Posted on December 11, 2012 by AIGA News Editor
Obama promises continuing partnership with tribal leaders
Written by Malia Rulon Herman Tribune Washington Bureau – Dec. 05 – greatfallstribune.com
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama promised Native American leaders Wednesday he will “keep working together” with them, and outlined policy changes across his administration that Native Americans have long sought.
Federal officials will pay the medical bills of American Indians who have served in the armed forces, and tribes won’t have to pay taxes on aid to their members, administration officials said.
The White House also announced millions of dollars in new transportation grants and new programs to help schools on reservations.
“But we’ve got more work to do,” Obama said at the daylong White House Tribal Nations Conference. “We’ve got to rebuild America’s infrastructure — from roads to high-speed Internet — that will help connect native communities to other parts of the country and other parts of the world.”
Representatives from the 566 federally recognized tribes were invited to the summit, which featured discussion panels with Cabinet secretaries, federal lawmakers and the heads of agencies that deal with Indian issues. Topics included law enforcement, disaster relief, education, economics, housing, energy and infrastructure.
The summit comes as tribal leaders worry about how the “fiscal cliff,” a combination of spending cuts and tax increases set to hit Jan. 1, would affect the federal government’s trust obligations and investments in other services affecting tribes.
They said they felt comforted by the president’s remarks on Wednesday.
Wednesday’s gathering “should send a loud and clear message to everyone that Barack Obama understands the importance of Indian Country and is committed to making sure we continue to make progress,” said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who kicked off the summit.
Tribal representatives couldn’t agree more.
“I’m glad that we finally got a president who stands up for Indian people,” said a beaming Kevin Bonds of the Tule River Yokuts in California.
Montana state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, of the Chippewa Cree, who wasn’t able to make this year’s conference, said Obama “has done more for Indian Country than any of his predecessors put together.”
“We have a long ways to go, but at least the announcements that have been made for today show that we are moving in the right direction,” he said.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the Veterans Affairs Department will reimburse the Indian Health Service for treatment of Native American veterans.
“This agreement will make it easier for tribes to enter their own agreements with VA for the health services they provide,” she said.
Robert Shepherd of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate tribe in South Dakota said that’s a “huge deal” for his tribe, which has many veterans.
Also at the summit, Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal S. Wolin announced proposed guidance on excluding from income tax certain benefits that tribal businesses provide to members, such as assistance with utility bills, tuition payments, school clothes and help for the elderly. Tribes had asked that the assistance be excluded.
“We’re a tribe who gives away a lot of money to our members,” said Jim Shakespeare of the Northern Arapaho in Wyoming. “It would devastate us if it was taxed.”
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the government would make $15.5 million in grants to 72 tribes to improve transit options in their communities. The money will be awarded through the Federal Transit Administration’s Tribal Transit Program to tribes in 25 states.
“You have a partner at DOT and we will work with you,” LaHood told tribal leaders.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan told tribal leaders about strides his department has made in improving education and opportunities on reservations, such the School Improvement Grants, which he said have made a difference on the Crow Indian Reservation in Pryor.
“After receiving a $1.5 million grant, teachers and school leaders in Pryor elementary and middle schools have significantly boosted student achievement for native students,” he said. “Levels of reading proficiency have risen 15 percent, and levels of math proficiency doubled.”
Obama started his remarks Wednesday by paying tribute to the late Hartford “Sonny” Black Eagle Jr. of the Crow tribe in Montana, who adopted Obama during a traditional ceremony in the weeks leading up to the state’s 2008. Democratic primary.
Black Eagle, who died Nov. 26, would have been 79 this week.
“While we can’t celebrate that milestone with him today, we can celebrate his remarkable life and all that happened along the way, because Sonny’s story is not just one man’s journey to keep his culture alive, but one country’s journey to keep perfecting itself,” Obama said.
The first White House Tribal Nations Conference three years ago was the largest gathering of tribal leaders in history.
“Back then, an event like this was rare. Today, it’s gotten routine,” he said. pledging to continue working with tribal leaders on Indian issues.
