Native Americans to have better access to federal funds
Native Americans to have better access to federal funds
Transcript
00:00 U.S. President Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential elections in no small part by winning the
00:05 black and minority vote.
00:07 His commitment to help Native American communities has culminated in an executive order inked
00:12 to reform federal funding for tribal nations or groups.
00:16 V-Way White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from the Department of the Interior.
00:22 President Joe Biden doesn't deny that the Native people of this country have suffered
00:26 and the federal government has work to do.
00:30 It's hard work to heal the wrongs of the past and change the course and move forward.
00:35 But the actions we're taking today are key steps into that new era of tribal sovereignty
00:40 and self-determination.
00:41 A new era grounded in dignity and respect that recognizes your fundamental rights to
00:48 govern and grow on your own terms.
00:51 That's what this summit is all about.
00:53 Biden speaking here on the ancestral land of the Nacuchenk people announced more than
00:57 190 agreements during a summit with about 300 tribal leaders Wednesday.
01:02 They include an executive order that will make it easier to access federal funding,
01:06 plus efforts to clean up nuclear sites, support clean energy transitions and work toward the
01:11 repatriation of Native remains and sacred objects.
01:14 The leader of one of the largest groups told V-Way that the government's efforts have been
01:17 very, very positive and said he hopes to see more.
01:21 The most important thing for the Cherokee Nation, I think in all tribes, is the efficient
01:24 deployment of resources and then allowing tribes to decide how to use those resources.
01:29 But he said, as his people well know, land dispossession and conflict are not ancient
01:35 history.
01:36 Here's his advice to Biden and Middle Eastern leaders as war rages in Gaza.
01:40 We have a history of being dispossessed from our land.
01:44 And so I would just say, remind people that there's a way to balance rights.
01:49 I think we're trying to do that in the United States in terms of Indian country versus the
01:53 rest of the country.
01:54 We haven't perfected it, but I think we're making some progress.
01:57 So all I would say is the respect and dignity that every human being deserves ought to be
02:02 on display.
02:04 Younger tribal citizens say they have high expectations.
02:07 I voted for Biden in 2020, and I believe there is so much more that could be done, especially
02:12 in terms of climate and how we look at food sovereignty.
02:16 And if she could ask the president for anything, she said, it would be for a ceasefire in Gaza.
02:22 If that were happening to us, I'd like to believe that it would be stopped immediately.
02:26 But you know, considering President Biden won't even call for a ceasefire, I don't know
02:30 about that.
02:31 Taylor says she works through this generational trauma with poetry, but also by covering herself
02:37 head to toe in reminders of the artistry and persistence of her people.
02:43 Anita Pallavioye, News, U.S. Department of the Interior.
02:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]