Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) speaks at a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing on November 18, 2015. Photo from SCIA via Flickr
A face familiar to Indian Country has landed a key role in developing the platform for the Republican Party. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) will be in charge of the platform committee at the Republican National Convention in July. He is well versed in tribal issues, having served the chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Committee since January 2015. He previously served as vice chair. In the past, the party has included Indian Country in its platform. The 2014 document noted that the federal government has a "unique government-to-government relationship with and trust responsibility" with tribes. "These obligations have not been sufficiently honored," the platform states. "The social and economic problems that plague Indian country have grown worse over the last several decades; we must reverse that trend." "Ineffective federal programs deprive American Indians of the services they need, and long-term failures threaten to undermine tribal sovereignty itself," it continued. The 2008, 2004 and 2000 platforms included similar language. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) will serve as a co-chair of the platform committee and she has enjoyed amicable relations with tribes in the state. Oklahoma is home to the second largest population of Native Americans in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The other co-chair is Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-North Carolina). She does not have much of a record on Indian issues. The Republican National Convention runs from July 18-21, in Cleveland,Ohio. Get the Story:
Barrasso to chair GOP platform committee at convention in July (The Washington Post 5/24)
Sen. Barrasso to chair GOP platform committee at convention (Politico 5/24)
GOP Turns to Barrasso to Lead Convention’s Platform Committee (Morning Consult 5/24)
RNC picks trio of conservative stalwarts for platform committee (CNN 5/24)
Senator John Barrasso to Lead G.O.P. Platform Committee at Convention (The New York Times 5/25)
RNC official: We won’t go full Trump on party platform (The Hill 5/25)
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