Trahant Reports

Minnesota is certain to elect a Native American woman as its next lieutenant governor. And across the country, there are two Native women as party nominees for Congress. (One more, Amanda Douglas, Cherokee, has a primary at the end of this month.) There are two Native women as party nominees for governor; Democrat Paulette Jordan, Coeur d’Alene, in Idaho and Republican Andria Tupola, Native Hawaiian, in Hawaii. And there are four Native American women are Lt. Gov. nominees.

Republicans are ready to govern, returning the budget process to a regular order. In that process a spending bill works its way through committee and is passed by the Senate. The House does the same thing. The two bills are resolved and it’s sent to the president.

But will President Donald J. Trump go along?

Every five years or so Congress enacts a “farm bill.” Those two words are misleading. It’s really a food bill. A trade bill. A jobs bill. An energy bill. An education and research bill. A nutrition bill. A forest bill. And, a this-is-the-kind-of-legislation-that-shows-why-you-should-elect-me bill.

Summary: There are more than a hundred days until the next election and there remain many questions about the structure and integrity of elections. Native Americans are less likely to be registered and more likely to face significant obstacles, such as a two hour drive to a polling station.

Why not a Native American on the court? That is the question that should be asked when ever there is a vacancy on the Supreme Court. And for judicial openings in U.S. district courts, U.S. courts of appeals, and U.S. Court of International Trade, as well as the Court of Claims, U.S. Customs Court, and U.S. Court of Customs and Patent Appeals.

The treaty era, no matter what it is called, continues to this day. And it’s still formal. Last week three government came together to sign and celebrate the Blackfeet Water Compact.

Debra Haaland won a primary election in New Mexico last week and she is now the favorite to earn a seat in Congress this November. If elected, she will be the first ever Native American woman in Congress.

Former Sen Mark Begich jumped into the race for the governor of Alaska’s setting up a three-way contest with independent Gov. Bill Walker. Begich picked Debra Call, a Cook Inlet tribal leader, as his running mate. She is the seventh Native American to campaign for that office this year.

Making the case for a Billy Frank Jr. statue in the National Statuary Hall representing the state of Washington. Frank is an American hero and his story should be better known.

On June 4 Indian Country Today will officially unveil a new digital platform and an updated logo. The new Indian Country Today is public media and the next chapter will focus on the digital, mobile space. But in the end it’s still about the stories we tell. Stories about Indian Country.