of Indian Country’s most relentless critics. And a Native vote movement was built to end his career.
A payroll tax holiday is complicated. And what will happen if people have to pay the “holiday” back in a few months?
There are three major challenges that the nation is facing right now: The pandemic, the economic impact from that disease, and the renewed debate about race relations. These are three really complicated, really important issues. Yet other nations around the world have been far more effective dealing with COVID-19 than the United States.
The good news is that scientists are getting closer to a vaccine for COVID-19. That doesn’t mean our problems dealing with this deadly pandemic will go away because there are a lot of open questions, ranging from who gets the vaccine to how much? Even then will people sign up? In the Indian Health Service only about 30 percent of the service population gets a flu shot.
We already know that this election will have more ballots cast by mail than any election in history. This poses unique challenges to Indian Country. Many Native communities do not have street addresses and instead have a post office box, often a long roundtrip. But there is a solution: Vote by mail. And vote at mobile stations, tribal offices, and other convenient locations. That would be a step toward making voting easier and universal.
SUMMARY
Former vice president and the presumptive nominee Joe Biden says he will announce his running mate before Aug. 1. Why not someone from Indian Country?There are three potential running mates that immediately come to mind: Peggy Flanagan, Deb Haaland and Val Davidson.
There is now a national debate about mascots and symbols. But let’s be clear: It’s not about statues, flags and monuments … it’s really about the national story. What kind of country is this … and what kind of country should this be? So much has happened in just the past few weeks. And the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers has changed everything.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is a microbiologist and head of the World Health Organization. He said this weekend that the last 1 million in new cases were reported in just the last eight days alone. He also called out the “politicization” of the pandemic. He said: “The greatest threat we face now is not the virus itself, it’s the lack of global solidarity and global leadership. We cannot defeat this pandemic with a divided world.”
Columbus is going down around the world. What’s next? How do we make the stone-tablet version of our history more representative of the actual history? Let’s imagine what if … what if Native Americans were so honored.
The number of Native Americans serving in public office should be higher. There should be at least seven Native Americans serving in the House and one or two more in the United States Senate.
Perhaps that time is growing near.
Paulette Jordan, Coeur d’Alene, is now the Democratic Party’s nominee for the US Senate in Idaho. She would be the first Native woman ever elected to that body.
Indeed, across the country there at least 90 Indigenous candidates are seeking election to local, state and federal offices in some 15 states.
A century ago the United States was finally free from the Great War and dealing with day-to-day waves of a flu pandemic. The country was also tested by unresolved questions about racism and violence. Tested and largely failed.
This week marks the 99th anniversary of the Tulsa Massacre.
Human nature has not changed much.
A century ago in 1920 the influenza pandemic had been raging for two years. The country was tired of social distancing and the rules that enforced the public health orders. People wanted to look forward to brighter days.
A new study says the allocation of COVID-19 funds for tribes is “clearly not reflective of tribal citizens or tribal needs.” This is yet one more example that shows why Indian Country needs a better formula for collecting and maintaining data.
When will the COVID-19 pandemic be over? A recent study byHarvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health has two key predictions. First, based on the most recent flu pandemics, this outbreak will likely last 18 to 24 months. In other words we’re still in the early chapters. And, second, the pandemic won’t likely be halted until 60 to 70 percent of the population is immune.
SUMMARY: How are the COVID-19 numbers counted in Indian Country? As once source put it: ‘‘Physicians lie awake at night worrying about numerators. Epidemiologists lie awake at night worrying about the denominators’ indiancountrytoday.com
There are a lot of questions about the disbursement of an $8 billion fund by the federal government to tribes and Alaska Native corporations.
And now a federal court is on a tight deadline -- as in today -- to review the case.
The CARE Act the single largest investment ever made by the United States in Indian Country. The federal government is moving quickly to transfer $8 billion to tribes. So fast in fact that it’s making up the rules as it goes. And it raises a thorny question: Are Alaska Native corporations considered tribes?
There remains uncertainty about whether tribal enterprises -- namely casinos that employ less than 500 people -- will even qualify for the program. And not just tribally-owned casinos … all casinos.
The destructive impact of the coronavirus pandemic is hard to transfer to a calendar. But make no mistake the cost of this epidemic is greater than 9/11 or the housing collapse or even the Great Depression. This will be a time when so much of everything we take for granted is being reshaped.
This will also be a time of innovation.
The coronavirus pandemic is like nothing we have experienced before. The virus is new -- and something we humans have no protection against -- and governments including tribal governments are still trying to figure out how to respond.
The biggest concern about the COVID-19 might be human behavior. Can we all adjust, quickly, so that we don’t spread it on? Can we stay home? Away from people? And this is the big one: Can we wait in line?
The virus now known as COVID-19 wasted no time finding its way to Indian Country. And tribes, casinos, and other institutions are all coming with plans for the “what’s next?” Every tribe is coming up with its own answer. And that is sovereignty in action.
One reason why the coronavirus -- or COVID-19 -- is frightening is that Indian Country has experience with infectious diseases. Even before Lewis and Clark the epidemic of smallpox made its way across North America. And the flu a century ago wiped out many tribal communities. Perhaps because of this virus … a tradition that should end: The handshake.
Tribal leaders, like all politicians, bristle when the press is not perfect. Sometimes quotes are not quite right -- and perhaps even out of context. But most of the work, the day to day reporting, is a mechanism to let people know what’s going on. And that remains essential.
The race to be the next president of the United States heats up this week. And Indian Country will get a voice in the days ahead. Some of the caucuses in Nevada will be in tribal communities.
The federal budget for next year is out today. May it rest in peace. In the State of Indian Nations, National Congress of American Indians President Fawn Sharp called the federal budget “incompetent.”
Nothing in the document released today will change that perception.
There is so much going on this week. The first votes will be cast for the next president of the United States in Iowa. The current president will give his annual State of the Union speech. And the matter of an impeachment trial in the United States Senate comes to an end with a likely acquittal. So now what?
SUMMARY As climate change continues to become more of a story, and people understand the impact, there is more demand from consumers for companies to change. It’s already hit coal, but soon that same pressure could impact other natural resource industries, including oil and gas.
Indian Country is difficult to count for many reasons: Distrust of government, rural geography, the lack of street addresses, transportation, even WiFi.
Across the country demographers figured the last census reflected an undercount of 4.9 percent for Native Americans and an even higher 8 percent in Alaska.
Will impeachment force President Trump from office? It takes two-thirds of that body voting to remove a president from office -- and that’s unlikely to happen in a body controlled by Republicans. But the trial is not the end of the process -- If the Clinton impeachment is a guide, then, there will be a lot of litigation ahead.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt is a member of the Cherokee Nation. And yet, since taking office a year ago he has been busy challenging the very structure of the tribal casino industry.
Nationwide the story is that when states and tribes work together as partners it creates a stronger economy for every citizen. Across the country tribal gaming supports 635,000 jobs paying $33.2 billion in wages and $16 billion in taxes.
Summary: There is really no reason for a presidential candidate to spend much time on tribal issues in Iowa or New Hampshire. The problem is not the candidates; it’s the process itself. What if there were an Indian Country primary? This story originally aired on Feb. 25, 2019.
The Newseum is not an Indigenous institution. Yet it did represent. And that’s a practice that’s too often missing from most museums. But I had better not bury the lede. The Newseum is closing at the end of the year. This is the last call.
The Newseum may come back in another form. And I certainly hope so because a building is just a building. The ideas are what matter: A history that includes all of our stories, a celebration of dissent, and the importance of journalism in a democratic society
SUMMARY
The Trump administration may be giving up on the Paris Agreement, but that does not mean the country can’t change. And the quickest way forward is to rethink our transportation framework.
Last month was the 50th anniversary of the occupation of Alcatraz. Why that anniversary? Well, as one of the leaders smartly declared at the time, “Alcatraz is not an island. It's an idea'”
And so much of what we think of as the norm now, came out of that idea and the occupation.
Summary
These days the idea of tribal sovereignty is having a rough patch, at least iin the body politic. The Senate is considering legislation that would roll back the gains in recent years of tribal court jurisdiction concerning the Violence Against Women Act. And a federal appeals court is reconsidering the fundamental nature of the Indian Child Welfare Act.
So it’s big news when a tribe has a clear victory … based on its inherent sovereignty.
A three-judge panel for the U.S. 9th circuit court of appeals agreed in a decision released Nov. 15, 2019, It said that the tribes have jurisdiction over the company. “We hold that the judgment of the Tribal Court of Appeals is enforceable.”
SUMMARY
The Navajo Nation recently pulled its financial guarantee for the tribe’s coal enterprise, the Navajo Transitional Energy Company, saying the company had purchased three coal mines in Wyoming and Montana without informing the tribe. This comes at a time when it’s “awfully difficult” make money mining coal.
There is a formality to impeachment. It's solemn event. And the outcome? There are a lot of possibilities. There is an interesting range of opinion in the ranks of Indian Country’s representatives in Congress.
We are now a year away from a national election. Last year there were ten Native Americans running for Congress a year out. This year the number is eleven. Presidential election years always manifest an uptick in turnout and 2020 is expected to be no different.
Fawn Sharp is the new 'Indigenous president.' As the leader of the National Congress of American Indians she is expected to put the issue of climate change at the top of the agenda.
The voices of Indigenous people and leaders are more present in discussions about the future of the Arctic than in any other international conversation.
Steve Bullock is the first of the presidential candidates to sit down and talk about issues that impact Indian Country. He says it’s time for more representation by Native Americans across government. #NativeVote20
Suzan Shown Harjo has been at the center of just about every major issue involving Indian Country for decades. Last week the National Museum of American Indians honored her with a symposium to explore those contributions. Harjo is Cheyenne and Hodulgee Muscogee.
Fifty years ago an unknown writer published an “Indian manifesto.” The book was “Custer Died For Your Sins” by Vine Deloria Jr. Custer Died For Your Sins was a manifesto, a best-seller, and a banned book (a trifecta).
Manitoba voters will decide this week on a new government -- and a Native leader is running for the top post.
There are two things you need to know from the recent report on climate change from the United Nations. First: Governments around the world need to move quicker to limit the damage. And second: Indigenous knowledge is essential. This is a repost of a commentary from August 12, 2019.
The Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum in Sioux City, Iowa, is now history and nearly a dozen candidates, 10 Democrats and one Independent, made their way on stage to talk about their policy positions on issues impacting American Indians and Alaska Natives.
President Donald J. Trump is interested in purchasing Greenland. But it would be better if the president’s interest included learning about what global warming is doing to that island -- and to our future.
There are two things you need to know from last week’s report on climate change from the United Nations. First: Governments around the world need to move quicker to limit the damage. And second: Indigenous knowledge is essential.
Sen. Cory Booker at the Meskawai powwow this weekend, Interview by Aliyah Chavez, Indian Country Today.
Indian Country Today is expanding — and launching a new daily newscast this October. The digital media enterprise will also open a bureau on the campus of Alaska Pacific University.
Mark Charles is running for president. The Navajo man joins some thirty candidates, Democrats, independents, and Republicans, who would move into the White House. He is at least the second Native American to campaign for the White House.
John Paul Stevens joined the Supreme Court as a conservative member appointed by President Gerard Ford. It’s fair to say that many of his early opinions were not favorable to tribal interests. Yet when Stevens retired he was known as a leader of the liberal bloc and as a justice who often supported the rights of tribes.
Over the weekend a panel of progressive women of color in Congress -- including Rep. Deb Haaland, a Democrat from New Mexico, talked about why they ran for office and what they hoped to do, including grabbing power from those who have run this country for more than two centuries. And that was apparently too much for President Donald J. Trump. The President of the United States went on a racist Twitter rant Sunday telling progressive women to go back to their own countries.
The government’s own investigation shows that the treatment of migrants by border officials is inhumane. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: ‘We are caging Indigenous people’
Indian Country still shows the highest rate of diabetes; Native Americans are twice as likely to get diabetes as other population groups.
But the big picture is that we've seen amazing outcomes in the prevention and treatment of diabetes over the past 20 years, including significant declines in mortality and complications from the disease.
This week the Democratic candidates for president will have their first debates. I have some questions I’d like to ask. For example: Several candidates talk about universal health insurance. For Indian Country that would mean a fully-funded Indian Health system.
A Google Doodle that says the Jingle Dance affirms the power of Native American women.
Why are these Google Doodle’s important? Because they break into popular culture in a huge way. Think about all the people who turn to Google for information every day -- and now see a positive image of Indian Country.
The Trump administration is proposing redefining nuclear waste. That creates serious issues for tribes that fish on Washington’s Columbia River.
Mark Charles is running for president. The Navajo man joins some thirty candidates, Democrats, independents, and Republicans, who would move into the White House. He is at least the second Native American to campaign for the White House.
Life is about to get more expensive. The trade war with China means that prices will spike on hundreds of products ranging from steel to bacon. Indian Country has a lot at stake. Fewer agricultural exports, higher costs for construction and every day items at local stores.
An an international meeting on the Arctic last week the Trump administration trashed consensus over the words, "climate change." The Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the planet and Indigenous people are the first impacted.
The words are “big” and “bold.” At a White House meeting last week the president and congressional leaders reached a deal to fund $2 trillion worth of infrastructure. But will the agreement actually result in dollars for building projects in Indian Country?The size of that ask is so huge that it immediately raises the question about how will Congress fund such a large investment? And, if that’s not enough, how will Congress resolve at the same time deep disputes about trade policy or federal spending in general?
A year ago Indian Country Today was dark. And folks were wondering if the “paper” would ever revive. But the digital daily has new life -- and it’s about to expand, opening a newsroom on the campus of Arizona State University in downtown Phoenix.
The two-year investigation of the president by the special counsel has been completed and the report finally released to the public. We know that the President Donald J. Trump lied to the country. He lied to Congress. And there is now documented evidence that the White House press office, including the current occupant, Sarah Sanders, made up stories to protect the president.
The next national election is still more than a year away. But this is the time when many candidates make the decision to run for president, for the U.S. Senate, and for Congress. And the first big news from Indian Country: Rep. Deb Haaland passed on a Senate race in New Mexico.
What difference does it make to have Native Americans in Congress? This. Congress voted to pass Violence Against Women Act. But legislative path remains complicated by the sharp divisions
Striking down the Affordable Care Act would have immediate impact for more than 20 million Americans. And any repeal would also include the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. It’s hard to understate the significance of what that would mean. Medicaid is a significant source of funding for the Indian Health system. More than one out of every four Native patients in the Indian health system are covered by Medicaid.
Elizabeth Warren says that it’s time to get rid of the Electoral College. That should start a debate about building a real representative democracy, one that gives all citizens a say.
The big picture: The White House budget has no chance of becoming law, but the federal government is on track for more chaos. What’s ahead is like the movie, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," a three-way fight over priorities.
A corruption scandal in Canada has raised new questions about Indigenous values and leadership. Former Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould tells Parliament: I come "from a long line of matriarchs, and I’m a truth teller in accordance with the laws and traditions of our Big House. This is who I am, and this is who I always will be.”
This is a tough moment for the Navajo Nation and other coal producing tribes. And there are no easy choices. The coal industry has no future. So how does a government help make the economic transition to renewable fuels? And, at the same time, how do you preserve really good paying jobs in a brand new industry?
There is really no reason for a presidential candidate to spend much time on tribal issues in Iowa or New Hampshire. The problem is not the candidates; it’s the process itself. What if there were an Indian Country primary?
How do tribes engage this White House in meaningful discussions about tribal priorities? We are seeing a number of tests on that ranging from the potential construction of border walls on tribal lands to the continued development of energy or pipelines in tribal communities or treaty lands.
Last week at a Capitol Hill news conference Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, and Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, unveiled “the Green New Deal.” It’s comprehensive legislation that would set the goal of “net-zero greenhouse gas emissions” in a decade.
The Green New Deal raises three big issues: Is the United States finally ready to address climate change? And if so, how? And what will be the impacts on Indian Country?
A new study documents the global cost of colonialism. Why does it matter? Because the invasion of the Americas changed everything on the planet. There was a death rate of more than 90 percent of the people, now labeled "depopulation" in a scientific report. At that time, the Indigenous population of the Americas was 10 percent of the world's population and home to the largest and most complex cities.
The study also raises new questions, the impact of humans on nature? And what that might mean for climate change policy in the decades ahead?
President Donald J. Trump signed into law late Friday a three-week spending bill to fund about a quarter of government operations. So, now what? It could produce an era when the Congress rethinks its budget process.
Across the country tribes, federal employees, contractors, and nonprofits are reporting about the significant hardships because of the partial federal government shutdown.
The problem is frozen because the president, the Republicans in the House and the Senate, and the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives do not have enough power to say “yes.” Only no, not that.
Two Native American women, Sharice Davids, Ho Chunk, and Debra Haaland, Laguna Pueblo, were sworn into the new Congress. They will join current Representatives Markwayne Mullin, Cherokee, and Tom Cole, Chickasaw, in that office. There are now four members from tribal nations in the Congress.
And this week Peggy Flanagan, White Earth Nation, takes office as Lt. Governor of Minnesota. This is the highest ranking Native woman.
The year we just passed, 2018, was full of interesting issues in Indian Country. The year ended with a government shutdown. The president and the Congress are divided about how much money to spend on a wall, or border security, and how to talk to each other as partners. The road ahead makes this situation even more complex because for two years President Donald J. Trump has headed a one-party government. That’s done. Now, as we begin this year, Democrats will control the House of Representatives and exert a lot more influence about how policy is shaped.
A few days ago it sure looked like Congress would keep the government operating after the Senate passed another short-term spending bill unanimously. Then President Donald J. Trump took to Twitter, saying that Congress must spend billions on a border wall or else. That has led to a Christmas holiday shutdown.
Two years ago Ryan Zinke was riding high. Over the weekend he resigned as Secretary of Interior. But don’t expect many policy changes at Interior. Energy dominance is a theme that comes from the White House.
The end of the year is going to be interesting. The federal budget is still not set. A new Congress is ready to take office … but the old one still has the powers. And there are new legal, criminal questions about the President of the United States.
George Herbert Walker Bush died Friday. Even though he served only one term, as president he took many steps to promote Native American interests while in the White House, including signing the legislation to create the National Museum of the American Indian.
A new climate report released last week by the Trump administration predicts significant -- and expensive -- impacts on the planet as a result of climate change. The threats from weather-related catastrophes are already clear: Stronger and moreover frequent hurricanes, deadly heat waves, and more intense destructive wildfires.
And that includes a threat to “Indigenous peoples’ livelihoods and economies, including agriculture, hunting and gathering, fishing, forestry, energy, recreation, and tourism enterprises.
Indian Health programs were on the ballot in many states. There were a few wins and Alaska is at risk for a big loss.
The first Native American women in Congress. The first Native woman elected as a lieutenant governor of a state. And, the Arizona state senate triples the number of Native women in that body. So much history. There will now be more Native Americans in public office -- across the board.
This year’s political commercials from Native candidates tell the voters that Native Americans are still here. And that Native American candidates bring something new to the larger national discourse.
Tribes are sending a consistent message: ‘We need you to vote.” And in many states it was not that long ago when tribal citizens were not allowed to vote. In Arizona, for example, before 1965 American Indians were blocked from voting under state law. Across the country we already know a few things about the 2018 midterm election: Turnout will be higher than normal and a lot of people are voting early.
What the heck, Alaska? Think about one week’s worth of news ending in the withdrawal from the race by a sitting governor with just 18 days before the election.
Why is it getting harder for Native Americans to vote? And what can be done about it? One solution is to turn to the treaties, and the right of tribes to send a delegate to the Congress.
On election night three national media organizations, FNX | First Nations Experience, Indian Country Today, and Native Voice One, are joining together to broadcast the first ever live national coverage of election night focusing on the 103 Native Americans who are running for Congress, governor, lieutenant governor, as well as state legislatures.
This is a record year for Native people running for office. There are more Native candidates -- and especially more women running -- than ever before. But what about the other races? Races where there are no Native American on the ballot, and where Native issues are rarely (if at all) explored. One state that has to be at the top of any such discussion is North Dakota.
Election Day is more like Election Month. And early voting started last week in Minnesota and South Dakota. There is still time if you have not registered to vote. But in some states this week is the last chance for this election. #NativeVote18
American Indians and Alaska Natives are undercounted during the best of circumstances every time the U.S. conducts its once-a-decade count. And this year? Trouble.
Across the country, there are more Native Americans running for a variety of offices from Congress to state governors than at any point in history.
More Native American women than men are running for statewide offices, such as governor or lieutenant governor, as well as seats in legislatures.
Arizona Senator John McCain leaves behind a rich and complicated legacy on Native American issues.
Minnesota is certain to elect a Native American woman as its next lieutenant governor. And across the country, there are two Native women as party nominees for Congress. (One more, Amanda Douglas, Cherokee, has a primary at the end of this month.) There are two Native women as party nominees for governor; Democrat Paulette Jordan, Coeur d’Alene, in Idaho and Republican Andria Tupola, Native Hawaiian, in Hawaii. And there are four Native American women are Lt. Gov. nominees.
Women across the country are coming together as candidates and as voters in an unprecedented way. Native women, too. There are now two Native women, Davids and Deb. Haaland, Laguna Pueblo, as their party nominees for the November election. And another, Amanda Douglas in Oklahoma, has a primary at the end of this month. #NativeVote18
Republicans are ready to govern, returning the budget process to a regular order. In that process a spending bill works its way through committee and is passed by the Senate. The House does the same thing. The two bills are resolved and it’s sent to the president. But will President Donald J. Trump go along?
Every five years or so Congress enacts a “farm bill.” Those two words are misleading. It’s really a food bill. A trade bill. A jobs bill. An energy bill. An education and research bill. A nutrition bill. A forest bill. And, a this-is-the-kind-of-legislation-that-shows-why-you-should-elect-me bill.
Summary: There are more than a hundred days until the next election and there remain many questions about the structure and integrity of elections. Native Americans are less likely to be registered and more likely to face significant obstacles, such as a two hour drive to a polling station.
Why not a Native American on the court? That is the question that should be asked when ever there is a vacancy on the Supreme Court. And for judicial openings in U.S. district courts, U.S. courts of appeals, and U.S. Court of International Trade, as well as the Court of Claims, U.S. Customs Court, and U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals.
Trade Wars The growing trade war with China is politics all mixed up. It's an issue that divides many Republicans from President Donald J. Trump. And some of the president's most strident supporters from coal companies to farmers are not happy with his policy. Make no mistake: The outcome (when it finally occurs) is a dollar-and-cents issue that will impact the daily lives of Native people, tribal governments, and businesses. Why? A tariff is a tax.
President Donald J. Trump’s cabinet met at the White House last week to learn about a government-wide organization. The plan has significant implications for programs that serve American Indians and Alaska Natives.
The treaty era, no matter what it is called, continues to this day. And it’s still formal. Last week three government came together to sign and celebrate the Blackfeet Water Compact.
Debra Haaland won a primary election in New Mexico last week and she is now the favorite to earn a seat in Congress this November. If elected, she will be the first ever Native American woman in Congress.
Former Sen Mark Begich jumped into the race for the governor of Alaska’s setting up a three-way contest with independent Gov. Bill Walker. Begich picked Debra Call, a Cook Inlet tribal leader, as his running mate. She is the seventh Native American to campaign for that office this year.
Making the case for a Billy Frank Jr. statue in the National Statuary Hall representing the state of Washington. Frank is an American hero and his story should be better known.
Paulette Jordan has made history. She won the Democratic nomination for governor of Idaho, the first Native American woman to ever do so. In any state. Jordan is a progressive running in a conservative state -- so that should be the end of the story. But there is a narrow path she could take to win the office.
On June 4 Indian Country Today will officially unveil a new digital platform and an updated logo. The new Indian Country Today is public media and the next chapter will focus on the digital, mobile space. But in the end it’s still about the stories we tell. Stories about Indian Country.
Water is life? Not so much in Minnesota. The Minnesota Legislature, supported by the mining industry, last week voted to weaken water standards for sulfates in areas where wild rice grows. Wild rice is the essential Ojibwe food.
It’s already time to cast ballots in the 2018 election season -- a cycle with more Native Americans running for Congress or to lead state governments than ever before. The first election tests are in Idaho, South Dakota and New Mexico.
The Trump administration supports a major policy shift on Indian health programs which could result in a loss of millions of dollars and sabotage treaty rights. The Trump administration contends the tribes are a race rather than separate governments, and exempting them from Medicaid work rules would be illegal preferential treatment. That idea dismisses history and the very foundations of federal-Indian relations.
SUMMARY: Paul Ryan’s goal was a Republican party of ideas, including a shrinking of the government. He proposed restructuring of Indian health programs by having a voucher for care instead of a federal agency.
The growing trade war with China is politics all mixed up. It’s an issue that divides many Republicans from President Donald J. Trump. And some of the president’s most strident supporters from coal companies to farmers are not happy with his policy. Make no mistake: The outcome (when it finally occurs) is a dollar-and-cents issue that will impact the daily lives of Native people, tribal governments, and businesses. Why? A tariff is a tax.
Paulette Jordan is one of seven Native American candidates running for statewide office -- and one of two Native women running to a lead a state (something never been done before). She will be the first of those candidates to face voters and will need to win a contested Democratic primary on May 15.
The federal government’s newly enacted budget is a massive “omnibus” act that spends $1.3 trillion and makes some members of Congress pleased and others angry. It’s a document that reflects a broken budget system. And, at the same time, it’s a business as usual document in a presidential administration that has promised structural change. But the bill is also good for Indian Country. Federal Indian programs, some of which had been slated for either elimination or deep cuts, continued on course.
A special election in Pennsylvania is a good sign for Native American candidates running for office. Why? Because this cycle is favoring out-of-power Democrats. It’s hard to peg any constituent group as more out-of-power than those who would represent Indian Country in the Congress of the United States. There are now eleven Native American candidates for the U.S. House and Senate running as Democrats, independents, Greens and Republicans.
The Native American Voting Rights Coalition has been holding hearings across the country since last September to document the challenges faced by Native American voters. Witnesses include tribal leaders, advocates, and voters. Barriers to equal voting rights have been documented such as “unreasonably long distances to polls and inability to access transportation keep Natives from voting.”
There is a new chapter for Indian Country Today. The newspaper and media network has new owners, but an old task, serving readers. The goal is clear: Professional, straight reporting that tells stories about Indigenous people and our nations.
Who should run the Indian Health Service? Not “who” exactly, but what kind of leader? What kind of skills and experience? The answers start with an agency mission has changed dramatically -- yet there is a disconnect and policy makers continue to talk about Indian Health as it used to be.
President Donald J. Trump’s budget this year, like last year, expresses the administration’s desire to cut federal Indian programs, wipe out public broadcasting, end student loan forgiveness, starve Medicaid and Medicare, food stamps, housing programs, and generally, limit just about every federal program that serves poor people. This is a messaging document -- and a clear one at that.
What are the state of 573 tribal nations? Jefferson Keel, president of the National Congress of American Indians, gives his answer at the Newseum in Washington, DC. His conclusion: “As it has been for thousands of years, the state of Indian nations is strong.... and everlasting.”
SUMMARY: Voters in Minnesota this week will caucus at the precinct level. U.S. Rep. Tim Walz has already picked state Rep. Peggy Flanagan as his running mate. Flanagan is a member of the White Earth band of Ojibwe. And she would be the first Native American woman to ever hold this office. More important, should Walz be elected, Flanagan would be inside the room on issues important to Indian Country. She might win the day. She might not. But she’ll be there for four years pushing. #NativeVote18
Indian Country needs a canon of stories. A collection of Memory that every child knows growing up. A reference guide to our shared history — as well as a reminder about what the fight is all about. Mary Katherine Nagle’s new play, “Sovereignty,” is one of those stories.
The government is in its official shut down mode. Congress cannot pass a budget because there are several different factions, think of them as mini-political parties, and they all have different goals. The Republicans are in charge. And this process could have been resolved within the caucus — if the GOP leadership had the votes.
How much does climate change cost taxpayers? A report released last week by The National Centers for Environmental Information pegged that total cost at $1.5 trillion, including estimates for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. Instead of working to reduce the impact of climate change the Trump administration is developing more oil and gas.
What qualifications are needed to manage (and possibly reform?) the Indian health Service? The Trump administration’s pick Robert Weaver would be the least educated ever. His background is not medicine, science, or even public administration. It’s insurance.
Congress is governing at short-term intervals because there are not enough votes to pass a real spending bill. And that’s not a good sign going forward because the budget only gets more complicated because of all the issues that Congress has been avoiding.
SUMMARY: As the year 2017 winds down, a replay of some of the top issues facing Indian Country. And 2018 promises to be at least as chaotic.
Paulette Jordan is campaigning to be the Governor of Idaho. There have been very few Native Americans who have ever run for office at that level. And she’s the first Native woman who has the audacity to ask citizens to run their state.
There is an uncomfortable, even painful re-balancing going on across so much of society. The old world of male dominance is slowly coming to an end. Minnesota Senator Al Franken lost his office because of his own actions — and that broader change. But the governor of Minnesota could make history by appointing a Native American woman to office, something that’s never been done in the history of this country.
The Senate passed its tax bill early Saturday morning. There are a whole cast of winners: Big corporations, rich would-be heirs (like the Trump children) and religious schools. But this bill does nothing for tribal citizens who are at the low end of the earnings scale. And the Senate defeated a last minute amendment to add child credits -- something that would have helped ordinary working families.
The Children’s Health Insurance Program expired Sept. 30. This federal program insures young people and pregnant women who make just enough money not to qualify for Medicaid (but can’t afford private insurance). The idea is to make sure that every child has the resources to see a doctor when they are ill. But unless Congress acts soon, some 9 million children will lose their insurance.
There is no better way for any legislature -- be it a tribal council, a state assembly, or a Congress -- to telegraph what’s most important to a society than through its tax policy. How a government collects revenue says what constituent groups are seen to matter. The debate in Congress is about values ranging from corporate power to higher education.
SUMMARY:
Indian Country is already impacted by climate change. As Sen. Lisa Murkowski said at at the Alaska Federation of Natives: “Our world is changing.” Yet the senator is working to open the Arctic to more development, not less. And a group of elders from the Bering Sea talks about what climate change looks like for the people who live in the north. So how do we change course?
This past election was a good one for Native American candidates. From Washington state to Minnesota tribal members won seats on city councils and school boards. And voters in Maine approved the expansion of Medicaid. And across the country even minority party candidates did well winning some twenty offices.
Two serious debates in Washington right now: Climate change and taxes. These are connected. And the decisions made over the next few days and weeks will impact you and your children’s future. The tax plan calls for more fossil fuel production, the very cause of global warming. And Indian Country is already seeing firsthand the impacts of that climate change from Louisiana to Alaska.
It’s easy to blame President Donald J. Trump for all that is wrong in American politics. But is the problem of Trump or the era itself. A new report by the Pew Research Center shows how politics is changing, and how the divides are deepening.
Politics is a tough business. Most Native American women who run for office cannot dip into their personal wealth to run for office. It's all about raising money five bucks at a time. A good haul is when someone writes a check with more than one zero. #NativeVote18
The Trump Administration is sticking with its plan to unravel the Affordable Care Act using administrative authority. An executive order would eliminate payments to insurance companies and that will impact American Indians and Alaska Natives that purchase their insurance through market-based exchanges.
Peggy Flanagan is running for Lt. Governor in Minnesota. She’s on the ticket with Congressman Tim Walz. It’s another breakthrough race. As a citizen of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Flanagan would be the first American Indian woman to serve as a state Lt. Governor and would be the highest ranking Native woman ever in a state constitutional office.
As Congress debates taxes, it’s worth looking at how Indian Country fits into the framework. The Earned Income Tax Credit is essential to Many Native American families because it benefits so many people who have jobs and yet barely earn a living wage.
Journalist Mark Trahant talks about social media, health care narratives, and Indian Country Today in a speech to the National Indian Health Board in Bellevue, Washington, on Sept. 26, 2018. He focuses on three stories about Indian health: Shortages (a story we all know too well); excellence and innovation; and the story we need to tell, what do we want now? Trahant asked: How can we use the forces of social media — so potent at Standing Rock — to change our stories for the better?
The Senate’s latest health care plan would “lift” the burden of Native American health care from state governments. But that’s screwy because the only burden is to pay the same share of Medicaid as states do for every other citizen.
Indian Country should take note of Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All bill. Universal care would fully-fund the Indian health system, fulfilling treaty rights.
The rest of the 2017 will have less drama than the ups and downs than those that we have been experiencing since January. The federal government will more or less operate on schedule, the debt limit fight has been pushed back to the end of the year, and it’s because President Donald J. Trump successfully reached out to Democrats. This is exactly what the president should have been doing all along. This is governing.
Indian Country Today is officially on “hiatus” while the Oneida Nation looks for a new owner or a new business model. Indian Country still has remarkable talent and media outlets. Some are local, a few national. But the challenges are daunting.
TRAHANT REPORTS ELECTION SPECIAL: Native candidates are running for office in Alaska, New Mexico, Utah and Oklahoma. There is a connection between politics and policy. The people we elect are the ones who make decisions about our health care, our education, how much money the government spends and collects, or whether we’re at war or at peace. Imagine being a Native American politician in the Trump era. It is an uphill climb to represent constituents as well as being a public advocate for Native people and community.
Congress returns to Washington next week and it must increase the debt limit and appropriate money so that the federal government can operate. And on top of that -- billions of dollars will be required to help people recover from storms in Texas. But that could be a good thing because it may bring about a moment of unity.
The Trump presidency ended last week. Not literally. But in practical terms it will be difficult for the White House to advance any sort of policy agenda. What’s next? Turn to the states for clues. Governors on the right and the left were tossed out after atmospheres with too much chaos.
September is going to be a mess. Congress must sort out some really complicated financial issues. There is the budget, plus an increase in the debt limit, how much money to actually spend on federal programs and services, and, if there’s time, tax reform. This should be easy in a one-party government, but that’s not the Congress of today.
A new report shows that obesity among youth populations in Indian Country is mostly the same. That’s actually good news because it shows that once trends once considered epidemic may now be stable.
Senate Republicans failed in their bid to remake federal health programs. And for Indian Country that means there is a new opportunity to insure that more tribal citizens have insurance in order to improve Indian health funding.
There will be a vote to at least repeal the Affordable Care Act this week. And perhaps replace it, too. But what the bill looks like is unclear. But three inter-tribal organizations say the changes in one Senate bill would change the funding formula for Indian health and a “radical departure from over 40 years of federal policy.”
The Senate healthcare bill looked like it was going to pass last week. Now the process is on hold for at least another week. Sen. John McCain’s office announced he will be in Arizona recovering from surgery. The support for this healthcare bill is so thin that it’s impossible to round up a majority without him. So the Senate will wait.
The Senate is back this week and Republican leaders are once again looking for votes for their health care plan. It’s a tough sell for lots of reasons. The bill tips towards conservatives and moderates say no. Rewrite the language so that moderates are happy -- and the conservatives bolt. And it only takes three GOP no votes for this bill to fail.
Both the Senate bill, and the House counterpart, are supposed to be about repealing the Affordable Care Act. But for Indian Country there is something else at stake, jobs.
Summary: How do you spot fake news? And what should you do about it? One way is to use a technique from journalism, the craft of verification.
The Senate bill is not about health care. It’s a tax cut, one that’s paid for by destroying Medicaid. Medicaid -- a public insurance program for people who are poor or disabled -- makes up about 20 percent of the Indian health system budget.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe won a court case against the Dakota Access Pipeline project last week. The ruling affirmed the tribes’ treaty rights, and more important, the idea of mutual respect.
The federal budget has huge challenges for Indian Country, including the prospect of a shutdown this fall. The coming fight over the debt limit is an example of the complexity ahead.
President Donald J. Trump announced the United States was pulling out the Paris agreement on climate change. Four Native Nations, however, said they will continue to support the Paris agreement because climate change touches all aspect of life.
There is a lot of attention paid to Native American candidates running for Congress or many other visible political offices. But There are also elected offices that we don’t think about, yet are critical, and by definition, a that seat at the table. Claudia Kauffman is running for such a job, Commissioner for the Port of Seattle. This is a $650 million a year, public business that manages Seattle’s seaport, airport, and a portfolio of real estate.
This is what the Trump Reality Show hides: The House’s Health Care plan does much more than roll back the Affordable Care Act (or Obamacare as they like to say.) It ends Medicaid, the single most effective form of “government” insurance that secures health care options for 62.3 million Americans. To add perspective: Medicare — supposedly untouchable in politics — insures 43.3 million seniors. Medicaid is adding money to the Indian health system.
There has never been a Native American woman elected to either the House or the Senate. Debra Haaland is campaigning to be the first. She’s running for Congress from New Mexico. Since 1789 there have been nearly 10,300 people elected to Congress. There have been a handful of Native American men, but never a woman. Yet.
The House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act by four votes last week. The legislation now moves to the United States Senate for consideration. This bill would dramatically reshape the healthcare system, including Indian health because it would end Medicaid as we know it. Medicaid insures more than half of all children in the Indian Health system and it accounts for 13 percent of the Indian Health Service budget.
James Singer will run for the United States Senate in Utah. He’s the first Native American ahead of the 2018 election. He’s hoping to show that a younger, different kind of political can shake up convention.
This week the Congress and the president will once again try for wins to fund the government, repeal the Affordable Care Act, add extra money for Defense, and begin construction on a wall on the southern border. A nearly impossible order. Why? Because none of this cannot be done without votes from Democrats. And if that does not happen, brace for another government shutdown after April 29.
Special elections set the tone for the 2018 congressional races. And Indian Country’s first chance to judge the Trump administration comes in Montana on May 25.
Once the deal for extraction of coal and other resources in tribal communities included well-paying jobs. But the shrinking nature of the extractive industry makes that an impossible promise to deliver.
Women make up about 25 percent of state legislatures. But a little more than 40 percent of all American Indian and Alaska Native legislators are female. Or, another way to look at the data, there are 1,800 legislative seats held by women and that works out to a representation by Native women of 1.4 percent. That means there is still a long way to go to reach parity with the population, but it’s much better than just about any other category in the body politic.
The promise from President Donald J. Trump and Congress to quickly repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act has failed. What does this mean for the Indian health system? It’s a renewed call to grow the number of American Indians and Alaska Natives with health insurance and to expand Medicaid in nineteen states.
President Donald Trump’s skinny budget represents an agenda that would shrink the federal government dramatically. That would include deep cuts across agency lines, including those programs that serve Native Americans. But it’s Congress, not the president, that will decide how much money is to be spent next year.
Republican leaders are pushing Congress to rapidly replace the Affordable Care Act. That legislation would leave the Indian Health Care Improvement Act as is. But there are other proposed changes that you need to know about, including provisions that would turn Medicaid into a block grant to states.
Indian Country cannot afford to close the door to Republicans in Congress and in state legislatures, especially those Native Americans who have been elected to office and serve as Republicans. There are two tribal citizens serving in Congress: Rep. Tom Cole, a member of the Chickasaw Nation, and Markwayne Mullin, a member of the Cherokee Nation. And, there are at least ten Native American Republicans serving in state legislatures (compared to 51 Democrats) in seven states.
We live in odd times. Congress is moving forward with promised legislation that would roll back much of the health care reform enacted during the past eight years. The Trump administration is issuing regulations to do the same. But in state capitals there are real debates about public policy.
Federal Indian programs have been added to the “high-risk” category by the Government Accountability Office. That designation could not come at a worse time because there already are already so many pressures to cut the budget. And that’s exactly the wrong way to serve Indian Country.
Construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline is back on schedule. But that does not mean the fight is over. In the months ahead there will be challenges to the oil pipeline in court, from investors, and by consumers.
Jenni Monet’s arrest covering Standing Rock puts the institutions of journalism on trial. The First Amendment is supposed to protect all journalists. Yet in North Dakota there hasn’t even been a news story. Those who claim the First Amendment must object loudly.
How does Indian Country survive the Donald Trump era? The new administration is only a couple of weeks and already the chaos of the times have upset business as usual. And possibly the very structure of federal-Indian law. Yet there are a few strategies for Indian Country that could stir progress.
Congress has voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Kinda, sorta. But there is a long path ahead, especially when it comes to a replacement. For now American Indians and Alaska Natives should sign up for insurance. It will add money to the Indian health system for as many as four years.
Native Americans are taking on leadership roles across the country, including in Washington state where John McCoy is the face of Senate Democrats. (Washington state legislature photo)