A ‘stealth’ economy for tribes often hides billions of dollars in jobs, growth and revenue.
Mark Trahant
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Meet the Native Americans running for office in 2018
Indigenous candidates are seeking governorships, seats in Congress and more.
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A judge’s ruling on Standing Rock reinforces treaty rights
The first in a series of lawsuits sides with tribal sovereignty.
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Five lessons for Indian Country from the Canadian elections
A record 54 indigenous candidates ran in this election, but still occupy just three percent of the House of Commons.
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Congress should appoint delegates to represent tribal nations
Why indigenous voices are needed to make U.S. a better democracy.
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Demographic shifts and the Native voting block
In 1980, 20 percent of the U.S. population was minority; today, 37 percent is.
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Tribal sovereignty remains Alaska’s unfinished business
Do Alaska Native tribes posses sovereignty?
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Unlocking digital tools in Indian Country to build a new economy
Tribes need to invest in their young people — and in technology
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Four reasons why Keystone is a goner
Climate change? Treaty rights? Sure, but the real killer is The Market.
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Making sure every Native voter has the opportunity to cast a ballot
Less than a week to go until Election Day. Its one thing to make the case that every American Indian and Alaska Native should vote. Its another to make certain that the door to the voting booth is actually open and there is a ballot ready to go. Across the country thats the challenge. One […]
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Keys to South Dakota Senate race: Tribal votes and Keystone XL
Is the die already cast for the upcoming election?
Posted inRange
Senate, House nearing a budget?
This is the week to watch Congress. If all goes well, Senate budget chairman Patty Murray will make a deal with the House budget chairman Paul Ryan that outlines federal spending for the rest of fiscal year 2014 and 2015. What kind of deal? As The Washington Posts Wonkblog puts it: “The budget deal Patty Murray and […]
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True Believers would destroy the Indian health system
Congress always works on two tracks. The first rail is legislation that gives the government authority to spend money. The second rail is one that actually appropriates the funds. It’s that second law that dictates how the government can spend dollars for the Indian Health Service (or any other program) under parameters set by law. […]
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Congress quickly fixes the wrong problem
Last week was a perfect illustration of the broken structure that is the United States government. Congress cannot pass a budget. It can barely pass a law to pay bills already incurred and owed. And its best “deficit” cutting attempt is the decade-long sequester, across-the-board cuts that hit the wrong programs, at the wrong times, […]
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Dangerous talk from the Capitol
Idaho’s Rep. Mike Simpson, a Republican, asked a critical question Tuesday. It’s one rarely asked, let alone, answered. The question: Does more government money work? Specifically, Simpson, the chairman of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, was asking if recent increased funding for the Indian Health Service has made a […]
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The state of Indian nations
National Congress of American Indians President Jefferson Keel began his annual report, State of Indian Nations, with a simple exclamation. “Indian Country is strong!” That statement, he added, is something he hasn’t always been able to say. He then described this as “a moment of real possibility.” And why not? There is a long list […]
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Winning the day
Happy New Year. Or, I should say, happy election year. From now on, the national battle for president (as well as the house and the senate) shifts from a vague threat to an actual election. But not just any election, because the 2012 result could represent a significant threat to Indian Country. No matter who […]
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President Obama says Indian Country is at a turning point
Politicians are required to be optimistic. It’s the first tool in their bag. And a president of the United States is even more optimistic than most politicians. It’s what we expect from our leader. President Barack Obama beamed that message at the White House Tribal Nations conference last week. He told tribal leaders: “We’ve got […]
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Success stories fail to materialize in Indian country
Last December hundreds of American Indian and Alaska Native leaders traveled to Washington, D.C. for the second White House Tribal Nations Conference. I wrote at the time: “When President Obama reached the podium at the Interior Department last week nearly every person in a seat lifted a cell phone to take a picture. Row after […]
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A journey through the “Era of Contraction”
I drove across the Northwest this past weekend. A 1,700-mile trip from Idaho to Seattle, returning via rural roads in Washington, and freeways in Idaho and Montana. Along the route I looked at places and wondered, how will life change during the Era of Contraction? The most visible sign of a federal West (the one […]