Tribes Watch and Wait Under New Administration

As with any transition in presidential administrations, uncertainty lingers. However, in the first 100 days of the Trump Administration, several directives, executive orders, and layoffs of government positions have left Native American Tribes in an uncertain position.

On January 27, a memo from the White House attempted to enact a freeze on all federal funding, which is the lifeblood of many of the programs that provide services like health clinics, education, agriculture, and much more for Tribal citizens across the nation. This was rescinded several days later, but still caused panic and uncertainty nation-wide.

Furthermore, beginning February 13, the Trump administration announced layoffs of thousands of federal employees, including thousands working for the Indian Health Service (IHS), the Department of the Interior, (DOI) the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Bureau of Indian Education. Though the layoffs of IHS workers was rescinded, the impacts of the other layoffs have still been felt across the nation. In addition to the effects on Indian services, the layoffs may also cause devastating environmental effects, as many layoffs targeted DOI positions like park rangers, firefighters, biologists, wastewater treatment operators, and more. This could reduce the manpower and funding available to fight the wildfires that have become all too common in summer months.

While the country is in a wait-and-hold pattern, the Cow Creek Umpqua Tribal Government continues to actively advocate for the Tribal families. Their top priority is providing for the health and safety of all Tribal citizens, now and seven generations into the future.

During the Tribal General Council meeting in February, Chairman Carla Keene said: “We are in a wait and see period. You have a great team working for you; our staff is amazing, and they are working very hard to make sure the Tribe gets the services you need. We are going to be fine. It will just be a little different than it has been in the past.”