By Michelle Beaudin
LCO TGB Member
In February we had our Winter Session for NCAI in Washington D.C. We had speakers come to our event and give us updates from the following Departments and Agencies:
USDA, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health & Human Services, Homeland Security, HUD, Interior & BIA, Transportation, US Treasury, Veterans Affairs, Census, Office of Management & Budget, Small Business Administration, Social Security Administration, White House, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate.
They gave us updates on programs, funding, services that they are providing or adding for Indian Country, as well as new bills that they are introducing that affect us and needing our support, as well as an update on recent court cases that affect us.
We also went to Capital Hill and had meetings with the following:
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Maria Cantewell (D-WA), Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Senator Steve Daines (R-MT), Senator John Hoeven (D-ND), Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Senator Jon Tester (D-MT), House Education and Workforce Committee, Representative Mark Amodei (R-NV), Representative Suzanne Bonavinci (D-OR), Representative Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Representative Tracy Mann (R-KS), Representative Matt Rosendale (R-MT), Representative Ryan Zinke (R-MT), USDA;
These meetings we spoke specifically about issues in Indian Country with specific areas that they are working on, or on areas that they are on sub-committees, or joint finance – from education, farm bill, boarding schools, public safety, school safety, climate change, environmental protections, etc.
It was a full week of a lot of information and advocacy and we did a lot of strategizing meetings and partnering with other Native organizations such as VAWA, NIHB, IGA, NARF, etc. As well as having the State of Indian Nations Address from NCAI Board President along with the Native American Youth Council Address.
I have a lot more specific information on different areas if anyone is interested, please visit me and I will be happy to share it.