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The Superior National Forest, coincidentally, is home to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. During the Obama administration -- when Fish worked at the U.S. Forest Service -- the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture took action to prevent mineral development in the one-million acre area. The Trump administration has since reversed course and has opened the door for a foreign-owned copper mine adjacent to the area. The Chilean billionaire whose family controls Twin Metals happens to own a pricey Washington, D.C, home that he rents to Trump's daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner, both of whom work in senior positions at the White House. Fish's arrival at the White House comes halfway through the third year of the Trump presidency. No one held a similar role on a permanent basis since January 2017, although at one point two tribal citizens -- Benjamin Keel, a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, and Billy Kirkland, a citizen of the Navajo Nation -- have worked at the White House in various capacities. Keel since departed the administration while Kirkland moved over to the staff of Vice President Mike Pence. Shortly after the November 2016, Carlyle Begay, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, claimed on social media that he was going to work at the White House. But it turned out that wasn't true, The Arizona Republic reported. Overall, Trump has been slow to fill the top Indian policy positions. The Indian Health Service, for example, remains without a permanent director, while other jobs went vacant for long periods due to vetting and ethics issues. The lack of staff has hindered the Trump administration's attempts to engage with tribal nations. The White House sent two mid-level staffers with little to no experience in Indian issues to a "listening session" with tribal leaders. During the Obama years, a record number of tribal citizens worked at the White House. They included Kim Teehee, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation who was the first-ever Senior Policy Advisor for Native American Affairs. She was followed in that role by Jodi Archambault Gillette, a citizen of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and finally by Karen Diver, a former chairwoman of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Alison Grigonis, a citizen of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians; Charlie Gabraith, a citizen of the Navajo Nation; and Raina Thele, who is Dena’ina Athabascan and Yup’ik, also worked at the White House in the Obama era.Disappointed that it took this long to appoint a new White House Senior Policy Advisor and Tribal Liaison. Hoping for the best for Tyler Fish! #NativePol https://t.co/kxz9DYrR2g
— Samantha Eldridge (@DCSamantha) July 10, 2019
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Finally. ‘Crucial that there’s somebody in the White House’ working on tribal issues
(Indian Country Today July 10, 2019)
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