Once again … Here come the Republicans
Leland McGee
Cherokee Nation
The Republicans have taken charge of Washington, D.C., and tribes must begin to implement lobbying strategies that play well with Grand Old Party political philosophies if they wish to successfully engage this new leadership in now controlling the country’s political agenda.
Although our history as tribal governments has not been met with the respect that we as Native people would expect from the United States, it is now more incumbent than ever that tribes engage this Republican administration and Congress in a way that generates a more formidable understanding of where we have been, where we are now and where we are heading as sovereign nations. While this is not a message that everyone wants to hear, it is one that must be addressed. Our approach, efforts and overall focus of advocacy in Washington, D.C., must change if we are to continue making political progress in securing more support for our growing communities, enterprises, economies and our rights as sovereign governments.
How tribes will fare under the upcoming administration and the 119th Congress depends on how much tribes change the way they advocate at the national level. We know that much of the GOP rank and file are made up of two divergent groups – fiscal/social conservatives and fiscal/social moderates. Contrary to conventional political wisdom, in the recent past these two groups found themselves working towards cross purposes, each having different intentions. However, this phenomenon will not be as prevalent under the incoming GOP leadership. At least not right away. Therefore, tribes need to keep this in mind when developing their political agendas and their political advocacy strategies.
Take for example fiscal conservatives. They tend to be more “libertarian” in nature, arguing for more personal responsibility and accountability, versus increased governmental intrusion at the state and local levels of government. This group makes up much of the next Congress with their “Leave Us Alone” coalition of activism. They make it a top priority to push for increased tax cuts, more freedom from regulatory oversight and overall minimalization of federal governmental overreach into local government activities. Tribes should take note of the parallels between Indian Country and this form of conservative political ideology. This group should be our political allies.
Indian Country has fought for decades to reduce Internal Revenue Service attempts to levy taxes on our government operations. We have successfully defeated taxation of our unaffiliated business income, tribal trust account distributions, secured non-tax exclusions on general welfare assistance, secured equal treatment as states enjoy under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act, affirmed non-taxable status of tribally chartered entities as well as affirmed non-taxable revenues generated from essential governmental services. In addition, tribes continue to meet and confer with the IRS as part of a joint tribal leader task force, continuing to educate the federal government on tribal taxation policies.
Another area of potential common ground is the devolution of federal power to the states. Going back to the great compromise and the U.S. Constitution, conservatives have favored devolving power to the states, with tribal self-determination and self-governance being one of the most politically aligned models of devolution since the term was coined. Republicans favor economic growth and diversity. So do tribes, which is why so many have engaged in the expansion of their gaming facilities into full-scale resort destinations. Tribes are entering the energy development and production industry – especially in the renewable energy space – at record levels throughout the U.S. Still to this day, it is a little-known fact that Indian Country holds vast hydrocarbon resources, including crude oil, natural gas, coal and coal-bed methane that are all ripe for production. And those tribes are ready for the opportunity to bring these resources to market.
Hard rock mining, sand and gravel and other industrial resources are also widespread throughout Indian lands. Resources that are desperately needed to rebuild this country’s aged and crumbling infrastructure. With advancements in environmental stewardship and remediation efforts that begin day one of production, these resources are not only a viable and valuable commodity for tribes but can lead to even greater economic independence for those tribal communities.
Our task now is to make Republicans recognize that when they devolve federal power to the states and local governments, they include tribal governments in that effort. Indian Country has the resources and wherewithal to reach out to a Republican-controlled Washington and help refine their conservative ideological positions to best serve Indian Country. This includes securing the country’s borders. So many tribes are struggling with the ills of weak border policies. Especially those tribes close to the northern and southern borders of the country. The fentanyl epidemic has impacted tribal communities at an alarming rate. Illegal traffickers of drugs and humans utilize the remote migration patterns crisscrossing Indian lands. Federal and state assistance in helping these tribes deal with this crisis is nearly non-existent. Couple that with the significant rise in missing and murdered women and children on Indian lands and it doesn’t take a genius to connect the dots.
The new administration and Congress must be made aware of the tribes’ strategic alliance with the GOP’s economic agenda and its agenda for safer, healthier and more prosperous communities throughout the United States. This new political leadership must especially recognize the fact that Americans, whether of American Indian/Alaska Native descent or not, support tribal sovereign governments and the safe and productive tribal communities that they strive to protect. We must convince Washington that tribes are exactly what the Republicans are looking for, as far as the success that can happen when local governments are allowed to develop their own economies without burdensome federal oversight, regulation and taxation.
How we develop and deliver this message in a successful way is the point at which tribes must reevaluate their collective efforts. Statistics are critical. Anecdotal claims without statistical support are ineffective. Solving the mystery of political effectiveness begins with proving our own rhetoric, while disproving that of our opposition. If we want the new administration and Congress to believe in our governmental success and support our plans for economic growth, we must do four things immediately.
First, we must be willing to reveal more of our economic information that proves our success. This does not mean throwing our financial records wide open to all forms of review. Instead, we must use tribal financial information to our advantage in developing economic analyses that validate our achievements in business development, job creation, community investment and the litany of socio-economic impacts and improvements that we can rightly claim as our success stories on and off the reservation.
Second, tribes must be willing to share the wealth. This does not mean giving away the store, but instead, negotiating a framework of support mechanisms that not only benefit the tribal community, but also the non-Indian communities impacted by the tribe’s economic ventures. Such support mechanisms may include job creation, job training, schools and education support, health care delivery services, utility services, infrastructure and transportation needs and a host of other public service enhancements for communities that surround our reservations. Tribes have proven success in negotiating agreements with federal, state and local governments for the benefit of their communities. Now is the time to take this government-to-government relations building to the next level and show the new administration and Congress that Indian Country is strategically poised to help rebuild the country.
Third, tribes must engage in the national political process in a more contemporary and determined fashion. This does not mean that we compromise our rights as sovereigns, nor should it be perceived that way. The political reality is that money and votes are the two most powerful tools in Washington, D.C. Tribes must increase their financial outreach to those members of Congress that are willing to support and at times champion tribal positions on legislative initiatives. Moreover, tribes must start compiling better and more comprehensive data, as well as polling statistics on hotbed issues that impact tribes and that Congress will be debating in the months to come. Members of Congress facing issues of tribal importance must again be made aware of the positive impacts that growing tribal economies have on non-Indian communities and that those non-Indian citizens are in support of a healthy and prosperous tribal economy.
Fourth, we need to dramatically enhance our public relations and media presence and voter registration throughout the United States. We do not tell the people about all the good things we do in this country at the levels that we should. Complacency in the news media must end. We need to share with the country all the “feel good” stories we create by our giving and support to those less fortunate. We need to better communicate the fact that tribes are working hard to not only improve the lives of their tribal citizens, but also improve the quality of life for all citizens in those communities that surround our reservations. With so many tribes dedicating a vast share of their revenues to enhance the quality of life for others, we need to compile those statistics, gather testimonials and track the impacts of those changes to both Indian and non-Indian citizens of this country. There is no greater lobbying tool in Washington than the truth, backed by statistical data and voter support.
Most folks today feel that over the past couple of years the economy has experienced a significant downturn. The cost of food, gas, housing, health care and a host of other life necessities are now far out of reach for many Americans. Republicans will be looking for whatever sources they can garner to prove to the American people that the economy will quickly rebound by way of their economic stimulus measures. Tribal governments can play a key role in reflecting such economic success if we approach this administration and Congress with formidable, substantiated evidence that self-determination, economic diversity and local government control work to the benefit of Indians and non-Indians alike. The time is ripe for tribal governments to begin working the Washington political machine in the same fashion as Fortune 500 companies. Couple a coordinated political strategy with our sovereignty as tribal governments and you have the makings of one of the most politically dynamic and effective entities in the nation – a collective, orchestrated and politically well-oiled machine known as Indian Country.
Leland McGee, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, has represented tribes as a political and governmental advisor in Washington, D.C., and throughout Indian Country, and currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of The Sequoyah Group, LLC.
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