Overview:
John Morseau, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Tribal Council treasurer and Senate policy advisor, discusses how Native representation, firsthand tribal government experience and strategic alliances on Capitol Hill can help lawmakers better understand Indian Country and their federal obligations to Tribal Nations.
When lawmakers interact directly with Native people, they are less likely to make uninformed policy decisions affecting Indian Country. That’s according to John Morseau, 36, treasurer of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi (Pokégnek Bodéwadmik) Tribal Council and senior policy advisor to Sen. Alan Armstrong (R-OK).
Morseau was interviewed by Levi Rickert, publisher and editor of Native News Online, during a fireside chat at the Great Lakes Tribal Economic Summit, hosted by Tribal Business News at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant, Mich., on Tuesday, Oct. 6. The two-day event brought together leaders in economic development across Indian Country for panels and presentations covering the development and financing of tribal projects.
Morseau’s fireside chat with Rickert centered on the tribal treasurer’s unique perspective as an elected tribal official working in Washington, D.C., as a Senate policy advisor.
Morseau began his work in Washington 13 months ago when he was hired by then Sen. Markwayne Mullin (Cherokee), who became the secretary of Homeland Security in late March. Morseau stayed in his position after Sen. Armstrong was appointed to fill our Mullin’s term
“There’s no one in the Senate that has any real tribal government experience,” Morseau said. “Some of them [Senate staffers] are from tribal communities, but almost nobody has experience working for a tribal government.”
Morseau spoke about navigating Capitol Hill, where many lawmakers lack experience with or deference to tribal issues. With the lack of knowledge of Indian affairs, come misconceptions. One of the most common misconceptions in Washington, he said, is that tribal funding is a handout rather than a legal obligation stemming from trust and treaty agreements the federal government entered into.
“These are obligations that the federal government has taken on, and it owes through treaty obligations,” he said. “The reason why there’s U.S. at all is because of the negotiations and the agreements the Federal government has taken on in its relationship with tribes.”
Another misconception he encounters in Washington is that Native people don’t pay taxes.
“[I explain] that to people that tribes don’t pay taxes, but tribal citizens do,” Morseau told Rickert. “I’ve been trying for the past year to find a good estimate of how much tribal citizens pay in taxes, and contrast that to how much tribes are receiving through federal appropriations. I’d be willing to bet that’s about at least one-to-one, that tribes and citizens are contributing as much to the federal government as they’re receiving through federal appropriations.”
Morseau doesn’t underestimate the power of representation.
“Representation matters,” he told Rickert. “With me being there, they’re less likely to talk nonsense when there’s a Native in the room, right? I can explain to people from my tribal community what we do, and when I know what happens in Indian Country, they’re much more willing to sit down and listen.”
For tribes, finding allies in Washington can be challenging, especially when their members of Congress aren’t well-versed in tribal issues.
Morseau’s advice to tribes is to develop relationships with other lawmakers who support tribal issues.
“What I find is that you have other representatives and other senators that [your lawmakers] have a relationship with,” he said. “Reach out to them. They talk to your lawmakers and say, ‘I know you don’t know too much about any tribe, but I care about this issue. We’ll work with you on this other issue if you work with us on this [tribal] issue. Use other offices to connect with the offices you need.”
