The same tribal leader pointed out that the Trump administration, just a couple of months ago, presented Weahkee's nomination as director of the IHS as an urgent matter. The agency has gone without a permanent leader for five years, all while dealing with high-profile crises like the coronavirus and a predatory physician who was found guilty for abusing young patients on two reservations. Indian Country took the White House's request as sincere, and responded in kind. The National Indian Health Board, the Association of American Indian Physicians, the United South and Eastern Tribes and dozens of tribal nations, tribal organizations and Indian health entities flooded Congress with declarations of support for Weahkee in hopes of ending the long-running leadership void at IHS. "We rushed to send letters, pass resolutions, we all did our part to get him confirmed," recalled the tribal leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive dealings with the Trump administration. "And now what?" But, as with most situations in the Trump era, finding out what has happened with the Rear Admiral (RADM) Weahkee and his nomination has been an exercise in near futility. It seems that official Washington does not want Indian Country to know what is going on with the IHS. Or maybe official Washington doesn't know either. When asked about the status of the nomination a week before NCAI, the IHS had a short response: "For questions regarding RADM Weahkee’s confirmation, please contact the Senate Indian Affairs Committee." The implication was that the process was out of the executive branch's hands.“Our people and my ancestors paid for services with our lives,” Anita Jackson of Warm Springs Tribes tells Michael Weahkee of Indian Health Service to secure more funding, as current level only covers 30 percent of need. #ECWS2020 @IHSgov @IHSDirector #HonorTheTreaties @NCAI1944 pic.twitter.com/ZzmHNm1rXa
— indianz.com (@indianz) February 11, 2020
Whatever the reason for the delay, Udall stressed that it was important to fill the top leadership position at the IHS. The last person who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as director was Yvette Roubideaux, a citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe who had to step down from the role in February 2015, five years ago. That was during the Barack Obama era. "I think its important to have a Senate-approved person, no matter when it happens," Udall told Indianz.Com. To Byron Dorgan, a former chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs who investigated the substandard level of care at the IHS, the lack of a permanent director speaks of Donald Trump's lack of commitment to tribes and their citizens. During a recent interview, he noted the length of time it took for Weahkee's nomination to surface -- near the end of the president's third year in office. "In short, this administration has largely ignored the needs of Native Americans," Dorgan, a Democrat from North Dakota, told Indianz.Com a few days before Weahkee's confirmation hearing. "it's a matter of will," added Dorgan, who founded the Center for Native American Youth to help improve the health, safety and well-being of young people in tribal communities. "If they had the will to do it, they would," Dorgan said of Trump and his team. Trump's record when it comes to choosing a leader of the IHS has not been a great one. His first pick proved to be a disastrous one -- so much so that the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs never even held a confirmation hearing for Robert Weaver in light of significant questions about his background and his experience. Almost no one in Indian Country stood up for Weaver during a process that played out in late 2017 and early 2018. It was different for Michael Weahkee, who has won praise for his years of leadership within the IHS. "In his current capacity as Principal Deputy Director, RADM Weahkee has demonstrated solid and capable leadership, determination, and commitment to honoring the federal Trust responsibility for health and towards raising the health status of AI/AN Peoples to the highest level," Victoria Kitcheyan, a citizen of the Winnebago Tribe who serves as chairperson of the National Indian Health Board, wrote in a letter of support. The Association of American Indian Physicians was quick to "congratulate" Weaver after he had been nominated director but the organization pointed that he did not meet its "minimal qualifications" for the job. Weahkee was another story entirely. "Association of American Indian Physicians' Executive Board and the Policy and Legislative Committee recently interviewed Rear Admiral Weahkee regarding his excellent qualifications for the position and endorse his appointment," a letter from AAIP President Walt Hollow, a citizen of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, stated. The Sovereignty Protection Fund of the United South and Eastern Tribes, whose members are meeting in Washington in two weeks, described Weahkee as someone who "been a commendable advocate for AI/ANs and ensuring our people have access to quality healthcare." The resolution also sought "expeditious Senate confirmation" for the nominee.“Decisions made for Indians by Indians produce the best outcomes,” Sen. Tom Udall (D-New Mexico) tells the National Congress of American Indians in Washington DC. Udall serves as Vice Chair of Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. #ECWS2020 @SenatorTomUdall @ncai1944 pic.twitter.com/TSHISUjfHE
— indianz.com (@indianz) February 11, 2020
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