Seek Federal Election Candidates Who Support Indian Country Issues

Native Vote 2024. Guest Opinion. In the year of the 100th Anniversary of the Snyder Act that granted citizenship to our continent’s first Americans, we have and still face challenges in elections including barriers to participation, gerrymandering to reduce our impact, voter suppression and intimidation, and not recognizing our tribal ID cards at the polls.  Still, we can be the change if we register, vote, and vote for candidates who support Indian Country issues. 

An opt-ed I authored in 2021, recognized the then effort to push for a jobs and infrastructure bill in Congress to address aging roads, bridges, water systems, schools, clean energy transformation, public transit, high-speed rail, and broadband upgrades. The planned legislation at that time for $1.2 trillion in the American Jobs and Instructure Act was slated to bring a record $12 billion to Indian Country. This is not charity or reparations for the wrongs perpetrated on our people but represents only partial renumeration for the treaty and trust obligation that ceded nearly One billion acres of Indian lands were taken by the United States in exchange for provisions of heath, education and social welfare into perpetuity.  The recently announced cost of Indian Boarding schools enumerate the cost of forced assimilation at $23.3 billion (reported in the Federal Indian Boarding School Report, Vol.II) resulting in the worst of the worst statistical outcomes as evidenced in the 2018 US Commission on Civil Rights Broken Promises Report. 

As an educator and federal Indian policy-wonk, I like to summarize administrative and legislative efforts in terms of “glows” and “grows”.  The glows we have seen during the current administration includes:

• 2021 extension of EO 13175 on Tribal Consultation with a 90-day deadline issued by Presidential Memo in the first 5 days of the current administration; 
• The historical nomination and appointment of the Nation’s 1st American Indian Cabinet Member in Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo);
• $2.5 billion proposed in the 2021 IHS Budget submitted to Congress;
• $31 billion in Rescue Act Funds and extension of Cares Act deadline.  The Rescue Act reached 2% of the total appropriated while the Cares Act was under ½ of one percent for Indian Country; 
• $1 billion for broadband ushered through by Vice President Harris which I helped formulate
• 2023 Omnibus including of advance appropriations for Indian Health Service Funding;
• A Presidential budget formulation commitment to support mandatory funding for IHS; 
• More than $12 Billion proposed for tribal infrastructure ($6 billion for water, sewer, and sanitation; $4 billion for BIA roads and bridges; and +$2 billion more for broadband); 

These accomplishments are significant but there is so much more on an Indian Country Tick Sheet for federal candidates up and down the ballot to support our issues.  Indian Country voters are not monolithic.  But, as the 2020 election demonstrated, we are willing to put partisan preferences aside to support federal candidates who have informed and specific Tribal Sovereignty Platforms.  Outstanding issues (“grows”) which remain include: 

• Permanent reauthorization of Tribal VAWA provisions and tribal data collection requirements for MMIP; 
• A Clean Carcieri fix; 
• IHS Portability and ACA Medicaid expansion for Tribal Nations under a 51st State provision and no means test as our health care is already paid in full;
• Indian Education reform including self-determination/ self-governance funding to fundamentally change public education for AI/AN as we persist in having the worst graduation rates.  Let us educate our children ourselves in honoring treaty provisions; 
• Permanently authorize the White House Council and codify an accountability measure for Tribal Consultation, Tribal Advisories, and Budget Formulation for cogent continuity in Federal Indian policy that transcends administrations and legislative sessions. 
• Establish a Federal Tribal Action Plan to coordinate and ameliorate the impacts of forced assimilation and to confront and eradicate the impacts of the Opiate Epidemic. 
• Appoint yet another AI/AN Cabinet Member and quadrupling AI/AN political appointees; 

Candidates who articulate a willingness to establish specific benchmarks for measurable successes are likely to capture the attention of individual AI/ANs and their respective Tribal Nations and just maybe win their respective federal elections.   

Finally, honor your ancestors by registering and voting.  Prepare for future generations by supporting candidates who support Indian Country issues. I urge Tribal leaders and fellow AI/AN people to look to our ancestors for guidance and mobilize to make your expectations known.  Vote for those federal candidates who support Indian Country.  In most battleground states, we represent from 1% to 3.5% of the total voters where the polls suggest margins of victory at much less.  This means, federal candidates cannot afford to take our vote for granted and we can determine the outcome.

Dr. Aaron A. Payment, has served for 22+ years in tribal elective office including as Chairperson and on Tribal Council of the largest tribe east of the Mississippi. He holds a doctorate in Education and three graduate degrees including education (K12 and Higher Ed) and Public Administration. He served for nearly a decade on the NCAI Executive Committee including as 1 st VP twice. This opt ed is submitted as a federal Indian policy expert and does not necessarily represent anyone views except his own.

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