Campaign Literature—2024 General Election

PARTNERING WITH TRIBAL NATIONS AND NATIVE COMMUNITIES FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE
Donald Trump challenged Tribal land rights and desecrated sacred lands

Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz believe we have a duty to safeguard and strengthen the bonds between our nations, uphold our trust and treaty obligations, honor Tribal sovereignty, and ensure Tribal self-determination. They have made it a priority to respect and support Tribal sovereignty and improve health, education, and safety across lndian Country. Throughout her career, Vice President Harris has prioritized the well-being of Native women, children, and families, and throughout his career, Governor Walz has affirmed the right to self-governance and self-determination of the Minnesota Tribal Nations.


Vice President Harris and Governor Walz have taken unprecedented steps to advance Tribal sovereignty and self-determination.

Vice President Harris and President Biden reinstated the White House Council on Native American Affairs, reinstituted the Tribal Nations Sumrnit, and appointed a historic number of Native Americans—including Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, U.S. Treasurer Marilynn Malerba, and over 80 appointees serving across the Biden-Harris Administration.

Vice President Harris and President Biden ushered in the next era of Tribal self-determination by signing an executive order aflirming that Tribal governments must be treated as permanent, equal, and vital parts of America's overlapping system of government. This enables Tribal Nations to have greater autonomy over how they invest federal funding.

Governor Walz signed legislation that codified government-to-­government relations, mandated Tribal-relations training for all state employees who work with Tribes, and is the first governor
in state history to visit all eleven Tribal Nations in Minnesota. He serves alongside Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, currently the country's highest-ranking Native woman elected to executive office.

Trump never convened a White House Tribal Nation Conference, nor did he reestablish the Obama-Biden Administration's White House Council on Native American Affairs.


Vice President Harris is working to protect Tribal lands and water.

Created, restored, or expanded 10 National Monuments and signed more than 190 co-stewardship agreements. As a Senator, Vice President Harris long championed the San Gabriel National Monument expansion, and this year celebrated the protection of an additional 106,000 acres.

Trump ignored Tribal recommendations and took the unprecedented step of removing 85% of land from the first Tribally sponsored national monument protecting Bears Ears.

Advanced settlements of lndian water rights claims, a key priority for upholding the federal government's trust and treaty responsibilities, and made placing land into trust easier, helping to right the wrongs of past federal policies that removed millions of acres of land from Tribal ownership.

Trump made it harder for Tribes to regain ancestral lands and even sought to disestablish the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's reservation.

Restored protections to Arctic waters and the Bering Sea, the Tongass National Forest, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in support of conserving 30 percent of America's lands and waters by 2030.

Trump dramatically reduced the amount of land placed into trust by the Interior Department from 560,000 acres to 75,000 acres.


Vice President Harris has delivered record-setting Tribal investments.

Vice President Harris cast the tie-breaking vote that led to the single largest Tribal investment in history—$32 billion to help Tribal economies devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump excluded many Tribal businesses from applying for the first round of the Paycheck Protection Program emergency relief funds needed to stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, favoring well-connected big businesses.

Made the largest investment ever in Tribal infrastructure through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—$13 billion directly to Tribal communities for high-speed internet, roads, bridges, clean water, and improved sanitation.

lnvested more than $720 million specifically to support climate resilience through the Inflation Reduction Act, supporting drought mitigation, home electrification, clean energy development, and Tribal community-driven relocation efforts.

Trump issued a rule to limit the power of states and Tribes to review the harmful effects of pipelines, dams, and other projects on Tribal lands.

lnvested $3.5 billion for the lndian Health Service (IHS) to develop critical infrastructure, including much-needed drinking water resources and sewage systems, and corrected the long-standing underfunding of the IHS by implementing a more predictable funding method.

Trump proposed cuts to IHS funding and tried to cancel funding for the Centers for Disease Control's Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country program—the largest investment for the well-being of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Made historic investments in Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, with the annual budget reaching nearly $2 billion, and canceled student debt for rillions of borrowers, significantly impacting Native American students who are more likely to take out student loans.

Proposed the largest-ever investment in Tribal housing, including more than a billion dollars to support new housing and community development projects.


Vice President Harris is tackling the Missing or Murdered lndigenous Peoples epidemic head-on.

Helped establish a Missing and Murdered Unit within the Department of the Interior focused on analyzing and solving missing and murdered cases involving American lndians and Alaska Natives.

Helped reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 2022, which includes expanded criminal jurisdiction for Tribal courts to prosecute non-Native perpetrators of sexual assault, child abuse, stalking, and sex trafficking. As a Senator, Vice President Harris was a champion of VAWA and made it a priority to address violence against Native women. Governor Walz created the first-­in-the-nation Missing  and Murdered lndigenous Relatives Office in Minnesota in 2021.

Trump refused to reauthorize VAWA and repeatedly proposed cutting Tribal public safety and victim services budgets.


For more information and to get involved, visit KamalaHarris.com/Survey

PAID FOR BY HARRIS FOR PRESIDENT
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