"I want to thank President Barack Obama for keeping his promises to Indian country.

“I understand what it means to be an outsider. I know what it means to feel ignored and forgotten, and what it means to struggle. So, you will not be forgotten as long as I’m in the White House,” he told us a year ago when he invited all 564 federally recognized tribes for the first White House Tribal Nations Conference.

It was an unusual meeting because besides the president, at least six cabinet members and quite a few other high-ranking administration officials were on hand, more than I have seen in any one place for a long, long time.

To top off the meeting, Obama issued an executive order telling all Cabinet members to develop a plan for consulting Indian tribes on issues important to us. One of those areas is natural resources. The president is giving us a chance to make our stand on the importance of natural resources to Indian people. At the same time, he is helping make natural resources the priority issue it should be.

One area that’s getting a lot of needed attention is a national ocean policy. Just this summer Obama released the final recommendation on a policy that will help provide good stewardship for our oceans, coastlines, and the Great Lakes. He is calling for a flexible framework to address management, conservation, economic development, sustainability and treaty rights.

We’ve seen advances in other areas, too. The BIA, IHS and other agencies and programs important to us are seeing bigger budgets. The IHS alone saw its budget jump $500 million.

I am impressed by the number and caliber of Indian people whom the president has appointed to his cabinet and other agencies. One example is my friend Larry Echo Hawk, a Pawnee, who is Interior Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. I’ve known Larry and his family for many years, and I can tell you that he is one of the best we’ve ever seen at the helm of the BIA."

Get the Story:
Billy Frank: We are being heard (Indian Country Today 10/22)