Press Release: Biden Administration Betrays Tribal Sovereignty Amid White House Tribal Summit
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland Urged to Immediately Stand Down on Watershed Medford Casino Decision That Will Upend Ancestral Land Ties and Proliferate Off-Reservation Tribal Gaming
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the Biden Administration hosts its final White House 2024 Tribal Nations Summit, the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians urged the Biden Administration to honor its commitment to Tribal Sovereignty and Tribal Consultation as a wave of applications for off-reservation casinos remain pending and the voices of Tribes in opposition continue to be ignored.
The Cow Creek Umpqua, along with more than 30 other Tribes, Oregon Senators Wyden and Merkley, California’s Governor and Senators, Congressman Bentz, more than 20 additional members of Congress have been urging the Administration and Secretary Haaland to understand the irreversible consequences for Indian country by approving Oregon’s first off-reservation casino and others throughout the West Coast.
“It is performative to celebrate an Administration’s contributions to Indian Country when the actions tell a very different story,” said Cow Creek Umpqua Tribal Chairman Carla Keene. “We have been dismissed and ignored about policy that will devastate our social, cultural, and economic livelihood. There is time to do the right thing and put a stop to the pending decisions that will irreversibly harm Tribes across the Pacific Northwest and West Coast, which is a backwards step in American History, not forward.”
The Department of the Interior’s (DOI) recent release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on the Medford Casino decision sets off a 30-day window for public and Tribal leaders to formally register objections to this decision. Objections include the disruptions to inter-Tribal kindship, government-Tribal relationships, and ancestral land ties, along with the ability for Tribes to provide healthcare, safety, mental health, economic development, and education to its citizens.
“Today’s Summit also represents another missed opportunity for genuine dialogue, consultation, and collaboration. We have implored the Administration and Secretary Haaland to consult with us, hear our concerns, visit our lands, and maintain an open conversation—yet these calls have been ignored at every turn.”
The Cow Creek Umpqua is vowing to continue the fight, alongside Tribal partners and elected officials, to prevent the establishment of an off-reservation casino in Medford. This unilateral federal action would defy state lawmakers and upend Oregon’s long-standing ‘One Tribe, One Casino’ policy—all for an off-reservation casino more than 165 miles from Coquille Tribe’s ancestral homelands in North Bend.
“We have pleaded for fairness, transparency, and respect for our ancestral lands—only to be dismissed by the Administration and Secretary Haaland,” added Cow Creek Umpqua CEO Michael Rondeau. “This Summit must serve as a wake-up call: Tribal sovereignty cannot be selective, our history matters, and the Administration’s legacy in Indian Country will be forever stained with an approval.”
