Republican vs Democrats: Native American/Tribal Relations

 

There are over 574 Native American tribes in the United States that have been recognized by the Federal Government.  As a government, we need to work toward strengthening our relationships with the Tribal Nations and help to empower Native American nations to govern their own communities. Joe Biden plans to:

·        Strengthen the Nation-to-Nation Relationship between Native American tribes and the US Government.

·        Address health care disparities within the Native American community & provide quality & affordable health care.

·        Safeguard their natural & cultural resources by restoring tribal lands and addressing climate change.

·        Address the crisis of violence against Native women, children and the elderly by ensuring safer communities.

·        Expand economic & community development within Native American communities.

·        Invest in education for Native Americans.

·        Support & commemorate Native American veterans.

·        Protecting and ensuring Native Americans’ right to vote.

·        Continue to honor tribal sovereignty, self-governance and the federal trust responsibility to Tribal Nations.

·        Continue to build upon the efforts started during the Obama Administration that were instrumental in rebuilding trust and respect for the tribal-federal relationship.

·        Reinstate the annual White House Tribal Nations Conference

·        Make good use of the White House Council on Native American Affairs

·        Appoint Native Americans to high-level government positions, such as, Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs and Director of Indian Health Services.  By appointing Native Americans to these & other high-level positions, the administration will be ensuring that Native Americans have an equal voice in federal government.

·        He will nominate judges that understand federal Indian law, respect sovereignty & will uphold both the US Constitution & the treaties with the Native American Tribal Nations.

·        Address the chronic underfunding of federal obligations to Native American Nations.

·        Support & defend the Indian Child Welfare Act

·        Expand availability of health care providers within tribal communities & deploy telehealth services.

·        Reduce the disproportionate infant mortality rate that exists for Native mothers.

·        Reauthorize & expand the Special Diabetes Program for Indians.

·        Expand access to Mental Health & Substance Abuse treatment, as well as, work to reduce the number of Native suicides.

·        Reauthorize key parts of the Tribal Law & Order Act of 2010 which strengthens the Tribal Justice System by expanding funding and use of federal Bureau of Prisons beds for offenders. 

·        Work with tribal leaders to find long-term solutions to the Supreme court decision on Oliphant v Suquamish, which has prevented tribes from prosecuting non-native offenders who commit crimes on tribal lands.

      This is just a he Tportion of the plan put forth by Joe Biden on Tribal Affairs.  You can learn more extensive information about his commitment to Native American relations at http://joebiden.com/tribalnations

      As for the Republican side of the fence, not much information could be found when searching for an on-going plan to strengthen relations with the Tribal Nations.  After searching several keys words, trying to locate a plan put forth by Republican candidate, President Trump, I still was unable to locate a solid, ongoing plan for addressing the issues affecting our Native American communities.  Trump appears to have a short record of enacting policies that will support the Tribal Nations.  Here is what I was able to locate:

 

§  The President is working to ensure Native American communities have the support they need to combat Coronavirus (COVID-19)

§  Signed the CARES Act which provided $8 billion to address the virus response & recovery within the Native American and Alaskan Native communities.

§  This is one of the largest programmatic investments in the Tribal Nations in the country’s history.

§  Allocated $1 billion to the Indian Health Service (HIS) to support tribal communities and Indian Organizations’ response to the Coronavirus.

§  Expanded telehealth across HIS regions.

§  Rapidly delivered medical supplies to Native American communities in response to the COVID-19 virus.

§  Signed the first-ever presidential proclamation recognizing the issue of missing & murdered Native Americans & Alaskan Natives.

§  Issued an Executive Order establishing a task force on missing & murdered Native Americans & Alaskan Natives.

§  He also created a Presidential Task Force on Protecting Native American Children served by the HIS.

§  He has worked to enhance the cooperation between the Federal Government and Tribal Nation Leaders to promote economic growth & improve the standards of living.

§  Re-Activated the White House Council on Native American Affairs in order to promote economic development & rural prosperity within the Native American community. 

§  Signed Executive Order to renew Operation Lady Justice Task Force which renewed federal efforts to support & protect Native women & children.

 

Unfortunately, I was not able to find a “Trump Plan” for Native American relations.  It is clear that while he has made efforts to support and help the Native American Tribal Nations, Trump does not have an ongoing plan. The question now becomes “How important is the issue of Native American Relations.”