{"id":1912,"date":"2025-02-03T08:56:31","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T14:56:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/NativeVote\/?p=1912"},"modified":"2025-02-03T10:02:29","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T16:02:29","slug":"tribal-organizations-unite-in-support-of-federal-funding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/NativeVote\/2025\/02\/03\/tribal-organizations-unite-in-support-of-federal-funding\/","title":{"rendered":"Tribal organizations unite in support of federal funding and nation-to-nation relationship"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"National

National Indian Health Board<\/p><\/div>\n

Tribal Organizations Urge Administration to Respect Tribal Sovereignty and Uphold Trust and Treaty Obligations Amid Executive Actions<\/h2>\n

February 3, 2025<\/p>\n

Washington, D.C. \u2013 A coalition of Tribal organizations, representing Tribal Nations and their citizens and communities, is calling on the Administration to ensure that recent executive actions do not undermine the unique sovereign political status of Tribal Nations as sovereign nations with which the federal government has trust and treaty obligations, or disrupt federal funding that flows from those relationships for essential Tribal programs.<\/p>\n

Following the issuance of multiple executive orders and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directives, concerns arose over freezes on federal funding that Tribal Nations and Tribal organizations, including urban Indian organizations, rely on to provide critical healthcare, economic development, education, and social services to Tribal communities. While OMB has since rescinded the initial memorandum, questions remain about how federal agencies will interpret and implement the Administration\u2019s executive orders and policies moving forward.<\/p>\n

Tribal Nations are not special interest groups\u2014they are sovereign governments with a unique legal and political relationship with the United States and with their own Tribal communities. The trust and treaty obligations of the federal government are political and debt-based in nature.\u00a0Tribal Nations\u2019 sovereignty and the federal government\u2019s delivery on its trust and treaty obligations must not become collateral damage in broader policy shifts.<\/p>\n

The coalition emphasizes that federal funding for Tribal programs is not discretionary, but rather a legal mandate owed under the United States\u2019 trust and treaty obligations and the many statutes that carry them out. The organizations urge the Administration to explicitly recognize Tribal sovereignty and trust and treaty obligations in the implementation of all executive orders and priorities and to ensure that federal agencies provide clear guidance that protects Tribal programs from unnecessary disruption.<\/p>\n

As the Administration advances its priorities, it must do so in a way that respects Tribal sovereignty, strengthens self-determination, and delivers on trust and treaty obligations. We stand ready to work with federal partners to ensure that all policies and decisions uphold the government-to-government relationship between the U.S. and Tribal Nations.<\/p>\n

The coalition will continue to advocate for Tribal sovereignty and fulfillment of the trust and treaty obligations and ensure that the voices of Indian Country are heard in Washington. A full copy of the sign-on letter can be found here: https:\/\/qrco.de\/letter2225<\/a>.<\/p>\n

PDF: Tribal Organization Letter<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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List of Undersigned Tribal Organizations<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
American Indian Higher Education Consortium<\/p>\n

Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians<\/p>\n

Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council<\/p>\n

Indian Gaming Association<\/p>\n

Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes<\/p>\n

National American Indian Court Judges Association<\/p>\n

National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers<\/p>\n

National Congress of American Indians<\/p>\n

National Indian Child Welfare Association<\/p>\n

National Indian Health Board<\/p>\n

Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council<\/p>\n

Southern California Tribal Chairmen\u2019s Association<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n

\n\n\n\n
Association on American Indian Affairs<\/p>\n

California Tribal Chairpersons Association<\/p>\n

Great Plains Tribal Chairmans Association<\/p>\n

Inter-Tribal Association of Arizona<\/p>\n

Native American Finance Officers Association<\/p>\n

Native American Rights Fund<\/p>\n

Native Forward Scholars Fund<\/p>\n

National Council for Urban Indian Health<\/p>\n

National Indian Education Association<\/p>\n

Northern California Tribal Chairperson\u2019s Association<\/p>\n

Self-Governance Communication & Education Tribal Consortium<\/p>\n

United South and Eastern Tribes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Tribal Nations are not special interest groups\u2014they are sovereign governments with a unique legal and political relationship with the United States and with their own Tribal communities,” a letter to President Donald Trump and key members of Congress reads.<\/p>\n

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