U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, spoke on the U.S. Senate floor regarding a letter she sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) urging them to immediately issue a memorandum directing all federal agencies to ensure that Indian Tribes and the related Tribal programs and federal funding they receive due to their political status are not affected by implementation of the President’s Executive Orders and policies, such as those addressing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA), and environmental justice (EJ). In addition to issuing the requested memorandum, Senator Murkowski requested that the OMB provide a written response outlining any additional actions they plan to take to ensure all federal agencies properly recognize the unique status of Indian Tribes based on their political classification.
Video of Chairman Murkowski’s floor speech can be found here.
Speech transcript:
“My colleagues know that I am Chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. I have been on this committee since I came to the Senate and it is a position that I hold very close. I represent a constituency of Alaska Natives back in my home state. We have over one half of the Tribes in the United States, and so my responsibility to them as their federal representative is one that, again, I take very, very seriously.
“There has been a fair amount of confusion, I think, and uncertainty that has been brought about by many of the Executive Orders and some of the federal actions that we have seen, whether it is funding freezes or programs that are being put on pause. But, one area that I want to make very, very clear to my colleagues, as I have [also] sought to make clear to those that are part of the incoming administration, is that when we are speaking about Indian Tribes and Tribal Programs and the federal funding that they receive, they do not fall into the category, if you will, of diversity, equity, and inclusion. And so, when the Executive Order was announced in the very first week of the Trump administration, there was confusion as to whether or not Indian and Tribal programs were impacted. And in that confusion, I think a lot of undue stress and anxiety [was caused]. So, I immediately asked the OMB – I met with Mr. Vought personally, and I asked him to take steps immediately to reaffirm the unique treatment, programs and services to Indian Tribes based on their political and legal status which is recognized in our U.S. Constitution, in our treaties, in our many federal laws and policies, to ensure that there is no disruption to our federal Tribal programs.
“We know our Supreme Court has affirmed our Indian Tribes are a unique political class – this is not a racial one – and their sovereignty and trust relationship with the federal government must be upheld and I shared this in a letter to the acting director of OMB.
“We have seen, at least in a couple of the departments already, that they clearly understand this distinct legal and political relationship. The Department of Interior moved very quickly to add clarification. On the 30th of January, the Department of Interior issued a Secretarial Order that acknowledges that nothing in their order should be construed to effect the activities that implement the legal requirements independent of the EOs, including ‘the statutory authorities, treaty and/or trust obligations of the Department’ to our Tribal Nations and to our Native Hawaiian community.
“I appreciated that very clear message coming out of DOI so early. I think it can be used as the model and template for other agencies. Because it’s not just within Interior that we see Tribal programs. It is in other areas. We have just recently seen out of the Department of Health and Human Services that they recognize that as well. We are working, again, to make sure that any Tribal programs have the clarity that they need, and an assurance that they and the beneficiaries will not be impacted. We have a trust responsibility, we have an obligation that is clear. And so, avoiding any confusion, misunderstanding or anxiety is something that I think we owe to our Indigenous Peoples across the country and I’m thankful that many within the new administration have stepped up with us to clear up any confusion that may be out there.”
Prior to Chairman Murkowski’s remarks on her letter to OMB, she announced on the Senate Floor legislation that she introduced legislation that would officially designate North America’s highest mountain as Denali, the name bestowed by Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans. The bill would require that any reference in U.S. laws, maps, regulations, or other records refer to the mountain as Denali.
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