This post has been updated with a comment from the Department of the Interior.
A blanket and honoring ceremony didn't work. A lawsuit doesn't seem to be advancing matters either. So maybe in this age of presidential Twitter rants, costly office makeovers and cheap housing for Cabinet officials, a public relations assist will pay off for two tribes whose gaming project in Connecticut has been held up by the Trump administration for eight months and counting. The National Congress of American Indians sure hopes so. With the release of a letter on Thursday, the largest inter-tribal organization in the United States waded into a classic controversy: the Washington whodunit. Only in this situation, it's more of a who hasn't done it. And that would be Secretary Ryan Zinke of the leader of the Department of the Interior, whose oft-repeated mantra of "sovereignty has to mean something" hasn't meant much for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe. Eight months ago, on August 2, 2017, the tribes sent their respective gaming agreements to Zinke's department for review. According to their interpretation of federal law and regulation, a response was expected within 45 days. Someone in Washington must have thought the same, because exactly 45 days later, a response from the Bureau of Indian Affairs arrived. On September 15, 2017, a top career official who was about to be shipped to Montana under Zinke's orders informed the tribes that the agency's review of their agreements had been "completed."Veterans honor song at NCAIVeterans honor song by Leander "Russ" McDonald (Spirit Lake Nation) at the mid-year session of the National Congress of American Indians. The event is being held at Mohegan Sun on the Mohegan Reservation in Connecticut. June 13, 2017. #NCAIMY17
Posted by Indianz.Com on Tuesday, June 13, 2017
The tribes had expected to open their casino later this year, around the same time as the non-Indian facility in Springfield, Massachusetts. But they only got around to demolition work last month and have not said when they will be ready to game. MGM Resorts International, the developer in Massachusetts, has made no secret of its intent to derail the tribes. Through litigation, lobbying of the Trump administration and proposals to open a different casino in Connecticut, the firm has so far fended off the potential competition. East Windsor is only about 15 miles from Springfield.An honor to be @NCAI1944 today! Thank you to the Tribal leaders & members who are here. My pledge is to be a partner w/ & champion for you. pic.twitter.com/LDgEFrxbbc
— Secretary Ryan Zinke (@SecretaryZinke) June 13, 2017