{"id":115913,"date":"2025-02-04T17:38:27","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T00:38:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=115913"},"modified":"2025-02-06T09:43:49","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T16:43:49","slug":"citizen-of-navajo-nation-tapped-for-indian-affairs-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2025\/02\/04\/citizen-of-navajo-nation-tapped-for-indian-affairs-post\/","title":{"rendered":"Citizen of Navajo Nation tapped for Indian Affairs post"},"content":{"rendered":"\"J.<\/a>
J. Garret Renville, left, Chairman of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate and the Coalition of Large Tribes, presents an honor to William “Billy” Kirkland, right, on behalf of COLT at a reception hosted by the Navajo Nation at the Navajo Nation Washington Office in Washington, D.C., on January 19, 2025. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n
Citizen of Navajo Nation tapped for Indian Affairs post<\/div>\r\n
Tuesday, February 4, 2025<\/div>\r\n
By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n
Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nA citizen of the Navajo Nation<\/a> is being tapped to serve as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs for President Donald Trump though it’s not the person who was publicly lobbying for the job.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nMyron Lizer<\/a>, a Republican and former vice president of the tribe, made no secret of his desire to work in Washington, D.C. He spoke publicly and to the news media about his support for the new Trump administration.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nBut it’s another Navajo citizen, Republican insider William “Billy” Kirkland, who been tapped for the critical position at the Department of the Interior<\/a>, the federal agency with the most trust and treaty responsibilities in Indian Country. If confirmed, he would oversee the Bureau of Indian Affairs<\/a>, the Bureau of Indian Education<\/a> and the Bureau of Trust Funds Administration<\/a>.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n“I know the White House will continue to have an open door policy with all the tribal nations,” Kirkland said at a reception hosted by the Navajo Nation on the eve of Trump’s inauguration<\/a> as 47th president of the United States last month.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\u2018A\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\u2018A lot of big plans\u2019: Tribal leaders ready to get to work with new presidential administration\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t

Leaders of some of the largest tribal nations are optimistic and hopeful as Donald Trump becomes the 47th president of the United States.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

\n\t\t\"Indianz.Com\"\t\tIndianz.Com\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nDespite the importance of the position, the White House has not publicly announced Trump’s pick for Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs as of early Tuesday evening. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum<\/a>, who was sworn into office over the weekend, has not commented either.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cToday marks the beginning of an exciting chapter for the Department of the Interior,\u201d Burgum, a former governor of North Dakota, said on Monday as he took control of the agency<\/a>. \u201cWe are committed to working collaboratively to unlock America\u2019s full potential in energy dominance and economic development to make life more affordable for every American family while showing the world the power of America\u2019s natural resources and innovation.”\r\n

<\/P>\r\n“Together, we will ensure that our policies reflect the needs of our communities, respect tribal sovereignty, and drive innovation that will keep the U.S. at the forefront of energy and environmental leadership,\u201d said Burgum, whose work with tribes in his home state earned him bipartisan praise during his confirmation process.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nSo instead of an official announcement from Washington, it was eagle-eyed tribal advocates who spotted Kirkland’s name in the Congressional database<\/a> for presidential picks. According to the entry, the White House sent his nomination to be as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs to the U.S. Senate<\/a> on Monday, on the same day Burgum was making some of his first big decisions<\/a>.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Secretary\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\tSecretary Doug Burgum takes over Department of the Interior\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t

The Department of the Interior, the federal agency with the most trust and treaty responsibilities in Indian Country, officially has a new leader.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

\n\t\t\"Indianz.Com\"\t\tIndianz.Com\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nKirkland, in fact, is among a slew of Interior nominees that were sent to the Senate on Monday, all without public comment. They include Leslie Beyer<\/a> to serve as Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management; William L. Doffermyre<\/a> to serve as Solicitor, the highest-ranking legal official at the department; and Andrea Travnicek<\/a> to serve as Assistant Secretary for Water and Science.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nAnd in another anomaly, the White House referred Kirkland to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources<\/a>, at least according to the Congressional database.\r\nHistorically, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs<\/a> has always handled the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs position.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, on the other hand, has always handled the bulk of Interior nominees — most notably, the position of Secretary. The panel’s jurisdiction also includes the positions for which Beyer, Doffermyre and Travnicek are being nominated.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nWith Sen. Mike Lee<\/a> (R-Utah) as the new chair of the committee for the 119th Congress, Energy and Natural Resources successfully shepherded Burgum to confirmation as the 55th Secretary of the Interior. The panel has not yet scheduled a hearing for Katharine MacGregor<\/a>, whose nomination to be Deputy Secretary of the Interior, the second-in-command at the department, was announced by Trump on January 11<\/a>.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Senate\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\tSenate Committee on Indian Affairs schedules first meeting of 119th Congress\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is convening for the first time under new Republican leadership.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

\n\t\t\"Indianz.Com\"\t\tIndianz.Com\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nMeanwhile, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is just getting to work. With Sen. Lisa Murkowski<\/a> (R-Alaska) as chair for the 119th Congress<\/a>, the panel is hosting its first organizational meeting<\/a> in the nation’s capital on Wednesday afternoon.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThough Kirkland worked in various positions at the White House during the first Trump administration, he has not been known for his work in Indian policy. But he’s prominent in his home state of Georgia for his work on various Republican political campaigns.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nAccording to a resolution passed by the Georgia Legislature<\/a>, “his extensive experience in the political arena includes serving as a legislative aide in the Georgia House of Representatives for Rep. Jimmy Pruett, serving Governor Sonny Perdue in his office of Intergovernmental Affairs, and serving as the campaign manager for Senator David Perdue’s successful election campaign to the United States Senate.”\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThe resolution, which was adopted in March 2018, further notes that Kirkland’s “career path has led him to the White House as a highly esteemed Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs.” In that role, “Billy diligently serves as the direct point of contact for the nation’s mayors, state legislators, county officials, and tribal governments,” the document continues.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n“Billy has been able to help our citizens in times of disaster and emergency and has been instrumental in giving state and local leaders from Georgia a voice on issues that are critical to the citizens of this state through regular invitations to the White House to participate in discussions on matters such as infrastructure, tax reform, and the\r\nopioid crisis,” the resolution adds.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n \"William<\/a>

William “Billy” Kirkland, left, then serving in the White House, and Brian Cladoosby, then president of the National Congress of American Indians, appear at NCAI’s executive council winter session in Washington, D.C, on February 13, 2017. Photo: NCAI<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nMore recently, Kirkland worked closely with tribes ahead of Trump’s inauguration last month. He was honored by the Coalition of Large Tribes<\/a> (COLT) during the reception at the Navajo Nation Washington Office<\/a> on January 19.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n“I do want to recognize Billy Kirkland for giving us access,” said Chairman J. Garret Renville of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate<\/a>, who serves as president of COLT, which represents tribes with large land bases.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n“I appreciate his service not only to Indian Country, but to your nation as well,” Renville said in reference to Kirkland and the Navajo Nation.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cAnytime we can get Indian Country more involved, whether it\u2019s here in Washington, or in the states,\u201d Kirkland said at the reception, \u201cwe definitely want to do so.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\nKirkland’s arrival comes at a pivotal time for Indian Country. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which is under the control of President Trump, on January 27 ordered a sweeping review of $3 trillion in federal funds — including key tribal programs at the Interior Department.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Tribal\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\tTribal organizations unite in support of federal funding and nation-to-nation relationship\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t

“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\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

\n\t\t\"Native\t\tNative Vote\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nFollowing a hearing on Monday morning<\/a>, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against the OMB directive. The 30-page ruling<\/a> cited a declaration from an Indian Country organization whose member tribes have had trouble accessing the federal funds promised to them as part of the U.S. government’s treaty and trust obligations.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n“The federal government has a trust responsibility to tribal nations to provide\r\ncertain services as agreed to in treaties, authorized in legislation, and affirmed by courts over the past 250 years,” the declaration<\/a> cited by Judge Loren L. AliKhan reads.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n According to the court ruling<\/a>, “a member of a tribal organization was forced to lay off two employees on January 28 because it could not access its grant funds that day.”\r\n

<\/p>\r\n“Similarly, members of a tribal organization who were unable to draw down grant funds starting on January 28 had still not received any funds as recently as January 31,” AliKhan continued as she granted the temporary restraining order requested by a coalition of non-profits.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

\r\nindiancountryexecutivedirectordeclaration<\/a>\r\nPDF: Indian Country Organization Declaration<\/a>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
\r\n045111174142<\/a>\r\nPDF: Decision in National Council of Nonprofits v. Office of Management and Budget<\/a>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs position was created in 1977. A Native person has always held the job.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThere have been 14 people who have been confirmed by the Senate. The list follows:\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\u2022 1977\u20131980: Forrest Gerard (Blackfeet Nation)
\r\n\u2022 1981\u20131984: Kenneth L. Smith (Warm Springs Tribes)
\r\n\u2022 1985\u20131989: Ross Swimmer (Cherokee Nation)
\r\n\u2022 1989\u20131993: Eddie Frank Brown (Pascua Yaqui Tribe and Tohono O’odham Nation)
\r\n\u2022 1993\u20131997: Ada E. Deer (Menominee Nation)
\r\n\u2022 1997\u20132001: Kevin Gover (Pawnee Nation)
\r\n\u2022 2001\u20132003: Neal A. McCaleb (Chickasaw Nation)
\r\n\u2022 2004\u20132005: Dave Anderson (Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe and Choctaw Nation)
\r\n\u2022 2007\u20132008: Carl J. Artman (Oneida Nation)
\r\n\u2022 2009\u20132012: Larry Echo Hawk (Pawnee Nation)
\r\n\u2022 2012\u20132015: Kevin K. Washburn (Chickasaw Nation)
\r\n\u2022 2018\u20132020: Tara Katuk MacLean Sweeney (I\u00f1upiat)
\r\n\u2022 2021-2025: Bryan Newland (Bay Mills Indian Community)\r\n<\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

Related Stories<\/div>
Secretary Doug Burgum takes over Department of the Interior<\/a> (February 3, 2025)<\/div>
Indian Country still on high alert over President Trump\u2019s freeze on federal funding<\/a> (January 30, 2025)<\/div>
President Trump\u2019s \u2018love\u2019 for Lumbee Tribe only goes so far in fight for federal recognition<\/a> (January 27, 2025)<\/div>
Alaska Beacon: Republicans oppose President Trump on Native name change<\/a> (January 22, 2025)<\/div>
\u2018A lot of big plans\u2019: Tribal leaders ready to get to work with new presidential administration<\/a> (January 20, 2025)<\/div>
\u2018State and tribal relations in North Dakota have not always been great\u2019<\/a> (January 16, 2025)<\/div>
\u2018Governor Burgum will serve Indian Country well\u2019: Senate committees busy with Donald Trump\u2019s nominees<\/a> (January 13, 2025)<\/div>
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Democrats object to hearing for Trump\u2019s Interior nominee<\/a> (January 9, 2025)<\/div>
North Dakota Monitor: Tribes share priorities with state lawmakers<\/a> (January 9, 2025)<\/div>
Senate committees schedule slew of confirmation hearings for Donald Trump nominees<\/a> (January 8, 2025)<\/div>
North Dakota Monitor: Tribes support call for new national monument<\/a> (December 3, 2024)<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A citizen of the Navajo Nation is being tapped to serve as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs though it\u2019s not the person who was publicly lobbying for the job.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":101947,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,13,1,14],"tags":[5366,5960,214,117,52,5905,962,346,118,75,5748,72,5958,211,138,531,29,24,1386,961,85,213,91,220,154,1112,5959],"class_list":["post-115913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indian-trust","category-law","category-national","category-politics","tag-119th","tag-andrea-travnicek","tag-appropriations","tag-bia","tag-bie","tag-billy-kirkland","tag-btfa","tag-dc","tag-doi","tag-donald-trump","tag-doug-burgum","tag-judiciary","tag-leslie-beyer","tag-lisa-murkowski","tag-meetings","tag-mike-lee","tag-myron-lizer","tag-navajo","tag-omb","tag-ost","tag-republicans","tag-scia","tag-senate","tag-sovereignty","tag-treaties","tag-white-house","tag-william-doffermyre","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20\/jgarrettrenvillebillykirkland.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-u9z","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115913"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115913\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116493,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115913\/revisions\/116493"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}