The Obama White House, in its waning days, has released a new report summarizing a lengthy list of accomplishments under its watch it believes have benefited Indian country. Chief among them: the 2013 creation by executive order of the White House Council on Native American Affairs, which established an official pathway for Cabinet secretaries and top federal agency officials to coordinate and make progress on Indian issues.
The 40-page report, titled “A Renewed Era of Federal-Tribal Relations,” outlines ways the administration has tried to improve federal-tribal relationships, including its support for Indian trust and water settlements; its vast restoration of tribal lands; its support of tribal treaty rights; its aim to improve Indian health; and its goal to prioritize consultation—among many more initiatives, some of which have been largely considered successful among tribal citizens.
The report clearly highlights the administration’s creation of the White House Council on Native American Affairs as a top – and, Obama Indian affairs officials hope – a lasting accomplishment. To drive that point home, it offers prominent placement of a quote from President Barack Obama at the 2016 conference: “[B]y creating the White House Council on Native American Affairs, we created a permanent institution with a long-term, Cabinet-level focus on Indian country, one that involves you through the decision-making process.”
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Obama’s use of the word “permanent” to describe the council is hopeful, as future presidents can undermine or undo executive orders established by previous presidents.
In a White House blog post announcing the report, Karen Diver, Special Assistant to the President for Native American Affairs in the White House Domestic Policy Council, referenced the importance of the council, writing that the report is intended to set a baseline of progress for tribes to reference in their ongoing work with the federal government, “and outlines the priorities that the White House Council on Native American Affairs (WHCNAA) will continue to work on based on tribal leaders’ recommendations.”
Diver further noted that the council was established via Obama’s June 26, 2013 Executive Order 13647 and said the council “represents a path to a more effective federal government for Indian country, bringing together federal Departments and Agencies from across the Executive Branch to ‘break down siloes’ and coordinate for more effective programs.”
The incoming Trump administration has not said what its plans are for the White House Council on Native American Affairs, nor has it released much, if any, information on its Indian affairs plans.
When the council was formed in 2013, tribal leaders said they wished that tribal officials would have been invited to join it in order to have direct input, but administration officials said it was intended for federal agency officials to coordinate their Indian affairs’ agendas. The report notes that Interior Secretary Sally Jewell “set the precedent for tribal leader attendance and participation” at three meetings of the council each year.
Beyond the council, Diver shared her thoughts in her blog post about the administration’s overall Indian affairs legacy: “The Obama Administration has made historic progress over the past eight years in improving the nation-to-nation relationship between the United States and federally recognized tribes,” she wrote. “Together, the Obama Administration and tribal nations have accomplished shared goals and achieved milestones that upheld self-governance and self-determination – the foundation for prosperous and resilient tribal nations.”
The report additionally includes a section on ways the administration has supported Indian economic development. Still, many tribal leaders over the past eight years have said they wished the administration had done more to prioritize this area, as jobs are still woefully lacking in many parts of Indian country.
Diver acknowledged in her blog post that all is not complete: “While the Administration and tribes have partnered for historic achievements, there is still much more to do.”
The full report is available online here.