Congress

NY Times on Shutdown and Tribes

Kate Fort

Here.

Aaron Payment, the chairman of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan, said his tribe had already shut down its H.I.V. prevention program and furloughed employees for its Head Start program for a month because of sequestration.

Now, with nearly $1 million in federal money lost since the shutdown, the tribe is scrambling to shift casino revenue from other programs to keep its government afloat.

“We’re in turmoil right now,” Mr. Payment said. “The impact here is going to be felt by the people who need the services the most.”

Kevin Washburn, assistant secretary for Indian affairs, said the shutdown could have long-term effects on tribes and tribal members. Financial deals and economic programs have been suspended. Environmental reviews of tribal projects will be delayed. And the impact on the thousands of Bureau of Indian Affairs employees who have been furloughed is compounded because many support poor relatives, he said.

WaPo Article on Shut Down and Indian Tribes

Kate Fort

Here.

Some tribes intend to fill the gap in federal funds themselves, risking deficits of their own to cushion communities with chronic high unemployment and poverty against the effects of the budget battle.

“Do we just throw kids onto the street, or do we help them? Most likely we’re going to help those families and do whatever we can until this is unresolved,” said Tracy “Ching” King, president of northern Montana’s Fort Belknap Reservation.

But for other tribes, basic services stand to take a direct hit. That includes programs heavily subsidized by federal agencies and others paid for with tribal money that is suddenly unavailable because it’s being held by the Department of Interior, tribal leaders said.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Takes Up Keith Harper Ambassadorship Nomination

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here.

Prepared remarks of Mr. Harper are here.

House Resources Subcommittee Hearing on Federal Trust Acquisitions for Gaming Purposes

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here:

Oversight Hearing on:

  • “Executive Branch standards for land-in-trust decisions for gaming purposes”

Member Statements:

The Honorable Don Young
Subcommittee Chairman

Witnesses and Testimony:

PANEL I

Kevin Washburn
Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs
U.S. Department of the Interior

PANEL II

The Honorable Todd Mielke
County Commissioner
County of Spokane

Hazel Longmire
Vice-Chairperson
Colusa Indian Community Council

Alexander Skibine
Professor
University of Utah

NY Times: “Pain on the Reservation”

Kirsten Matoy Carlson

NY Times: “Pain on the Reservation”

The NY Times has published an article detailing how sequestration has disproportionately affected Indian country.

USDOJ Releases Report to Congress on Indian Country Investigations and Prosecutions

Victoria Sweet

The Department of Justice released today a report to Congress entitled Indian Country Investigations and Prosecutions which provides a range of enforcement statistics required under the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010.  The report, based on data compiled from the case management system used by U.S. Attorney’s Offices (USAO) with Indian Country jurisdiction shows among other things a 54 percent increase in Indian Country criminal prosecutions since Fiscal Year 2009.

Press Release here.

Read the report here.

Sliver of a Full Moon Performed at Women Are Sacred Conference

Victoria Sweet

Sliver of a Full Moon is a portrayal of resistance and celebration. It is the story of a movement that restored the authority of Indian tribes over non-Indian abusers to protect women on tribal lands. Although thousands contributed to this victory, Sliver of a Full Moon follows the story of five Native women who took a stand and one Native man, Congressman Tom Cole, who stood with them to win this victory. The cast includes the Native women who stepped forward to publicly share their stories of abuse by non-Indians and counter staunch opponents to the tribal provisions including Diane Millich (Southern Ute), Lisa Brunner (White Earth Ojibwe), Deborah Parker (Tulalip), and Billie Jo Rich (Eastern Band Cherokee). Their stories are that of a movement with a vision of a full moon under which the sovereignty of Indian tribes is fully restored over their lands and peoples. Professional actors will join these women to portray the character of Congressman Tom Cole and that of Eastern Band Cherokee Councilwoman Terri Henry.

Press Release here.

Link to video of live performance here.

Previous VAWA coverage here.

House Passes Senate Version of VAWA

Kate Fort

By a vote of 286-138. Washington Post coverage here.

Bill is here.

VAWA Bill Set for Vote on Monday, NCAI Press Release

Victoria Sweet

The official NCAI Press Release Here.

Senator Coburn has filed an amendment to strip the tribal provisions from VAWA. Here

Letter from NCAI Task Force co-chairs expressing opposition to amendments like the Coburn Amendment Here

Excerpt from the letter:

The NCAI Task Force on Violence Against Women is extremely concerned that misunderstandings of the political status of Indian tribes and the internal workings of the tribal court system are causing confusion on how this provision will work on the ground. Indian tribes are not a racial class, they are a political body – so the question is not whether non-Indians are subject to Indian court – the question is whether tribal governments, political entities, have the necessary jurisdiction to provide their citizens with the

public safety protections every government has the inherent duty to provide.

Amendments which place more funding in the hands of federal authorities will not address this immediate local need. We believe strongly that local government is the best government for addressing public safety concerns. For example, an amendment is being offered today which would require that tribal governments petition a U.S. District Court for an “appropriately tailored protection order excluding any persons from areas within the Indian country of the tribe.” This level of procedure for an intimately local issue is not practical and will do little to improve matters on Indian reservations. Tribal courts are the appropriate venue to issue such protection orders.