Tribal Sovereignty Ticket Manifesto 2024

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By Aaron Payment

October 26, 2024

Guest Opinion. SAULT TRIBE RESERVATION — As a proud American Indian, I stand with and endorse Kamala Harris for President of the United States. Not as a partisan, but as a life-long student of Federal Indian Policy and as a Tribal Leader of over 22 years.  

Please read this Indian Policy-informed rationale. Former NCAI President Jefferson Keel (Chickasaw) used to say, our work is not “D” for Democrat or “R” for Republican, but “I” for Indian meaning we prioritize a Tribal Sovereignty platform above partisanship. 

My fellow elected Tribal Leaders and Citizens, we are on the precipice of what is likely to be an historical election that will determine if we go forward or backward in honoring the treaty and trust obligation. Tribes have so much at stake.  If the past is prologue, it’s clear which candidate will support Indian Country as President — Kamala Harris. 

Under the Obama-Biden-Harris eras, we witnessed record amounts of lands go into trust, including 800,000 acres with 5,000 acres in Alaska. Under the Trump-Pence administration, the opposite was true. It took the Alaska land out of trust. Recall Trump’s 2017 proposed regulations to give local non-tribal governments greater control over the land in trust process? 

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) hosted listening sessions and put a stop to this affront. 

Focusing on federal Indian policy beyond partisanship, under the Biden-Harris administration, we saw record amounts of federal funds go to Tribal Nations in the American Rescue Act at nearly $32 Billion or 2% of the total which approximates our population at the time.  This is in stark contrast to the paltry .3 of one percent in the Cares Act under Trump. Indian Country fared 6.5 times better under Biden-Harris. The 2021 Jobs and Infrastructure Act (Biden-Harris) ushered in $13 Billion to Tribal Nations. Trump provided zero funds for infrastructure to Tribes. Recall that Vice President Harris cast the tie vote in the US Senate for the Inflation Reduction Act when 100% of Republican senators voted against it and the $720 million intended for Tribal Nations.  

Under the Trump administration, the annual White House Tribal Leader Summit was abandoned. Similarly, the White House Council on Native American Affairs failed to convene for the entire four years.  Under Biden-Harris, both the Tribal Leader Summit and White House Counsel resumed their important work supporting Tribal Nations. 

Folks, we have been here before. Leading up to his first election in 1832, Andrew Jackson campaigned on an Indian removal platform following enactment of the 1830 Indian Removal Act. Jackson, like Trump, characterized himself as a populous President. Jackson ushered in decades of treating our ancestors as refugees along the Trail of Tears Indian Removal. Forced assimilation tactics of Indian Boarding Schools along with the reservation policy was similar to concentration camp-like conditions. The plan was to exterminate us. In his first year in office, Trump proudly displayed the portrait of “Indian Killer” Andrew Jackson and used racial slurs against us while supposedly honoring the Navajo Code Talkers. Trump’s recent rhetoric threatening to use the US Military to deal with the “enemies within” is all too familiar rhetoric when we consider his role model President Jackson. Past as prologue? 

I have met and interacted with both former President Trump (once) and Vice President Harris (5 times). I was among the first eight Tribal leaders who met with newly elected Donald Trump in April 2017.  A bad sign was when he cued up the Indians in the War Room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. When he finally got to the tribal discussion in the last five minutes of our meeting, he said, “now, let’s talk about Indians. TRUMP LOVES INDIANS!”  His demeanor was unfocused, non-serious and just plain weird. When the Trump administration first met with the NCAI Executive Committee, we were informed that Trump directed 35% cuts across the board to most federal Indian programs including Indian Child Welfare, Tribal Law Enforcement, MMIP/Victim Services, and to zero out the JOM Indian Education budget.  

My experience with Kamala Harris was so different. I had the pleasure of working directly with her on the tribal broadband $1 billion. At her request, I helped create a formula for the Broadband distribution to Tribes. Recognizing the need was much greater than $1 billion, she advocated for $2 billion more to be included in the Jobs and Infrastructure Act. 

Trump proposed to decimate Indian Country budgets including four years trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid Expansion which provides health insurance coverage to American Indians no matter where you live.  Biden-Harris proposed mandatory funding and to incrementally reach full funding for IHS ($50 billion up from $9 billion) but the Republican Congress rejected this request.  Further, the ACA Medicaid Expansion third party revenues have doubled health care funding to Tribes. Trump says he has “concepts of a plan.” Make no mistake, his plan to repeal the ACA will decimate your Health Care budget. Ask yourself if your Tribe can afford to lose third party revenues. Rather than go back, I propose that we eliminate the income eligibility for the ACA Medicaid Expansion so Native people can have health insurance no matter where we live.  

Trump’s Project 2025 plan will usher in an era with impacts to Tribes not seen since the Andrew Jackson Administration or Indian Termination era. What is different now from Trump’s first administration is his Presidential immunity and that he clearly recognizes his loss in 2020 was due to the Native votes in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Arizona. With his “retribution” platform, I am confident it will be open season on Indian Country if Trump gets a second crack at the bat.  

There is too much at stake to make a mistake. Do we usher in a third Jackson-Era type presidency or move forward with a President who has proven herself with unprecedented support for Indian Country?

Dr. Aaron A Payment is an elected Tribal Council member for his tribe but submits this Opt Ed and Federal Indian Policy expert.  The opinions expressed are his own.  He can be reached at [email protected].

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