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The Mountain West News Bureau is a collaboration between Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNC in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, KUNR in Nevada, Nevada Public Radio, the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana and Wyoming Public Media, with support from affiliate stations across the region.

Amid wave of executive orders, Native communities worry about ‘collateral damage’ to U.S. treaty obligations

President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, in Washington.
Evan Vucci
/
AP
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on health care in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Native communities across the country are worried about potential impacts from President Trump executive orders and other administration actions.

Of particular concern was a late January Office of Management and Budget memo that temporarily froze federal payments, and sowed ongoing uncertainty across the country.

“To see the federal funding freeze was very alarming and concerning for many folks within Indian Country,” said Matthew Campbell, deputy director of the Native American Rights Fund.

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His group was one of a number of Native organizations that recently sent a letter demanding the Trump administration make sure the U.S. government abides by its treaty obligations to tribal nations, which the signatory groups could become “collateral damage.”

“Our unique political and legal relationship with the United States is rooted in our inherent sovereignty and recognized in the U.S. Constitution, in treaties, and is carried out by many federal laws and policies,” the letter reads.

The OMB memo was ultimately rescinded, but Campbell said concern remains. He noted that federal funding helps support law enforcement, education and health care in Native communities.

On Thursday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) herself sent a letter to OMB, demanding it direct federal agencies to ensure federal funding to tribes is not affected by Trump’s executive orders.

“Any pauses or elimination of these programs would undermine the United States’ trust responsibility to Indian Tribes and their ability to provide services to their members,” she said.

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This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

As Boise State Public Radio's Mountain West News Bureau reporter, I try to leverage my past experience as a wildland firefighter to provide listeners with informed coverage of a number of key issues in wildland fire. I’m especially interested in efforts to improve the famously challenging and dangerous working conditions on the fireline.