Pauly Denetclaw
ICT
WASHINGTON — Chief Lynn Malerba was wearing her traditional regalia — a red-ribbon dress adorned with a floral beaded yoke, belt and crown, all matching — as she was sworn in two years ago as the first Indigenous person to be the U.S. Treasurer.
It was a historic moment underpinned by Malerba’s outward display of her Mohegan Tribe. Her appointment, coupled with the appointment of Janet Yellen as Treasury secretary, paved the way for U.S. currency to feature the signatures of only women, a first for the country.
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Malerba formally announced Thursday that she will be leaving her post on Friday, Nov. 15. Her exit was preplanned before the results of the election, according to the department.
“Saying ‘yes’ to being the treasurer was a little intimidating, in some regard, but I also think it was such an opportunity,” Malerba said, during a virtual press conference on Wednesday. “It was a space that Indigenous people have not been represented in, and that’s very special to me, to be the person that would bring our voice forward in a bigger way.”
On Oct. 30, Yellen presented Malerba with the Alexander Hamilton Award, the Treasury Department’s highest honor, an annual award presented by the Treasury secretary to an outstanding individual who has improved the department.
Under her leadership, the Office of Tribal and Native Affairs, a first of its kind at the Treasurer’s Office, was created. The office is permanent but does not have guaranteed funding.
It began as a team in the Department of the Treasury in response to the $20 billion given to tribal nations through President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 relief bill.
Malerba’s first action as treasurer was to formalize the team under her office.
“This office has been essential in engaging Treasury in policy programs, and engaging with offices within Treasury that impacts tribes,” Malerba said. “It’s resulted in improved outcomes and guidance, regulation and policy, with customization provided for tribes in recognition of the obligation to uphold the trust and treaty obligations that the United States and all of its federal agencies are responsible for.”
Under Malerba’s leadership, the Treasury has conducted 800 engagement sessions with tribal leaders and communities. In 2022, Yellen made her first official tribal nations visit to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota to mark the historic appointment of Malerba.
The office has also supported a historic 50 tribal consultations on everything from tax issues to renewable energy credits, and accessing capital.
Two months ago, it was announced that tribal enterprises, businesses, and entities that are wholly owned by a federally recognized tribe would not be subject to federal income tax and would hold the same tax status as their nations.
“The proposed rule recognizes that tribal economies are unique, and rely on tribal businesses to generate governmental revenue,” she said.
Looking forward, however, Malerba said, more work needs to be done, not only to understand treaty and trust responsibilities but to be educated on how tribal nations’ economies are different from states or local municipalities.
As for the Office of Tribal and Native Affairs, she hopes officials will continue to think about how tax policy can impact tribal nations, and how barriers can be reduced at the Treasury Department to support economic development.
The announcement comes as former President Donald Trump prepares to take office again in January. When a new administration comes into power, political appointees often change, bringing new leadership into departments.
When asked if the office was worried about turnover, a Treasury official said, “Our staff are career staff, and it’s our role to support tribal inclusion, faithfully implement these programs. These $30 billion in recovery, set aside, have crossed multiple administrations, and it’s important that we focus on that, because we’re going to be going into close-out for programs. Tribes will need compliance support, (in addition to) all of these proposed tax regulations.”
Work will continue this year even after Malerba’s departure.
“We have upcoming consultations — three next week, three in December,” the Treasury official said. “I think that we will, to the best of our ability, continue this public service for Indian Country, because it’s bipartisan.”
As a lifelong chief for the Mohegan Tribe, Malerba said she is excited to be back on her homelands and in community. Her future plans include taking a Mohegan language immersion class, and learning more about her culture.
“My community is anxious to have me back home,” she said.
Malerba was part of the wave of Indigenous women taking leadership roles in state and federal governments, including Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Laguna Pueblo; Kansas U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, Ho-Chunk; Alaska U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, Yup’ik; and Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, White Earth Nation.
“What I tell my Native women back home is, when an opportunity presents itself to you, say ‘yes,’ because I think it’s really important for us to not pigeon hole ourselves into thinking we can only have one career, or we can only have one path forward,” Malerba said.
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