National Indian Gaming Commission gains a new leader for the Trump era

Monday, November 25, 2019  

The National Indian Gaming Commission has a Republican-chosen chairman for the first time in nearly a decade.

E. Sequoyah Simermeyer, a citizen of the Coharie Tribe, is taking control of the independent federal agency that oversees tribal casino following his confirmation by the U.S. Senate last Thursday. The voice vote was unanimous -- there was no dissent or in fact any debate at all on his nomination to serve as chair of the NIGC.

“The Senate has confirmed Mr. Simermeyer, which will enable him to continue the work of regulating and monitoring tribal gaming,” Sen. John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), the chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. “Mr. Simermeyer’s legal experience and knowledge of Indian gaming enables him to effectively oversee the NIGC and uphold the integrity of the commission.”

Simermeyer's approval marks a quick turnaround for an NIGC chairman. During the Barack Obama administration, Simermeyer's predecessor had to go through the confirmation process twice over before becoming chair more than four years ago.

But even in the era of Donald Trump, who was openly hostile to tribes when he was in the casino business, Indian gaming doesn't draw as much as attention as it once did on Capitol Hill. Hardly anyone showed up to Simermeyer's confirmation hearing in July, during which lawmakers from both parties vowed to move quickly on his nomination.

At the hearing, Simermeyer vowed to work collaboratively with tribal, state and other partners in order to protect the integrity of the ndustry, which continues to grow at a steady rate. According to the NIGC's latest figures, tribes took in $33.7 billion in 2018, representing an increase of 4.1 percent from the year prior.

"The tribal gaming industry represents an American success story," Simermeyer, told the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on July 25.

Congratulations to Sequoyah Simermeyer on his confirmation! TY @POTUS @SecBernhardt @Interior for the unwavering support of his nomination. #WellDeserved https://t.co/vlNVwWR3x7

— Assistant Secretary Tara Sweeney (@ASIndianAffairs) November 23, 2019

Simermeyer, who has served as an Associate Commissioner at the NIGC since November 2015, is the first citizen of a state recognized tribe to lead the agency. He brought several of his family members to his confirmation hearing, including his father, whose Coharie homelands are located in eastern North Carolina.

According to prior biographical information released by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, where Simermeyer worked over a period spanning two presidential administrations, he also has ancestry from the Navajo Nation. He didn't explicitly mention the latter connection during the hearing.

"My family has given me a strong sense of my culture and my Christian faith," he said at the time.

Simermeyer, is the first new chairman of the NIGC in more than four years. He's also the first Republican-chosen leader of the agency since Philip N. Hogen, a citizen of the Oglala Sioux Tribe who served almost the entirety of the George W. Bush administration.

"Congratulations to Sequoyah Simermeyer on his confirmation!" Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney, another member of the Trump administration's team, said in a post on social media on Saturday.

During the Obama years, Tracie Stevens, a citizen of the Tulalip Tribes, served as chair. She was the first Native woman in the role.

Stevens was succeeded by Jonodev Osceola Chaudhuri, a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation who served as Chair of the NIGC for a record four years and as "acting" Chair for almost two years prior to that. He stepped down in May and now works for a law and lobbying firm in Washington, D.C., in addition to serving as the Ambassador for his tribe.

The NIGC was established as a three-member body by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988. The law requires the Chair to be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

The other two members need only be chosen by the Department of the Interior and subjected to a public notice process before being seated. Simermeyer joined the NIGC as an Interior appointee in November 2015.

According to IGRA, at least two members of the NIGC must be citizens of to "any Indian tribe." The law does not state whether the tribe has to be federally recognized.

The law also requires no more than two members to be from the same political party. When Simermeyer was hired at the BIA, it was initially during the George W. Bush administration though he remained on board through the Obama years. During his time at the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, he served on the Republican staff.

The only other member of the NIGC at the moment is Kathryn Isom-Clause, who hails from the Pueblo of Taos, a federally recognized tribe based in New Mexico. She serves as Vice Chair and was chosen by Interior during the Democratic Obama administration.

The third seat remains open and it gives the Trump administration the chance to name another member and gain a Republican majority on the NIGC for the first time since 2009.

Business Meeting to consider E. Sequoyah Simermeyer to serve as Chairman, National Indian Gaming Commission (July 31, 2019)
Nomination Hearing to consider E. Sequoyah Simermeyer to serve as Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission. (July 24, 2019)

Happening Soon: The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs @IndianCommittee will hear from E. Sequoyah Simermeyer, who has been nominated to serve as Chair of the National Indian Gaming Commission @NIGCgov. Full Written Statement: https://t.co/auorCkQyK2 pic.twitter.com/3DINzo6MjP

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

"If given the opportunity to help lead the National Indian Gaming Commission as its chairman, I will work w/my colleagues on the Commission, w/tribal governments, with leadership across all regulatory bodies involved in the Indian gaming industry & w/other industry stakeholders."

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

E. Sequoyah Simermeyer, seated, is here with family as he prepares to testify before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs @IndianCommittee to serve as Chair of the National Indian Gaming Commission @NIGCgov. Webcast: https://t.co/cl9YNsEywg

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

pic.twitter.com/3cF15hN90f

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is starting off with a business meeting. The sole item is S.2159, the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation Criminal Jurisdiction Retrocession Act. The bill repeals termination-era law that subjects Spirit Lake Nation to North Dakota jurisdiction. pic.twitter.com/PGG2Ven8bB

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

By a voice vote, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs approved S.2159, the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation Criminal Jurisdiction Retrocession Act, at the business meeting. It can now be considered by the full Senate. Learn more about the bill here: https://t.co/WlsejAjSCt

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs @IndianCommittee is now getting ready to hear from E. Sequoyah Simermeyer, who has been nominated to serve as Chairman of the National Indian Gaming Commission. Simermeyer currently serves as an Associate Commissioner @NIGCgov. pic.twitter.com/ypad6vuW9q

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

E. Sequoyah Simermeyer agreed to tell the truth to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs @IndianCommittee as he was sworn in to testify at his nomination hearing to serve as Chair of the National Indian Gaming Commission @NIGCgov. He was nominated by President Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/BJVkmHiWoO

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

"The tribal gaming industry represents an American success story," E. Sequoyah Simermeyer tells the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs @IndianCommittee at his nomination hearing to serve as Chair of the National Indian Gaming Commission. Simermeyer has worked @nigcgov since 2015. pic.twitter.com/maA4opjyIz

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

In response to Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM), National Indian Gaming Commission nominee Sequoyah Simermeyer won’t say whether he agrees with a recent appeals court decision that restricts tribal gaming rights. "Tribes are stuck," @SenatorTomUdall notes, including those in #NewMexico. pic.twitter.com/uQ5fhYzQ5H

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

The negative federal appeals court decision prevents tribes from going to the federal government, as their trustee, when states refuse to negotiate in good faith. Learn more about the case here: https://t.co/niWnxyj7fW

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

In response to Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Sequoyah Simermeyer said the National Indian Gaming Commission "won't stand in the way" of sports betting when it arises. He calls sports betting a "Class III operation” usually requiring a tribal-state Class III gaming compact. pic.twitter.com/Qg1pLUTakc

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

In response to Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM), National Indian Gaming Commission nominee Sequoyah Simermeyer agrees to consult tribes and Congress before attempting to reorganize @nigcgov. “Absolutely,” he told @SenatorTomUdall at nomination hearing before Senate Indian Affairs Committee. pic.twitter.com/oB9k6nypN9

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

In response to Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Sequoyah Simermeyer said the National Indian Gaming Commission will continue to support anti-human trafficking efforts at tribal casinos. Cortez Masto is co-sponsor of Savanna's Act and Not Invisible Act to address #MMIW crisis. pic.twitter.com/gjiMrqfbTp

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

* S.227 - Savanna's Act, named in memory of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a 22-year-old Spirit Lake Nation who was kidnapped and murdered when she was eight months pregnant. Her baby miraculously survived. The bill requires federal report on #MMIW cases. https://t.co/osDZaVvfq8

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

* S.982 - Not Invisible Act, a bill to improve tribal, federal and state response to missing, murdered and trafficked Native Americans. Creates advisory commission of survivors of trafficking and family members of the missing and murdered. #MMIW https://t.co/v3PxTfrZEx

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

Learn more about S.227, Savanna's Act, and S.982, the Not Invisible Act, here: https://t.co/0AAdVFOBaI

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs @IndianCommittee is currently in recess while members vote on the Senate floor. The committee has been taking testimony from Sequoyah Simermeyer, nominated by President Trump to serve as Chair of National Indian Gaming Commission @NIGCgov.

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs @IndianCommittee is back from recess! Members are hearing from Sequoyah Simermeyer, who has been nominated by President Trump to serve as Chair of the National Indian Gaming Commission @NIGCgov. pic.twitter.com/EPIWRzrNRm

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

In response to Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND), National Indian Gaming Commission nominee Sequoyah Simermeyer said @NIGCgov can't return carryover funds to tribes who fund agency. "There’s legal guidance that doesn’t make that possible," Simermeyer tells Senate Indian Affairs Committee. pic.twitter.com/cW04YCjNAq

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

In response to Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM), National Indian Gaming Commission nominee Sequoyah Simermeyer won't say why he voted against a decision to recognize the sovereign rights of the Ponca Tribe. He cites pending litigation from the states of Iowa and Nebraska over new casino. pic.twitter.com/tDI8gZ2KDM

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

The Ponca Tribe opened the Prairie Flower Casino after the National Indian Gaming Commission confirmed that the tribe can engage in gaming on its own trust lands. The facility is named for Prairie Flower, a daughter of Chief Standing Bear who died on the Ponca Trail of Tears.

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

Learn more about the Ponca Tribe's long struggle for sovereignty, from forced removal and the return to its homelands, followed by termination and then restoration of its federal status: https://t.co/HtLOYMQylK

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing is over! Sen. Tom Udall (D-New Mexico) said he would recommend swift action on Sequoyah Simermeyer to serve as Chair of the National Indian Gaming Commission. @IndianCommittee @NIGCgov @SenatorTomUdall pic.twitter.com/O1ejRDbsYk

— indianz.com (@indianz) July 24, 2019

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