This article is part of U.S. Democracy Day, a nationwide collaborative on Sept. 15, the International Day of Democracy, in which news organizations cover how democracy works and the threats it faces. To learn more, visit usdemocracyday.org.
(NATIONWIDE) True to VNN Oklahoma’s mission to cover the 2024 election year with an Indigenous focus, we’ve been revisiting decisions made during prior presidential administrations relating to Indian Country. This process aims to help our communities better understand the ways in which US presidents influence life on and off Native American reservations, as well as issues like low Native voter turnout and government distrust among Native American community members.
Our team also researched the decisions of the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs during recent administrations, as those departments include presidential appointments and federal oversight.
So what impacts have the Trump-Pence administration and the Biden-Harris administration had on tribes and Native American communities across the United States over the last eight years?
Let’s take a look, starting with the former administration first.
President Donald Trump served as commander-in-chief alongside Vice President Mike Pence from 2016 through 2020.
Significant Appointments
In October of 2017, Trump appointed Tara Mac Lean Sweeney to be Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs. Sweeney, a member of the Native Village of Barrow and the Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope, was the first Alaska Native to hold the position.
Federal Recognition and Repatriation
In January of 2018, a bill signed by President Trump granted Federal recognition status to six Tribes in Virginia: the Chickahominy, the Eastern Chickahominy, the Upper Mattaponi, the Rappahannock, the Monacan, and the Nansemond Tribes. This recognition is important for exercising tribal sovereignty as well as enabling tribes to request funding for certain programs and other resources that can benefit their people.
Additionally, the Little Shell Tribe in Montana was also federally recognized in December 2019, a tribe that had fought for that moment for 157 years. At the time, Little Shell Tribal Chairman Gerald Gray said, “Now, our future generations don’t have to take this battle up. It’s a big lift off their shoulders.”
Trump secured the return of important artifacts to tribes in the Mesa Verde Region in Colorado during his presidency. In 2020, Finland returned ancestral remains and funerary objects belonging to those tribes.
Tension Over Recognition Status Loss and Reduction of Cultural Monuments
In tribal losses, during the last year of the Trump administration, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe had its reservation status revoked. The decision was made in March 2020, leading to tension between the Trump administration and the tribe.
Trump was also criticized for the decision to reduce the size of the Bear Ears Monument and the Grand Staircase-Escalante Monument. The Navajo Nation was one of five tribes to file a federal lawsuit over the reduction of the monuments, which are both located in southern Utah.
Other Culturally Significant Decisions
The Trump administration hit some cultural home runs while in office. In 2019, Trump reauthorized the Native American Languages Preservation Act, resulting in $13 million in funds for Native American students from 2020 to 2024.
In 2020, $3 million was also put toward the Living Languages Grant Program. The money went to 18 federally recognized tribes to help preserve their languages. Oklahoma tribes that received that funding included Cherokee Nation, Citizen Potawatomi Nation, and Comanche Nation.
“A Tribe’s traditional language is the foundation of cultural identity and is essential for the survival of our Native cultures, histories, and values,” then-Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney said at the time.
MMIW
In 2020, the Trump Administration started a task force for Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives.
In July of 2020, seven offices were created to investigate cold cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People. When discussing the offices for the cold cases, Sweeney said, “Cold cases in Indian Country will be addressed with determination and the understanding that the victims in these cases will be accorded some measure of dignity and compassion–not only for them, but for their survivors, as well.”
Economic Impact for Native Communities
Two Oklahoma tribes received approval for casinos to promote economic development during the Trump administration. Two applications were approved for Osage Nation to build casinos in Bartlesville and Pawhuska. The Chickasaw Nation also had two applications approved, permitting them to build casino resorts in Ardmore and Kingston.
Environmental Impact and Tribes
There was conflict between the Trump administration and the Keystone XL Pipeline during his presidency. The Fort Belknap Indian Community and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe both sued the Trump administration over the project in 2018.
The lawsuit stated: “In granting this third application, there was no analysis of the trust obligation the federal government owes to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe and their unique water system, no analysis of the potential impact of the Pipeline on treaty rights…”
Before leaving office in 2021, the Trump administration approved permits to drill 5,000 new oil wells near the Powder River Basin. The approval came despite opposition from local tribes.
However, the Trump Administration also invested in infrastructure to assist tribes with environmental concerns. In 2020, the Hopi Tribe received $5 million to improve water infrastructure and reduce arsenic levels in drinking water.
Covid-19 and Tribes
In 2020, $8 billion in Covid relief funding was set aside for tribal governments from the CARES Act. However, tribal governments did not receive their money as scheduled, leading six Tribes, including Cherokee Nation, to sue Steve Munchin, Trump’s Treasury Secretary, over the delay in the funds.
Ahead of the 2020 election, the Trump campaign released a plan for Indian Country Policy if he was re-elected. The plan included five core ideas, such as respecting sovereignty and self-determination and promoting safe communities.
When referring to the plan, Trump said, “This comprehensive plan protects tribal sovereignty and economic self-determination while also promoting public safety, providing for high-quality education, and delivering lasting solutions to long-unresolved healthcare challenges in Indian Country.”
Trump would go on to lose that election to President Joe Biden.
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