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Minnesota Caucus

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State Rep. Peggy Flanagan speaking at a campaign event. She tweets: “My fav photo from our kickoff. I’m running for my little girl and all girls who deserve to be seen, heard, and valued.”(Photo via Twitter.)

The November election seems far off. It’s almost a year away, right? Sorry. Elections are a series of steps that lead to that moment when ballots are actually counted.

This is Trahant Reports.

Voters in Minnesota this week will caucus at the precinct level. It’s a meeting that is run by the political parties.  There are two important things that happen at these precinct-level meetings. First there will be a “preference” vote for governor. The winner of that poll could use it to help raise money and suggest a larger base of support. The second thing is the election of delegates to the state convention. This is a big deal. Because in Minnesota state party delegates will later endorse a candidate.

A precinct caucus can be won by a small group. Basically if someone decides to take a bunch of friends to a meeting — that could change everything. That’s especially true in this year’s election because both parties have so many candidates running.

There are nine Republicans running in their party caucus. Last week former Gov. Tim Pawlenty signaled that he might try one more time.

Minnesota’s Democratic Farmer Labor Party has six plus candidates, a mayor, three legislators, a state auditor, and a member of Congress.

Rep. Tim Walz is campaigning with his pick for Lt. Gov, State Rep. Peggy Flanagan. Flanagan is a member of the White Earth band of Ojibwe. She would be the first Native American woman to hold this office.

It is unusual for a team to be put together so early in the process, but it’s also an opportunity for voters to see what an administration would look like. And for the team to balance each other in terms of interest and perception.

That’s already been an issue.

Rebecca Otto, the state auditor and a DFL candidate for governor, is running to be the most progressive candidate. In a fundraising letter she said she has “strong disagreements” with Walz because he voted for Keystone XL three times in Congress, supports the Enbridge Pipeline and “he says he does not oppose the DAPL pipeline.” As is often the case, the story is more complicated than that.

It’s true that Walz voted for Keystone, but he also has said that if any pipeline negatively impacts Native people, violates treaty rights, or disturbs burial grounds, it should not be built.

That’s where Peggy Flanagan comes in. Should Walz be elected, Flanagan would be there to make the case. She would be inside the room. She might win the day. She might not. But she’ll be there for four years pushing and reminding Walz about the importance of Native issues. Including pipelines.

Tuesday’s precinct caucus will be a test not only of Flanagan but that of voters from Native communities in Minnesota.  It’s the perfect forum for Indian Country because even a small group of people can carry the day.

I am Mark Trahant.

Sovereignty

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Opening night: Mary Kathryn Nagle author of the play, “Sovereignty.” (Arena Stage photo)

Indian Country needs a canon of stories. A collection of Memory that every child knows growing up. A reference guide to our shared history — as well as a reminder about what the fight is all about.

This is Trahant Reports.

Mary Katherine Nagle’s new play, “Sovereignty,” is one of those stories.

“Sovereignty” is now at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. Think of it this way: It’s a Native narrative on the nation’s stage. All too often we get excited when we see a movie or a TV show that has one Native American character worth remembering. That’s cool. But we should really get excited about a work of art, in this case a play, when the author, the cast, and often the audience is Native.

“Sovereignty” tells two Cherokee stories, one historical, one modern. The first story is about the Cherokee Nation in the tribe’s homelands and the actions of Major Ridge, John Ridge, Elias Boudinot (a nephew of Ridge) and Chief John Ross (as well their fictional descendants). This was a time of war: The state’s military, the Georgia Guard, was evil, violent and determined to strip the Cherokee people from their homeland. The Supreme Court had ruled in favor of the Cherokees but the government of Georgia ignored that. The state’s primary mission was annihilation.

Nagle is literally an heir to this story. This is her family. But there is another angle for Indian Country and it’s why I think this story must be in our canon; the power of dissent. There are two great stories about why dissent is important to Indian Country: That of the Ridges and Lucy Covington’s fight against termination. (She followed around a pro-termination Colville tribal council at public events to counter their narrative and then stirred up support for new leaders.)

The Cherokee leadership — led by Chief John Ross and the National Council — wanted their homeland no matter the cost, including giving Georgia absolute authority over the Cherokee Nation. Boudinot wrote Chief Ross: “What is the prospect in reference to your plan of relief, if you are understood at all to have any plan? It is dark and gloomy beyond description. Subject the Cherokees to the laws of the States in their present condition?”

The Ridges and Boudinot argued for a future Cherokee Nation. That meant signing the Treaty of New Echota and setting the stage for what became the Trail of Tears and the move to Oklahoma. Major Ridge knew the price of this dissent. He said at the time: “I have signed my death warrant.”

Nagle’s play captures those powerful themes but it also does something that only an artist can do. She brings the Ross and the Ridge families back together. She shows through the power of story how we’re all in this together. Still.

I am Mark Trahant.

 

Federal Shutdown

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The government is in its official shutdown mode.

This is Trahant Reports.

Congress cannot pass a budget because there are several different factions, think of them as mini-political parties, and they all have different goals. Remember this: The Republicans are in charge. This process could have been resolved within the caucus — if the GOP leadership had the votes. But some want more money for the military, others want less money for all government, and others are demanding a hardline on immigration.

There are three things on the Democrats’ “must” list. They want domestic spending protected. Democrats also want funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program or CHIP. This is a huge program for Indian Country (along with Medicaid) because it pays the health care costs for so many American Indian and Alaska Native children.

As the National Indian Health Board posted last week, the House bill “does contain a 6-year reauthorization for the Children’s Health Insurance Program but does not include the Special Diabetes Program for Indians.” This is a huge miss. The Special Diabetes for Program for Indians expires on March 3st.

So an ideal solution would be for the Senate to include both CHIP and the diabetes program in any deal that’s made with the White House.

The bill also does not fund Community Health Centers which could lose up to 70 percent of their budget.

What’s open? Well, the Bureau of Indian Education schools, and Indian Health Service clinics should be open. But money for third-party medical care could be delayed. In fact all contracts could be a problem. And expect as many as half of the Bureau of Indian Affairs employees to be furloughed.

In the Senate the final sticking point for Democrats is protecting the people who were brought to this country by their parents or other adults unlawfully as children. This issue is interesting because nearly everyone says they see the value in finding a solution to because the United States is their country in all but paperwork.

Yet even the rhetoric is changing. A few days ago Republicans were talking about agreement on this point. Today the language is harsh. Republicans saying Democrats are trying to “protect illegal aliens.”

But the Senate bill that the president rejected was a bipartisan immigration bill. Immigration hardliners did not want that deal, even though it would have increased funding for the wall. The White House represents the most conservative element on immigration issues.

Of course none of these debates are new. But Congress has not had the votes to pass any plan. So the solution has been short-term spending bills. One after another.
The government shutdown is about ending that stalemate, resolving the debates, and moving forward.

That said: Don’t be surprised if another “deal” is just another short-term pass. The go, though, is to force Congress into a real debate. Big picture stuff.
I am Mark Trahant.

$1.5 trillion and counting — Cost of climate change

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How much does climate change cost taxpayers?

This is Trahant Reports.

The thing is governments really have two choices when it comes to managing the costs of global warming: Spend money on trying to reduce the problem; or spend money on cleaning up the catastrophes.

The Trump administration is on the hook for the catastrophe.

A report released last week by The National Centers for Environmental Information pegged that cost at $1.5 trillion. That includes estimates for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.

I witnessed first hand the impact of Hurricane Maria on the island of Dominica last month. We keep hearing stories about the power grid being down (similar to Puerto Rico) and you think, why? It’s been months. Why aren’t the lights on? Then you see nearly every electrical pole on the island sideways. The entire grid needs to be rebuilt (or better, rethought) and that’s decades of infrastructure. So the figure of $1.5 trillion is far short of what will be needed. And that’s just one island. Multiple the effect across the region.

The Centers for Environmental Information says there were sixteen weather and climate disasters with losses exceeding $1 billion each across the United States.

But instead of trying to reduce the costs of weather-related catastrophes, the Trump administration continues to develop more oil and gas. The Interior Department announced new rules that, if enacted, will open up nearly all of the United States coastal waters to more oil and gas development beginning next year.

As Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke put it: “The important thing is we strike the right balance to protect our coasts and people while still powering America and achieving American Energy Dominance.”

Dominance such a funny word. How can any nation be dominant in the face of storms that are ever more powerful and destructive?

A group of elders from the Bering Sea immediately condemned the Interior Department’s offshore drilling plan. They wrote: “The northern Bering Sea is a very fragile ecosystem. The marine mammals that we rely on use it as their highway and they follow specific migration routes. That is how we know when and where to find them. The noise and vibration associated with drilling will interfere with their sonar and disrupt their migrations. Then we the coastal people will lose our primary food source.”

There is a connection between developing oil and gas and paying the high costs to clean up after a storm. One side of the ledger goes to the few; the oil and gas “industry.” The other side of the ledger is the rest of us. The taxpayers who will foot the bill for this continued folly.

And on the Bering Sea? The folks who live there are one storm away from tragedy. As the elders put it: “Our people and our way of life are being exposed to danger and we do not understand why.”

I am Mark Trahant.

What Qualifies a Leader? The Nominee Director for IHS with Nominal Experience

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IHS Director Nominee, Robert Weaver

What qualifications are needed to manage (and possibly reform?) the Indian health Service?

This is Trahant Reports.

The Indian Health Service is Indian Country’s largest employer with more than 15,000 people on the payroll and many, many more people who work in health care for tribes, non-profits and other related agencies. The IHS budget is $6.1 billion. Yet it’s also the least funded national health care delivery system.

The Wall Street Journal published a story last week about the controversial nomination of  Robert Weaver, the Trump Administration’s pick to head the Indian Health Service. The Journal raised questions about Weaver’s role at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Mo.

Weaver is a member of the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma.

These are the facts. Weaver will be the least educated director of the Indian Health Service ever. If confirmed, Weaver will the tenth permanent director. All but one prior to Weaver have been physicians, most with multiple degrees in public health, science, and health administration. Weaver is not a college graduate. His background is insurance. In a September 2016 profile in Native Oklahoma magazine he said his business saved the Quapaw Tribe more than $5 million a year.

The problem here is one of scale. He was owns a business where he can hire and fire at will. But at the Indian Health Service most of the key personnel decisions are made by folks in the chain of command. Sometimes even as a favor to a United States Senator. And firing? Just one such action could take up more time than the three years left in this administration.

And that’s the easy stuff. The agency’s operations are complicated by Congress, law, regulation, tribal relations, the Veterans Administration, Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance.

To his credit, Weaver has been outspoken about the underfunding of the Indian health system. (My question: Will he say so again in his confirmation testimony?)

Perhaps the Indian Health Service should be led by someone with an insurance background. It would surely help if the agency could come up with a better funding model, including a mix of insurance funds. But it’s a complex organization and he would be managing jobs that he himself could not be qualified to run, such as a hospital administrator.

Just what are the qualifications necessary to run the Indian health system? I have a bias. I met some of the great physicians who ran the agency. I remember Emery Johnson’s passion and thoughtfulness about what IHS could be. So the standard for me, at least, is high.

Then the Trump administration likes the idea of shaking up government. And, appointing someone to run the IHS with a very different background, does just that.

We would do well to remember a phrase that medical doctors learn early in their training, First, do no harm.

 

I am Mark Trahant.

Congress Faces New Pressure to Cut Federal Spending

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President Donald J. Trump celebrates the passage of tax legislation. That new law will reduce money going into the federal treasury by some $1.5 trillion. (White House photo)

Congress is governing at short-term intervals because there are not enough votes to pass a real spending bill. And that’s not a good sign going forward because the budget only gets more complicated because of all the issues that Congress has been avoiding.

The New Year starts with all kinds of resolutions. One issue that’s been put off for a “later” day is a resolution about how the federal government spends money. That later day will be Jan. 19.

This is Trahant Reports.

Government budgets are policy documents. What programs are more important and therefore get more funding? Which agencies should get less?

The Trump administration has been clear since the election that it wants smaller government. But Congress, not the president, makes that call. And that’s where the problems begin.

Congress is supposed to enact spending bills by October 1. But the votes are not there to make that so. Some conservatives want the federal government to spend far less across the board, while others want more money for Defense. Neither of these wings has enough votes to pass their spending plan. So they need help from Democrats. And Democrats are against harsh budget cuts in domestic programs.

So instead of a spending plan, Congress has been enacting short term budgets. The latest temporary bill includes money for the Children’s Health Insurance Program — a program that includes insurance for American Indian and Alaska Natives. That program expired in October.

But Congress has avoided most of the contentious issues that divide Republicans. The leadership says it will address immigration, health care and national security in the next spending bill.

Right.

Over the next year or two there will be much more pressure for Congress to cut the budget. Deeply. The new tax law means there will be fewer dollars going into the federal treasury.  Roughly one point five trillion dollars less.

So the White House is already telling federal agencies to prepare for severe budget cuts in the 2019 budget.  A memo recently surfaced that called for a government-wide pay freeze just to save money.

The Washington Post reported that federal employment has dropped by some 16,000 workers. That’s a small percentage. But it includes the slow appointment of political posts — the president is choosing not to fill many slots — and it masks even deeper reductions in agencies such as the Environmental Protection Administration or the Internal Revenue Service.

The president is “committed to streamlining government for the 21st century, reducing bloat, duplication and waste, and focusing resources on key priorities like public safety and protecting our nation’s homeland,” a  White House spokesman told the Post.

The president is shrinking government — as he promised.

Congress is governing at short-term intervals because there are not enough votes to pass a real spending bill. And that’s not a good sign going forward because the budget only gets more complicated because of all the issues that Congress has been avoiding.

I am Mark Trahant.

Ready or Not: Here comes 2018

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Photo Credit: Official White House Photo by Stephanie Chasez

President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks on tax reform in the Grand Foyer at the White House, Wednesday, December 13, 2017, in Washington, D.C. , announcing that Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate have agreed on a deal on Tax Reform legislation.

The year 2017 has been, well, let’s just say interesting.

This is Trahant Reports.

We saw the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as president. That meant the immediate rollback of Obama era regulations on everything from the climate to public health.

Indian Country is very much in the thick of this debate.

One of the president’s first acts was to reverse the Obama administration demand for an environmental impact statement at Standing Rock. No time for such niceties. Drill, baby, drill! It wasn’t long before oil was flowing through the Dakota Access Pipeline. But if President Trump and his oil company allies thought that was the end of the debate … they are sorely mistaken. It’s a long battle over energy, the climate, and the nation’s priorities.

The president and his Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke wasted no time in going after National Monuments such as Bear’s Ears in southern Utah. The administration supposedly “studied” the issue but the results were known long before the investigation began. These monuments were to be made smaller (opening up more potential oil and gas development).

The Trump administration is dealing with the impacts of climate change every day: Massive storms in Alaska; fires in California; and, hurricanes on the Atlantic and Caribbean oceans. But instead of coming up with a plan, the Trump government said it would withdraw from the international framework on climate change.
Speaking of priorities, the Congress took on legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act. But even that framework was misleading. Because the idea was bigger: It was to turn Medicaid into a block grant program for the states. That would cut millions of people off insurance rolls — and make it that much harder for the Indian Health Service to serve patients.

But here’s the thing: An interesting coalition was built that included Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and John McCain of Arizona. Plus Democrats. So the revamping of health care did not happen.

At least in theory. Since then all Republicans have come together to agree on their favorite cause, tax cuts. This legislation was, as promised, signed into law before Christmas. The legislation sharply drops the tax bill for corporations – and the very wealthy. There are a few breaks for the rest of us, except they are tiny and don’t last very long.

And the new tax law means there will be less money going into the federal treasury. The deficit will climb. Big time. And guess what Congress will do to fix that? Cut domestic programs – such as those that serve American Indians and Alaska Natives.

So if you think 2017 was an interesting year. Get ready for 2018. It promises to be even more chaotic.
I am Mark Trahant.

Jordan First Native American Woman to Hit Campaign Trail for Governor

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Paulette Jordan is campaigning to be the Governor of Idaho.

This is Trahant Reports.

There have been very few Native Americans who have ever run for office at that level (I can think of three: Alaska’s Byron Mallott, Idaho’s Larry EchoHawk, and Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota).

Now add Jordan to that list. And she’s the first Native woman who has the audacity to ask citizens to run their state. Yay!

She also already has winning over conservative Idaho voters. Two years ago when Democrats were losing races across the country, she captured her second term as a state representative, winning by a margin of 290 votes. That might not sound like a lot, but she won during a Republican wave.

Jordan is a citizen of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.

She grew up in a farming family, Jordan says her grandparents showed her that cultivating the land was a continuation of our ancestral traditions of caring for homelands. The Coeur d’Alene peoples have cared for Idaho homelands since time immemorial and Idahoans today practice the same combination of self-sufficiency and cooperation that her grandparents once did. She told her constituents: This is what connects us to each other.

At her announcement, Jordan said, “when asked, ‘what are you going to do next to improve this world?’” She answered: “I am going to run for governor.”

Idaho once regularly elected Democrats to state office, including former Interior Secretary Cecil Andrus (who won office a record four times). These days it’s a super-majority Republican state. But things change. Idaho is also a state where the legendary National Congress of American Indians President Joe Garry served in the state senate and was a candidate for the U.S. Senate. It’s where Jeannie Givens served in the legislature and she ran for the U.S. House of Representatives (in fact, likely the first Native woman to do so). Both Garry and Givens are Coeur d’Alene tribal members. It’s also a state that that elected Larry EchoHawk, a Pawnee, first to the legislature, and later as Idaho’s state’s Attorney General. EchoHawk did lose a bid for governor. And, so yes, it’s an uphill climb for Jordan. But it’s not impossible.

One telling story about Jordan is that she lost her first race for the legislature in 2012 by less than a hundred-fifty votes. She did not give up. She went right back to work — and won two years later.

Jordan said there is even an advantage to being a member of the minority party. She said being in the majority can be insular and keep their circle small. She said: “In my family, our circle can always get bigger, and that’s what I see for Idaho. A bigger circle is what achieving justice for all looks like.”

I am Mark Trahant

Re-Balancing Gender Politics

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Minnesota’s governor could make history by appointing state Rep. Peggy Flanagan to the U.S. Senate. She would be the first Native American woman in history to serve in Congress. She is currently a candidate for the state’s Lt. Gov. (Campaign photo)

There is an uncomfortable, even painful re-balancing going on across so much of society. The old world of male dominance is slowly coming to an end. Minnesota Senator Al Franken lost his office because of his own actions — and that broader change.

This is Trahant Reports.

Franken said as he resigned that he is aware that there is some irony in the fact that he is leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office, and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate with the full support of his party.

This week that irony plays out. There is a special election in Alabama Tuesday where President Donald J. Trump and the official Republican machine have embraced candidate Roy Moore. The Washington Post reported about Moore’s sexual misconduct with multiple minors.

And Trump has been accused by at least sixteen women of sexual misconduct.

This is an important time in Congress. How does Congress, as an institution, handle abuse by its own members? The line needs to be sharp and absolute. Just last week four members from both parties have resigned, retired or are being investigated.

And to top it off Congress has an institutional problem. There’s a payoff system that was both secret and a way for powerful members to act with impunity.

Transparency is the only way out of this mess.

Yet Al Franken’s resignation remains a tough issue for many Democrats. Franken was the kind of senator that folks wanted, especially on issues involving American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton will appoint Franken’s replacement who then will have to run in a special election next year. The most likely pick is Lieutenant Governor Tina Flint Smith.. The appointment of Smith causes another problem: A Republican would automatically replace her as the Lt. Gov. That situation also presents challenges for any administration.

Two other names — both historic choices– are also possible, Reps. Ilhan Omar and Peggy Flanagan (White Earth Ojibwe).

Flanagan is currently running for Lt. Gov. But because of her deep experience in politics, Flanagan could hit the ground running. She already knows her way around Capitol Hill. Since this would be a short term gig, that’s critical. There is another reason why Flanagan should get the nod: Since 1789 there have been 12,244 people serving in Congress. Never has there been a Native woman. Not by election. Not by appointment. This would be a chance to start a new era, one where indigenous voices are heard.

I am Mark Trahant.

Senate Passes Tax Bill

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Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon championed tax cuts for the wealthy — and sharp budget cuts — in the years before the Great Depression. (Treasury Department photo)

The Senate passed its tax bill early Saturday morning. And, it turns out,  Indian Country might have been worried about the wrong, Andrew.  Andrew Jackson? No. Because the Republican tax plan would make one Andrew Mellon proud.

This is Trahant Reports.

Andrew Mellon was a wealthy industrialist who served as the Secretary of Treasury. President Trump’s own Treasury Department describes his tenure this way: “During the nation’s “most materialistic period in its history Mellon’s philosophy was one of debt reduction, tax reduction, and a balanced budget … His theory was that big business would prosper in proportion to the lightening of its tax load and its profit would be transferred to the rest of the Nation.

The Great Depression blew a hole in that idea. And if history is prologue, well, this all sounds familiar.

Now the House and the Senate have passed legislation to sharply reduce taxes with the idea that business will prosper and transfer its winnings to the rest of the nation.

The conservative wing is honest about this means. They say when the tax cuts result in a massive expansion of debt, they will want sharp budget cuts to follow. This is a core belief. And has been since Mellon’s time.

How bad is the Senate tax bill? It’s right up there as one of the most unpopular bills ever.  An average of polling finds support at about one-third of those polled. And, get this, FiveThirtyEight reports that this tax cutting bill is even more unpopular than tax hikes.

A couple of notes about Indian Country: So many tribal citizens are the low end when it comes to earning. This bill does nothing to help. Indeed there was a late night effort to increase tax credits for families with children. It failed because there would have been less money for corporate tax cuts. Nearly half of all Americans don’t pay income tax, it’s the payroll tax that is the burden. So a child credit would have helped ordinary working families.

Instead of turning the dial back on fossil fuels the Senate bill aligns the tax code for more oil and gas development. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski has made this her signature.

This bill also strips the mandate to buy health insurance. A win for freedom, right? Perhaps. But it also means that healthy people will not buy as much insurance leaving sicker, older people to pay the bills.

There are a whole cast of winners: Big corporations, rich would-be heirs (like the Trump children) and religious schools (a last minute amendment by Sen. Ted Cruz expanded tax savings for this purpose).

The fight isn’t quite over: This bill will still have to be reconciled with a House version. But cutting taxes (and then the budget) is something Republicans have championed long before Andrew Mellon. So this bill is likely to become law soon.

I am Mark Trahant.

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