"In March, Ken Salazar will leave his well-appointed office at the helm of the Department of the Interior and return to Colorado, which he represented in the Senate until his 2009 nomination and unanimous confirmation as Secretary.
The President’s second inaugural address on Monday emphasized civil rights but contained no mention of Indian Country or Native Americans, although Native dancers graced the ceremonies. President Obama’s choice to replace Ken Salazar as Secretary of the Interior will reflect his commitment to Indian Country. This choice is important as the Department of the Interior is the face of the United States turned towards Indian Country. The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and Kevin Washburn recently assumed the position; he will likely remain there for the duration of Obama’s second term. The Secretary, with the advice of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, considers applications for recognition of Indian tribes and must approve tribal-state gaming compacts, placing him in the position of setting the boundaries of negotiations between states and tribes over revenue sharing and exclusivity agreements. The Solicitor for the Department of the Interior, Hilary Tompkins, is the first Native American in that position and spearheaded the Cobell trust settlement. In all, the administration has been very pro-tribal, and everyone expects it to remain as such in Obama’s second term." Get the Story: