{"id":4849,"date":"2020-05-13T10:36:29","date_gmt":"2020-05-13T14:36:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/covid19\/?p=4849"},"modified":"2020-05-13T10:36:29","modified_gmt":"2020-05-13T14:36:29","slug":"navajo-nation-council-arizona-new-mexico-utah-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/2020\/05\/13\/navajo-nation-council-arizona-new-mexico-utah-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Navajo Nation Council (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 24TH NAVAJO<\/span> NATION<\/span> COUNCIL<\/span>
\nOffice of the Speaker<\/strong><\/p>\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/strong>
\nMay 11, 2020<\/p>\n

White House, Council<\/span> host update discussion with Chapters<\/p>\n

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. \u2014 <\/strong>On a teleconference meeting Thursday, the White House Council<\/span> on Native American Affairs Executive Director Tyler Fish and members of the Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span> Council<\/span> hosted a discussion with Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span>Chapters on the federal government\u2019s Native American affairs initiatives and its latest response to COVID-19.<\/p>\n

The White House re-established the Council<\/span> on Native American Affairs May 4 and named Tyler Fish, formerly a senior policy advisor and tribal liaison to the White House, as its executive director.<\/p>\n

More than 50 chapter officials listened to the discussion and interacted with delegates to address pressing local needs with Director Fish. The discussion was facilitated by Speaker Seth Damon and helped provide chapter officials with an overview on the priorities being addressed by the Legislative Branch in coordination with the White House.<\/p>\n

Fish, who is Mvskoke Creek and Cherokee, opened by thanking the Council<\/span> and chapter leaders for the opportunity to speak directly to Navajo<\/span> leaders.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe welcome the White House in their effort to work directly with the Navajo<\/span>Nation<\/span> Council<\/span> to improve the level of overall coordination on Navajo<\/span> issues,\u201d said 24th Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span> Council<\/span> Speaker Seth Damon. \u201cThis builds on existing work by delegates in the areas of public safety, water and telecommunications infrastructure, veterans issues and more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Council<\/span> Delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty, chairwoman of the Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span>Sexual Assault Subcommittee, began by offering to provide some needs the nation<\/span> is facing with addressing domestic violence issues, shelters, missing and murdered indigenous peoples (MMIP) and more. Director Fish accepted the invitation for a follow-up discussion and added that the federal MMIP task force continues to adjust to the recent COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a former Marine and Iraq war veteran, myself, I want to say that you all have my utmost respect as leaders of your communities. You really are front-line workers,\u201d said Fish.<\/p>\n

Fish continued with an overview on the White House Council<\/span> on Native American Affairs. Fish said the council<\/span> was stood up under Executive Order 13647 and includes a broad variety of executive department, agency and office heads.<\/p>\n

He shared the White House\u2019s priority policy categories but emphasized that it will take partnership with local leaders to ensure specific needs are addressed. \u201cI acknowledge that, being an official in [Washington, D.C.], we don\u2019t know everything there is to know about Indian Country from our stance here. It takes the real-world feedback from tribal leaders to let us understand how we can be most effective to your communities,\u201d said Fish.<\/p>\n

The policy categories included: Economic development and rural prosperity, infrastructure, public health, public safety, cultural resources, veterans affairs, workforce development and education, and energy development. Right now, noted Fish, the council<\/span> is continuing to focus on interagency coordination for Indian Country among federal agencies. Going forward, the council<\/span> will also begin to focus on ways a recovery effort following the COVID-19 pandemic can lead to systemic improvements in infrastructure and public health systems.<\/p>\n

The infrastructure needs in Indian Country, said Fish, will be a specific priority area of the council<\/span> as an integrated approach to tackling multiple categories. \u201cHow do we come out of COVID-19 with a better infrastructure posture than when we went in?\u201d stated Fish. \u201cInfrastructure cuts across several different priority needs that we\u2019re going to have for recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t do any of these things without the real world feedback that I receive from you guys, you, Speaker Damon, from delegates and chapter leaders as well,\u201d said Fish. He said the feedback on areas of deficiencies allow him to approach different federal agencies with specific instances where resources can be identified.<\/p>\n

Speaker Damon thanked Director Fish for his introduction to the discussion and for taking the time to listen to local Navajo<\/span> leaders and initiatives.<\/p>\n

On the call, Council<\/span> Delegate Kee Allen Begay, Jr. advocated for improved direct services on the Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span> by federal programs. \u201cCurrently, Navajo<\/span> veterans have to go off the reservation to get services,\u201d said Delegate Begay. He said there are approximately 10,000 veterans on the Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span>, which is a population size that can be easily served with on-reservation veterans services.<\/p>\n

Adding to the discussion, Council<\/span> Delegate Daniel Tso, chairman of the Health, Education, and Human Services Committee, highlighted the impacts of insufficient health funding throughout recent history which have worsened the effects of COVID-19.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt shows right to this day, we have a limited number of ICU beds, facilities and support infrastructure to take care of folks,\u201d said Chairman Tso. \u201cWe always knew it, but this highlights it even more.\u201d He stated that other programs are also underfunded, including the educational system on the Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re basically limited on education right now because of the lack of broadband access and access to internet services. People on the ground right now are making-do,\u201d said Chairman Tso.<\/p>\n

Chairman Tso also raised the issue of an impending drought throughout the southwest United States, stating that hauling water will become even more critical without an infusing of funding. Water is a critical component in maintaining personal health and hygiene.<\/p>\n

Council<\/span> Delegate Carl Slater asked Fish for greater guidance from the White House on spending the $600 million CARES Act funding for infrastructure projects, specifically waterline projects and extensions that will support the public health of the nation<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Delegate Slater also asked for the White House\u2019s support for waiving the requirement for tribal nations<\/span> to spend the CARES Act funding by Dec. 30, 2020. He said that staff in program offices may not be able to process the greater amounts of paperwork associated with the deadline to expend money.<\/p>\n

In responding to the request for greater support for veterans direct services from Delegate Begay, Director Fish shared that the US Veterans Health Administration and the Indian Health Service. He said updates will be collected on the status of that partnership and shared with tribal leadership.<\/p>\n

Fish also acknowledged that Chairman Tso\u2019s comments regarding infrastructure, healthcare, facilities, broadband and education are critical to recovering from COVID-19. \u201cOn the recruitment and retention front, that\u2019s something we\u2019ve been facing in Indian Country for as long as we\u2019ve had a Bureau of Indian Affairs or a Bureau of Indian Education. How do we attract qualified candidates to fill these roles, either as medical providers or any other service provider?\u201d<\/p>\n

Recovering from COVID-19 requires an integrated approach to identifying the inter-agency coordination that needs to take place, along with the identification of continuing resources that support the systemic improvement across the priority areas, explained Fish.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs everyone can see, COVID-19 is not going away any time soon,\u201d said Fish.<\/p>\n

Council<\/span> Delegate Otto Tso, chairman of the Navajo<\/span> Hopi Land Commission, emphasized the issue of water access and infrastructure, particularly in the Western Navajo<\/span> Agency. \u201cI\u2019m hoping that collaboration with internal agencies, with the Indian Health Service Office of Environmental Health, can be a part of this factor of extending water to those that don\u2019t have running water,\u201d said Delegate Tso.<\/p>\n

He also raised the issue of housing support during the COVID-19 outbreak. \u201cA lot of these housing dollars that are coming down the pipe, it really doesn\u2019t give us much,\u201d said Delegate Tso. He illustrated an issue where 4-5 families may live in a household, which complicates the containment of COVID-19 when just one person in that residence contracts the disease.<\/p>\n

In adding to Delegate Slater\u2019s comments, Delegate Tso said, \u201cOur process that we have to go through, even for a simple right of way, when it gets to the BIA Regional Office, it takes time, time, time. It takes about a year to get right of way approval in the current process that is governed by the [Code of Federal Regulations].\u201d<\/p>\n

Delegate Tso also advocated for the nearly 1.6 million acres of Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span>land that was impacted by the federal freeze on development in the western Navajo<\/span> region. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to catch up with housing and infrastructure,\u201d said Delegate Tso.<\/p>\n

Council<\/span> Delegate Mark Freeland, chairman of the State Task Force Subcommittee, emphasized water and electricity infrastructure. \u201cThe latest project listing from the Indian Health Service has about 3,500 households on the Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span> that are currently waiting for waterline infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we were to really emphasize bringing clean water to our peoples homes, imagine how much of a change we could really bring for our people,\u201d said Delegate Freeland. Part of that process, he said, is the federal National<\/span>Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) protocols for developing water projects on the Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span>. He emphasized the importance of coming to an agreement to put a faster system in place so the Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span> can complete water projects in the time the government has.<\/p>\n

Delegate Freeland also added to Delegate Slater\u2019s request for an extension, \u201cIf we were to encumber the majority of that $600 million, would that be sufficient? Or would you actually need to see something besides it being encumbered? If we were to encumber a lot of that money towards water and electric projects for our people, would that be sufficient in the eyes of the United State government?\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaker Damon continued by recognizing Council<\/span> Delegate Nathaniel Brown, who shared that he has met with the Navajo<\/span> Police Department lieutenant, Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span> judges and local shelters. \u201cDomestic violence is going up, and it\u2019s all going back to alcohol use,\u201d said Delegate Brown.<\/p>\n

Delegate Brown underscored the trust responsibility of the federal government to work with the Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span> to help increase the capacity of an already strained justice and public safety system.<\/p>\n

\u201cChief Francisco, the Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span> Chief of Police, when I asked him on a western agency conference call, he said, \u2018I honestly don\u2019t know how to respond to this. I don\u2019t know.\u2019 Police officers told me, in dealing with bootleggers, \u2018We have rights, also.\u2019,\u201d said Delegate Brown. He expressed the need for CARES Act funding to be spent helping the Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span>\u2019s public safety personnel in addressing not just enforcement of the nation<\/span>\u2019s lockdown, but all the other needs that are being exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo we close the Nation<\/span> for a whole month like other nations<\/span> have done? And have National<\/span> Guard come in to partner with us,\u201d said Delegate Brown. \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m interested in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fish responded to both Delegates Tso and Freeland by pointing out that water infrastructure will provide the most value for the Nation<\/span>\u2019s use of COVID-19 recovery funding. Fish said this will help in ensuring citizens have access to plumbing and sanitary water to wash their hands and to help them keep their homes in clean order to prevent COVID-19 or other viruses from spreading.<\/p>\n

In addition to the IHS Office of Environmental Health, Fish also stated the US Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s Indian Country water quality committee can be looked to for improving water quality and access.<\/p>\n

With respect to Delegate\u2019s Freeland\u2019s comments on the NEPA process, Fish pointed to new language issued by the Council<\/span> on Environmental Quality recently that encourages greater participation by tribal governments. Fish noted that the rules incorporated a few of the suggestions made by the Resources and Development Committee on their advocacy trip to Washington, D.C. in January.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hoping that is one pathway where tribes and the Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span> itself can exercise in their favor. A big point that was included was a greater respect for tribal NEPA processes,\u201d said Fish. He said tribes may submit processes for approval and through that, clear many of the hurdles traditionally faced by tribal nations<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Fish acknowledged the viewpoint expressed by Chief Francisco with respect to handling the enforcement of COVID-19 primary and secondary effects. \u201cAlcohol is a contributing factor,\u201d said Fish. He said the federal Operation Lady Justice task force focused on missing and murdered indigenous people also focuses on domestic violence. Fish acknowledged that discord in the home is becoming a greater issue because some prisoners are returning to households where the victim is still living. \u201cThe individual who was the victim doesn\u2019t have any where else to go. They\u2019re stuck in a confined space with somebody who might have been their abuser in the past,\u201d said Fish.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re bringing a lot of ideas forward right now with the Operation Lady Justice task force to develop an agenda on how we\u2019re going to start this discussion back up,\u201d said Fish.<\/p>\n

Council<\/span> Delegate Rickie Nez, chairman of the Resources and Development Committee, stated, \u201cThe Navajo<\/span> People are really without clean water, Director Fish.\u201d He added that many Navajo<\/span> citizens melt snow in the winter and take water from irrigations canals in the summer for filtering and domestic use. \u201cWe would like to have a priority to have running water for every home on the Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span>,\u201d said Chairman Nez.<\/p>\n

Council<\/span> Delegate Eugenia Charles-Newton stated, \u201cWe are experiencing a shortage of officers and criminal investigators here on the Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span>. I\u2019ve spoken to our federal delegation about this and we\u2019re seeing huge impacts at this time.\u201d She pressed upon the importance of adding Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span> public safety facilities to federal operations and maintenance listing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would really appreciate your assistance. We also need better telecommunications with addressing dead-zones for officers, as well as internet and broadband,\u201d said Chairwoman Charles-Newton. She also invited Director Fish to the Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span> to see public safety facilities.<\/p>\n

Director Fish thanked all the members of the 24th Navajo<\/span> Nation<\/span> Council<\/span> and the chapter officials listening to the discussion. The Office of the Speaker will continue to follow up with Director Fish and the White House Council<\/span> on Native American Affairs to provide a direct line of communication with the US Federal Government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

White House Council on Native American Affairs Executive Director Tyler Fish and members of the Navajo Nation Council hosted a discussion with Navajo Nation Chapters on the federal government\u2019s Native American affairs initiatives and its latest response to COVID-19.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,4],"tags":[12,8,10,85],"class_list":["post-4849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-institutions","category-tribes","tag-arizona","tag-navajo","tag-new-mexico","tag-utah"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4849"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4849\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4850,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4849\/revisions\/4850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}