{"id":30008,"date":"2022-12-06T16:13:11","date_gmt":"2022-12-06T21:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=30008"},"modified":"2022-12-06T16:31:41","modified_gmt":"2022-12-06T21:31:41","slug":"defense-spending-bill-again-a-topic-of-hot-interest-in-indian-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/12\/06\/defense-spending-bill-again-a-topic-of-hot-interest-in-indian-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Defense spending bill again a topic of hot interest in Indian Country"},"content":{"rendered":"
\r\n
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t – YouTube\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

\n\t\t\"youtu.be\"\t\tyoutu.be\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
United Indian Nations of Oklahoma: Defending Tribal Sovereignty<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n
Defense spending bill again a topic of hot interest in Indian Country<\/div>\r\n
Tuesday, December 6, 2022<\/div>\r\n
By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n
Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nWASHINGTON, D.C. — All eyes are on Capitol Hill as tribal leaders — and the rest of the nation — await the arrival of a highly-anticipated defense spending bill.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nIndian Country isn’t normally interested in the National Defense Authorization Act<\/a>. The bill, more commonly known as the NDAA, funds the U.S. military and related operations, usually to the tune of billions and billions of dollars.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nBut tribal leaders are paying close attention to the NDAA as the 117th Congress enters its final stretch. They are worried about the inclusion of provisions that would extend federal recognition to groups that they claim don’t meet the standards for a government-to-government relationship with the U.S.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\"indianz.com\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\tindianz.com (@indianz) on X\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t

\u201cBill text for the NDAA package is not ready yet\u201d: Rep. James McGovern (D-Massachusetts) commits to taking up National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 — but it’s still in development. Tribes are watching #NDAA closely for potential federal recognition provisions.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

\n\t\t\"X\t\tX (formerly Twitter)\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n

<\/P>\r\n“Tribal nations are going to see sovereignty reduced to ash if you have groups that claim to be the same as a sovereign,” said Chief Ben Barnes of the Shawnee Tribe<\/a>.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThe Shawnees are among more than 140 Indian nations<\/a> that are opposing the inclusion of tribal recognition provisions in the NDAA for fiscal year 2023. The broad coalition, which includes representation from every region of the United States, says the MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians<\/a>, as well as the Lumbee Tribe<\/a>, should not gain federal status through an act of Congress, much less one focused on military spending.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cUnited Indian Nations is opposing MOWA and Lumbee for one simple reason: They want to bypass the process,\u201d said Margo Gray, a citizen of the Osage Nation who serves as Chairwoman of the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma<\/a>, which represents 39 tribes in the state once known as Indian Territory.\r\n

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

Margo Gray, Chairwoman of the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma, addresses a gathering of tribal leaders in Washington, D.C., on July 27, 2022. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe NDAA has become of growing interest in Indian Country — and not always for positive reasons. One prior version of the bill authorized a highly controversial land swap<\/a> that paved the way for a huge copper mine on a sacred Apache site in Arizona. Nearly a decade later, the contentious battle is still being fought in Congress<\/a> and in the court system<\/a>.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nMore recently, though, some tribes have turned to the NDAA to get more beneficial provisions across the finish line in an otherwise partisan Congress. The bill is considered must-pass, meaning that lawmakers of both parties will vote to approve the massive spending package, even if certain provisions have nothing to do with national defense.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n Just last year, for instance, the Catawba Nation<\/a> secured provisions that reaffirmed the legality<\/a> of a long-awaited casino<\/a> in North Carolina. \r\nAnd barely three years ago, the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians<\/a>, based in Montana, finally secured federal recognition through the NDAA<\/a> after running into roadblocks at the Bureau of Indian Affairs<\/a>.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThe Lumbee Tribe, based in North Carolina, has made no secret of its push to gain federal status through the NDAA. Speculation first surfaced a year ago this month but no recognition provisions were included even as their Catawba neighbors were able to get their land bill<\/a> signed into law as part of the defense package.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n