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) Federally-recognized tribes have the right to govern themselves, known as tribal sovereignty. But, despite being sovereign nations, tribal governments and their citizens are still greatly impacted by federal decision-making.
In addition to federal recognition itself, the federal government also impacts areas such as criminal justice, cultural preservation, and economic opportunity.
VNN has doubled down on our commitment of Indigenous-focused news coverage during the 2024 election cycle. 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 over the past eight years, as those departments include presidential appointments and federal oversight.
In our previous article, VNN Oklahoma explored some of the ways the Trump-Pence administration impacted Indian Country. This article takes a look at the administration that followed, the Biden-Harris administration that assumed office in 2021.
Appointment of Deb Haaland
At the beginning of the Biden/Harris Administration, Deb Haaland was appointed as Secretary of the Interior. Haaland is the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary in a presidential administration.
One of the first actions Haaland took as Secretary was to create a Missing and Murdered Unit to improve justice for Missing or Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives.
At the time, Haaland said violence against Indigenous peoples is a crisis that has been underfunded for decades.
“Far too often, murders and missing persons cases in Indian Country go unsolved and unaddressed, leaving families and communities devastated,” Haaland said.
Prior to appointment as a cabinet secretary, Haaland served as one of New Mexico’s Congressional representatives from 2019 to 2021.
Federal Boarding School Policy
Under Haaland’s leadership, the Department of the Interior worked extensively to address the impacts federal boarding schools had and continue to have on Native American communities.
Federal Boarding Schools began in the 1800’s as a way to force Native Americans to assimilate into white society.
The Federal Boarding School Initiative was created by the Department of The Interior in 2021.
In July of 2024, the initiative’s final investigative report about Federal Boarding Schools and their impact was released. It included insights into how many children died at these schools and where unmarked burial sites at these institutions were located. It also detailed recommended actions that should be taken by the federal government.
“These policies caused enduring trauma for Indigenous communities that the Biden-Harris administration is working tirelessly to repair,” Haaland said of the report. “I am immensely proud of the hundreds of Interior employees – many of them Indigenous – who gave of their time and themselves to ensure that this investigation was thoroughly completed to provide an accurate and honest picture. The Road to Healing does not end with this report – it is just beginning.”
Interactions with Native leadership
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the White House Council on Native American Affairs began regularly meeting again. Prior to 2021, the council had not met since 2016.
At the beginning of the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of the Interior met with tribal leaders from different regions of the country to discuss their unique needs. Additionally, in 2021, 2022, and 2023, the White House hosted a Tribal Nations Summit at the end of the year to continue fostering relationships with tribal leadership.
“We’ve made progress, but we know Indigenous communities still live in the shadows of the failed policies of the past,” Biden said at the 2023 Tribal Nations Summit. “That’s why — I committed to working with you to write a new and better chapter in American history for Indian nations. To honor the solemn promise the United States made to Tribal nations, to fulfill our federal trust and treaty obligations, and to work together to rebuild Tribal economies and institutions.”
Economic Policy for Indigenous communities
During the Biden-Harris Administration, billions of dollars were invested in tribal programming and assistance. Through The American Rescue Plan alone, $31.2 billion dollars were invested for tribal communities.
Funding flowed from both the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education. Tribes were able to use the funds towards things like housing improvements, public safety, and tribally funded K-12 schools, colleges, and universities.
The Buy Indian Act was another program that also saw an increase in investment during the Biden Administration.
Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Bryan Newland spoke about the investment at this year’s Gathering Business Summit, put on by the American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Oklahoma (AICCO) in July.
“When this administration came into office,the Department of the Interior was purchasing about $300 million in goods and services from Indian-owned firms,” Newland said. “We’ve grown that procurement to more than $1.4 billion per year.”
Environmental Impact on Tribal Communities
The Biden-Harris administration also gave tribes funding to address current and future climate change impacts. In 2022, their administration dispersed $115 million dollars for relocation and planning grants related to climate. 11 tribes received money. The relocation grants ensured tribes like the Newtok Village in Alaska would be able to relocate critical infrastructure that might be impacted.
The Department of the Interior also approved a Tribal Energy Development Organization for the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians in Minnesota. The approval was significant because it made a way for the tribe to manage their own energy-related leases without needing approval from the Department of the Interior.
Additionally, when it comes to environmental concerns, the Biden-Harris administration revoked some of the actions taken by the Trump-Pence administration that had caused tension with local tribes. In 2021, Biden revoked a permit that was needed for the Keystone XL Pipeline to be built. Tribes who lived in the area of the proposed 1,200 mile pipeline opposed it.
On the other hand, recent clean energy projects endorsed by the Biden-Harris Administration have been opposed by some Tribes.
The Tohono O’odham Nation and the San Carlos Apache Tribe filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management regarding the SunZia Southwest Transmission Project. The tribes opposed the power line because it is mapped through land that is considered culturally significant to their and other Indigenous people.
A Federal judge rejected the lawsuit.
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