{"id":2856,"date":"2020-10-13T11:01:12","date_gmt":"2020-10-13T16:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=2856"},"modified":"2020-10-13T11:09:56","modified_gmt":"2020-10-13T16:09:56","slug":"senate-candidate-touts-tribal-agenda-in-closely-watched-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/10\/13\/senate-candidate-touts-tribal-agenda-in-closely-watched-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate candidate touts tribal agenda in closely watched race"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n                        <iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/weZAuLB9wAs\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\r\n                    <\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">  Steve Bullock for Senate: <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/weZAuLB9wAs>Indian Country Virtual Town Hall<\/a>  \r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Senate candidate touts tribal agenda in closely watched race  <\/div> \r\n<div class=\"date\">Tuesday, October 13, 2020<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\">Kevin Abourezk<\/A> <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\"><I aria-hidden=true class=\"fab fa-twitter\"><\/I><\/A><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nSpeaking to tribal leaders on Indigenous Peoples Day,  Democratic Montana <a href=https:\/\/governor.mt.gov\/>Gov. Steve Bullock<\/a>    promised to respect tribal sovereignty and support much-needed federal programs that benefit Native people if <a href=https:\/\/stevebullock.com\/>elected to the U.S. Senate<\/a>.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cToday we recognize and pay homage to the indigenous communities and culture that certainly have been damaged throughout history due to historical injustices,\u201d he said, speaking to a <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/10\/12\/senate-candidate-steve-bullock-hosts-tribal-leaders-for-town-hall\/>virtual forum of Montana tribal leaders<\/a> on Monday.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nBullock is in a tightly contested and very expensive race against incumbent <a href=https:\/\/www.daines.senate.gov\/>Sen. Steve Daines<\/a>, a <a href=https:\/\/www.stevedaines.com\/>Republican<\/a> who serves on the <a href=https:\/\/indian.senate.gov\/>Senate Committee on Indian Affairs<\/a>, and the outcome could decide which party controls the   chamber, currently in GOP hands. The <a href=https:\/\/cookpolitical.com\/analysis\/senate\/montana-senate\/montana-senate-moves-toss>Cook Political Report<\/a>, a non-partisan   newsletter, has called the race a toss-up, while spending by both candidates has topped $75 million, a record for Montana, according to the <a href=https:\/\/mtstandard.com\/news\/state-and-regional\/daines-and-bullock-locked-in-tight-senate-race\/article_d78a3c3a-a9fb-5096-b553-8330b2dc56c1.html>MTN News Network<\/a>.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nOn Monday, Bullock criticized his opponent for supporting President Donald Trump\u2019s tax cuts, which he said have largely favored corporations and the very wealthy.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cIn these uncertain times, Montana really needs a leader who\u2019s certain who they\u2019re working for, and I\u2019ll never forget that,\u201d he said.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Today, we celebrate Indigenous Peoples\u2019 Day, and with that, the culture and the heritage that our Tribal Nations bring to our state. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jkwQhVys8H\">pic.twitter.com\/jkwQhVys8H<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Steve Bullock (@stevebullockmt) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stevebullockmt\/status\/1315688609236697088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 12, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nIf elected, Bullock said he would support fully funding the <a href=https:\/\/www.ihs.gov\/>Indian Health Service<\/a>, increasing funding to the <a href=https:\/\/www.bia.gov\/>Bureau of Indian Affairs<\/a> for law enforcement, increasing the number of Native veteran service officers and living up to the federal trust obligations for tribes.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nHe said he plans to meet Wednesday with leaders from eight Montana tribes at the state Capitol, and he said he planned to raise the flags of all eight tribes in front of the Capitol prior to the meeting.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cNo Native American should ever feel like they should walk through the back door of our Capitol,\u201d he said.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nSeveral tribal leaders asked questions of Bullock during the virtual forum Monday, including <a href=https:\/\/blackfeetnation.com\/>Blackfeet Nation<\/a> Chairman Timothy Davis.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nDavis asked Bullock what he would do to ensure Native people are treated equally under the law.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nBullock responded, saying he would first seek to ensure Native people were provided adequate health care. He said Native people in Montana live on average 20 fewer years than non-Native Montanans. Without proper health care, Native residents would never enjoy equal treatment, Bullock said.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<figure>\r\n <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" data-attachment-id=\"2860\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/10\/13\/senate-candidate-touts-tribal-agenda-in-closely-watched-race\/stevebullock-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/stevebullock-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;ILCE-7M3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1571848002&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"stevebullock\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/stevebullock-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/stevebullock-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/stevebullock-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"stevebullock\" class=\"alignnone img-fluid wp-image-2860\" \/>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\"> Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) addresses the National Congress of American Indians annual meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on October  23, 2019.\r\nPhoto by  <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\">Kevin Abourezk <I aria-hidden=true class=\"fab  fa-twitter\"><\/i><\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nTo that end, Bullock said he created the Montana Office of American Indian Health and succeeded in expanding Medicaid to serve more state residents, including Native people.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nAnd if elected, he said he would fight efforts to delete key provisions of the Affordable Care Act, or the ACA.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nBy comparison, he said his opponent has sought to end the ACA, whose provisions have benefited the IHS and the tribal health care system.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nAndy Werk Jr., president of the <a href=https:\/\/ftbelknap.org\/>Fort Belknap Indian Community<\/a>, asked Bullock if he would support Congressional approval of a water settlement affecting his community.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nBullock said he would support that water compact and criticized his state\u2019s three federal representatives for failing to gain passage of the settlement, which state leaders approved 19 years ago.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cFort Belknap Indian Community should not be waiting this long,\u201d he said. \u201cI will do my level best in the first year to get this done, and I\u2019ll work with you to get this done.\u201d\r\n<P><\/P><div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\" data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div><p><\/p>\r\nMontana State <a href=https:\/\/leg.mt.gov\/legislator-information\/roster\/individual\/5101>Rep. Sharon Stewart-Peregoy<\/a>, a citizen of the <a href=http:\/\/www.crow-nsn.gov\/>Crow Tribe<\/a>, asked Bullock if he would support the efforts of tribes to protect their borders in order to stop the spread of <a href=\/covid19\/>COVID-19<\/a>.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nHe said he would support the decisions of tribal leaders seeking to keep their citizens safe.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cSouth Dakota obviously took a completely different approach,\u201d he said, referring to efforts by that state\u2019s governor to get two tribes in her state to remove checkpoints on their borders.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nPatricia Iron Cloud Runs Through, a council member for the <a href=http:\/\/www.fortpecktribes.org\/>Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes<\/a>, asked whether Bullock would be willing to seek judicial reform to ensure Native people are treated fairly by courts.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cA lot of our people are going to prison, and they\u2019re staying there longer than any other people,\u201d she said.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n                        <iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/q6J2ikBIya0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\r\n                    <\/div>\r\n                    <figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">\r\n                        Indianz.Com Video: \r\n                        <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/q6J2ikBIya0>Chairman of Crow Tribe | Donald Trump  | Republicans #NativeVote20<\/a>\r\n                    <\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nBullock said he would support seeking to nominate more Native attorneys to federal judgeships.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nHe told the tribal leaders Monday that he would seek to include tribes in all federal policy decisions affecting them.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cTogether we have been able to accomplish a lot, while respecting also the government-to-government relationships that are so important,\u201d he said. \u201cWe also know that there is so much more to do.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"h4-responsive\">Related Stories<\/div>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/10\/12\/senate-candidate-steve-bullock-hosts-tribal-leaders-for-town-hall\/\" title=\"Senate candidate Steve Bullock hosts town hall with tribal leaders\">Senate candidate Steve Bullock hosts town hall with tribal leaders<\/a> (October 12, 2020)\r\n                <BR>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/10\/12\/fort-belknap-tribes-endorse-democrat-raph-graybill-for-attorney-general-of-montana\/\" title=\"Fort Belknap Tribes endorse Democrat Raph Graybill for attorney general of Montana\">Fort Belknap Tribes endorse Democrat Raph Graybill for attorney general of Montana<\/a> (October 12, 2020)\r\n                <BR>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/10\/01\/montana-free-press-judge-slams-republican-claims-about-voting-by-mail-as-fiction\/\" title=\"Montana Free Press: Judge slams Republican claims about voting by mail as \u2018fiction\u2019\">Montana Free Press: Judge slams Republican claims about voting by mail as \u2018fiction\u2019<\/a> (October 1, 2020)\r\n                <BR>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/09\/22\/montana-free-press\/\" title=\"Montana Free Press: Senate race is one of most closely watched in nation\">Montana Free Press: Senate race is one of most closely watched in nation<\/a> (September 22, 2020)","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Steve Bullock promised to respect tribal sovereignty and support much-needed federal programs that benefit tribal citizens if elected to the U.S. Senate.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2860,"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":[19,20,1,14],"tags":[4,385,656,117,250,354,94,75,56,640,639,506,210,603,72,511,387,249,55,657,85,213,91,388,220,282,195,655,153],"class_list":["post-2856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-indian-trust","category-national","category-politics","tag-4","tag-aca","tag-andy-werk","tag-bia","tag-blackfeet","tag-crow","tag-democrats","tag-donald-trump","tag-elections","tag-fort-belknap","tag-fort-peck","tag-ihcia","tag-ihs","tag-indigenous-peoples-day","tag-judiciary","tag-law-enforcement","tag-medicaid","tag-montana","tag-native-vote","tag-patricia-iron-cloud-runs-through","tag-republicans","tag-scia","tag-senate","tag-sharon-stewart-peregoy","tag-sovereignty","tag-steve-bullock","tag-steve-daines","tag-tim-davis","tag-water","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/stevebullock-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-K4","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2856","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=2856"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2856\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}