Jason Small. Photo from Senate Committee on Indian Affairs / Flickr

Jason Small, a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, will attend the State of the Union as a guest of Sen. Steve Daines (R-Montana).

Small serves as the president of Boilermakers Local 11 and is an advocate for the tribe's right to develop its coal resources. He hopes his presence at the speech shows President Barack Obama why energy development is important on the reservation.

“Coal supports good-paying jobs for union workers and tribal members in eastern Montana and is a critical driver of our state’s economy," Small said in a press release. "But Washington, D.C.’s out of touch regulations are hurting Montana families. It’s important that we send a strong message to President Obama that these job-killing regulations need to be stopped.”

Obama will deliver the speech at 9pm Eastern on Tuesday.

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