E.T. “Bud” Moran, who will represent the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes at this week’s Tribal Nations Conference in Washington, D.C., is hoping discussion priorities center on topics like health care, housing and economic development.

As the Missoulian’s Vince Devlin reports, Moran also wants the burgeoning deficit to be a topic of focus.

“One of the major things we think about at this level is deficit reduction,” Moran said before departing for Washington. “The federal deficit is going to affect everyone, and it’s going to affect future generations.”

That’s where the “seven-generation” philosophy comes in. When Indian tribes make decisions, he said, they consider not just immediate impacts, or impacts five or 10 years down the road, but how their decisions today will affect the next seven generations to come.

The Tribal Nations Conference, the second since Obama took office, offers the leaders of 565 American Indian tribes an opportunity to “interact directly with the president and representatives from the highest level of his administration,” according to the White House.

CSKT also made the news today for a unique land deal that will help protect and repair 6 miles of riverbank along Little Bitterroot, which runs through the Flathead Indian Reservation in northwestern Montana. Vince Devlin has that report for the Missoulian as well.

Jenna Cederberg

Tags: Barack Obama, confedera, CSKT, e.t. bud, Flathead Indian Reservation, river conservation, Tribal Nations Conference, tribal nations summit

Mark Trahant is a writer, speaker and Twitter poet. He is a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and lives in Fort Hall, Idaho. Trahant’s new book, “The Last Great Battle of the Indian Wars,” is the story of Sen. Henry Jackson and Forrest Gerard.

President Barack Obama set a high standard for tribal-federal relations last year. “Today’s summit is not lip service,” he said at the summit. “We’re not going to go through the motions and pay tribute to one another, and then furl up the flags and go our separate ways. Today’s sessions are part of a lasting conversation that’s crucial to our shared future.”

That lasting conversation is continuing as promised. It’s remarkable enough for a president and cabinet officers to meet with tribal leaders once during an administration – but this second round means that the standard is now an annual event.

So what should we be saying about our shared future?

I’d use this as an opportunity to prepare for the coming financial storm – serious and long-term budget cuts that are coming from Congress – as a way to reconfigure federal services to Indian Country.

Take Medicaid and Children’s health programs. One of the best ideas coming out of the health care reform process is a feasibility study exploring the treatment of the Navajo Nation as a state. In tough budget times this is huge because state governments want to limit enrollment in Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance to save money. But eligible American Indian and Alaska Natives do not cost the states money – it’s a 100 percent federal match. By moving the administration to the Navajo Nation, it makes it much more likely that eligible patients will be enrolled in Medicaid or Children’s health adding critical revenue to the Indian health system.

The Navajo Nation feasibility project is only step one. This should be the beginning of a process that singles out other tribes, or regional associations, into administrative units that could manage Medicaid programs without a state roll. Or as I have put it before, treat Indian Country as a 51st state.

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Tags: children's health insurance, Children's Health Insurance Program, Mark Trahant, Medicaid, navajo nations, President Barack Obama, tribal nations summit, tribal-federal government relations

President Barack Obama will meet with tribal leaders for a second annual tribal summit on Dec. 16 in Washington, D.C.

Indian Country Today reports that the summit will allow direct interaction with the president and his representatives. It’s a part of the administrations “commitment to strengthen the nation-to-nation relationship with Indian country,” a White House representative said.

The first summit a year ago was well received and generated positive feedback from many Native American leaders.

This year’s White House Tribal Nations Conference is again anticipated to continue to strengthen lines of communication and clearly define paths to progress on tough issues facing Indian Country.

“With the announcement of the second Tribal Nations Summit today, the Obama administration reaffirmed that tribal governments are equal members in the family of American governments,” said Jefferson Keel, president of the National Congress of American Indians. “The federal trust relationship between the U.S. government and tribal nations is a non-partisan relationship. Our meetings with the executive branch have a long term focus of creating healthier and stronger tribal nations, to strengthen the entire nation.”

But added Kimberly Teehee, senior policy adviser for Native American Affairs:

“To bring real change to tribal nations, we must continue to work together, on a nation-to-nation basis, in order to realize a future where Native people live long and healthy lives in safe communities, where they are able to pursue economic self-sufficiency, and where their children and grandchildren can have an equal opportunity at pursuing the American dream. We will continue to look to the wisdom and experience of tribal leaders to inform our policy agenda.”

Jenna Cederberg

Tags: buffalo post, D.C., Jefferson Keel, National Congress of American Indians, native american affairs, president barack obam, President Barack Obama, tribal nations summit, washington, white house tribal nations confere, White House Tribal Nations Conference