Tribes weather shutdown, for now
Oklahoma’s largest tribes have, so far, weathered the stoppage in federal funds from a partial government shutdown, but are unsure how long they can continue doing so.
“By treaty, the U.S. government has a federal trust responsibility to federally recognized tribes and that obligation isn’t being met during government shutdowns,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker.
The shutdown entered its 16th day Saturday as President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats remain at loggerheads over border security funding. Most Bureau of Indian Affairs employees have been furloughed, along with workers at other federal agencies that assist tribes — assistance that was promised in decades-old treaties.
At the Cherokee Nation, a food distribution program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is still delivering healthy food to citizens, supplies are still reaching mothers through the Women, Infants and Children program and tribal health care programs are still operational.
“We do have growing concerns, however, for these federally funded programs if Congress and the president do not reach an agreement soon,” Baker said.
The Cherokees have a contingency plan to use tribal dollars in place of federal funds if the shutdown persists, according to Baker. Leaders of the Chickasaw Nation, Choctaw Nation and Osage Nation said they have not yet seen a disruption of core services.
“The government shutdown definitely restricts our ability to make capital improvements to our facilities and equipment,” said Muscogee (Creek) Nation Secretary of Health Shawn Terry. “However, through this time period we are committed to our patients and employees and will redirect the necessary funds to keeping our facilities open and our employees paid.”
Legislation introduced by Rep. Markwayne Mullin, a Westville Republican and Cherokee Nation citizen, would maintain funding for the Indian Health Service during the shutdown but that legislation has not been considered in the House. Indian Health Service grants to tribes have stopped and employees at clinics are not being paid during the shutdown.
On Thursday night, House Democrats passed bills that fund the government but not Trump’s requested border wall. Rep. Kendra Horn, D-Oklahoma City, voted in favor, and Oklahoma’s four Republican House members voted against.
“Our first step must be to use common sense and end the government shutdown,” Horn said soon after being swornin Thursday, urging her fellow members of Congress to put hundreds of thousands of federal workers back to work. “That is why I am proud that one of my first votes as a member of Congress will be to reopen the government.”
The GOP-controlled Senate doesn’t plan to consider the House bills, however, continuing a stalemate that began Dec. 22. Despite Trump’s insistence last month that the shutdown was his responsibility, Sen. Jim Inhofe says it’s “the Democrat shutdown.”
“The Democrats are refusing do what is right and secure our borders, calling it an ‘expensive and ineffective solution,’” the Tulsa Republican said in a news release Wednesday. “Here is what we know — walls work and it isn’t too expensive to secure our border and protect American families from drugs, human trafficking and crime.”
Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma City, has been less partisan in his shutdown remarks, telling Bloomberg on Thursday that he favors a “modest border security package.”
He said the Senate will not vote on any funding bill that doesn’t have sufficient support from the House, Senate and White House.
“It’s going to be a bipartisan effort, clearly, at this point and we’ll try to get this done,” he said. “But I just don’t think it should be as complicated as everyone’s making this.”