Members of the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians cheer bipartisan effort for federal recognition
Sign at the Nokomis Learning Center in Meridian Township | Susan J. Demas
With U.S. Reps. Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) and John James (R-Shelby Twp.) reintroducing the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians Restoration Act on Thursday, members of the bands are cheering the policy, which would grant them federal recognition.
The Grand River Bands have advocated for federal recognition for more than 30 years using the process laid out by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Federal Acknowledgement. While the tribe completed a petition for federal recognition in 2000, and received a potential finding from the Bureau in 2023, recognition is still many years away.
The United States government recognizes 574 tribes, including 12 in Michigan. If the Grand River Bands receive recognition, members would be able to access federal resources, including social services, education, housing, elder care and the ability to exercise treaty rights and weigh in on legislation that impacts tribes.
'On behalf of the Grand River Bands, I thank the lead sponsors of this legislation, Reps. Scholten and James, and others from the Michigan Congressional delegation for advocating for justice for our tribal members,' Ron Yob, chairman of the Grand River Bands, said in a statement. 'After more than three decades of advocacy for federal recognition, I am hopeful our tribal members will soon have access to the resources they deserve, and which have eluded generations of tribal members.'
According to a statement, the Grand River Bands signed five separate treaties between 1795 and 1855 reaffirming their constitutional sovereignty. They are the last treaty tribe east of the Mississippi River without federal recognition.
'For generations, the Grand River Bands have made meaningful contributions to our state and country – and yet, they have remained unjustly excluded from the federal recognition they deserve. Without federal recognition, they are denied access to the same opportunities available to other federally recognized tribes including health care, housing assistance, and educational support. This bill fixes that and I'm honored to support it,' James said.
The Grand River Bands are based along the Grand River and other waterways in southwest Michigan, with most current members residing in Kent, Muskegon and Oceana counties.
'The Grand River Bands are a central part of our state's history, culture, and community, and it's long overdue that we officially recognize them as a sovereign tribe,' Scholten said. 'They are foundational to the identity of West Michigan, and for nearly 30 years, the Grand River Bands have been advocating for federal recognition. I'm committed to ensuring they get the resources and respect they deserve.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump outraged by Ukraine's strikes on Russia: White House considers ending support for Kyiv
US President Donald Trump is outraged by Ukraine's decision to strike Russian air bases. The attack has caused anger in the White House and triggered a new wave of debate over the advisability of further support for Kyiv. Source: The Atlantic, citing three administration officials and an outside White House adviser Details: According to The Atlantic, Trump has in private conversations with advisers expressed deep dissatisfaction that Ukraine had taken such a step without coordinating with the United States. The sources said that a new round of discussions has begun on whether continued military and financial support for Kyiv is justified following the Ukrainian attack. Trump's personal dissatisfaction with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was once again rekindled – the US president has called him a "hothead" who, in his opinion, could push the world towards a Third World War. "Zelenskyy didn't give the president of the United States a heads-up to say he's going to do a deep strike into strategic forces of Russia, which is going up the escalatory ladder as quickly as you can, on the day before your meeting in Türkiye?" Trump's former strategist Steve Bannon said. Trump privately backed the view of right-wing critics this week, accusing Zelenskyy of allegedly showing off after the drone strikes. According to an adviser, Trump was impressed by the boldness of the strikes but believes Zelenskyy should have focused on the talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul. Background: Trump revealed details of his latest conversation with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, including his suggestion that Ukraine and Russia should be allowed to "fight for a while" because it would make ending the war easier later. Earlier, Trump said he is refraining from imposing sanctions on Russia if he believes it could "screw up" the conclusion of a "deal". Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
WSU faces 'strategic' staffing cuts after regents adopt pared-down budget
Jun. 5—Washington State University is likely to face personnel cuts in the coming weeks after the school's Board of Regents adopted a budget that includes a $17.1 million reduction in spending for the upcoming fiscal year. On Thursday, the Board of Regents unanimously adopted a budget that includes $1.3 billion in spending across all funds, and approximately $661.3 million in spending in core funds. The plan includes a 4.1% reduction in spending. "This plan represents the economic pressures public universities now face, all of us, and the bold direction we've chosen to take at Washington State University," President Elizabeth Cantwell said in a video update Wednesday. The focus will shift in the coming weeks to implementing cuts in most of the university's 41 units, though the cuts will not be across the board. Six units — the College of Arts and Sciences, the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, libraries, external affairs and government relations, research, and law enforcement — will not see any cuts under the plan, while the other 35 units may see cuts of up to 10% and will work over the next 30 days to formalize proposals to curb spending. According to Leslie Brunelli, the executive vice president and chief financial officer, more than 80% of the university's core funds budget is "tied up" in personnel spending. "So those are people at the other end of that, and we want to be very thoughtful about the loss of personnel," Brunelli said. "Some of those reductions will be made with vacant positions, but some will be people who are currently employed at Washington State." Brunelli said it's "a little bit too early" to know how many staff members could be impacted. "We have a ballpark, but I would really not feel comfortable sharing that until we know what that is," Brunelli said. "I don't want to create an agitation where it's not necessary." The staff reductions, however, are likely to be spread across the university, rather than focused on specific departments. The university, like many others in the country, has experienced turmoil in federal funding in recent months, although WSU's funding woes are compounded by the 1.5% across-the-board cut to higher education included in the recently passed state biennial budget. That translates to $9.9 million over the next two years, though the university also stands to lose other state funds. "We're pretty good at figuring out how to strategically take reductions and not harm academic core, not harm services to students," Cantwell said Thursday. The university, Cantwell said, is investing additional resources in student support services, and making other investments in the College of Arts and Sciences. "We have made it a priority to protect the student experience and student success," Provost Chris Riley-Tillman said. "That's our core, original mission, and it's one of our most important things, both existentially and fiscally." While students are not likely to notice many of the cuts and savings when they return to campus in the fall, they will see a 3.3% increase in tuition costs. The university, however, does not project an increase in the revenue received from tuition, as enrollment at Washington State, like many universities, has declined in recent years. The decline in enrollment, Riley-Tillman said, has a ripple effect, as cohorts of students work their way through the university. "As you get the dip down, and then you floor out and you start to go back up, you're now graduating large classes, and those very small classes from the subsequent COVID years are still in your system," Riley-Tillman said. "So this ends up being a five- or six-year recovery period." Since enrollment peaked during the 2019-2020 school year, the university has seen a 17% decline, and it is bracing for the potential for another decrease. "Truly, you don't know what the enrollment is until August when the students show up and pay their bills," Brunelli said. "There is something called the summer melt, and that happens for the first time, first-year students, our freshmen that come in the door, even transfers. But we also need to make sure our retention remains strong." As it navigated potential budgeting options, the university has modeled different scenarios over the past several months, Cantwell said during an interview Thursday. "There are a few places where we are investing," Cantwell said. "These are strategic ... cuts and additions, even in a year where we have to mostly reduce, we will make strategic investments so that we can do things like support the students that we have, make sure that they finish, and grow enrollment across the panorama of everybody who wants to come to us. Just sort of guardrails like that are in our thinking as we think about how we make these choices." The university, Brunelli said, has modeled what the potential impact of the loss of federal grants and indirect cost recoveries between 5% and 50% would be. Cantwell said the university has also modeled what impact cuts to the Department of Education would have on the school, particularly how cutting federal student aid will impact the ability of students to attend college. One silver lining from the session, Brunelli said, is that the state did not make cuts in the Washington College Grant, which many students rely on to help pay for school. The university also stands to see less impact from a potential decline in international students, as it is focused on students from Washington. Last week, the university announced the chancellor position for its Pullman campus would be dissolved, placing executive oversight of the campus back under the university president. "The president of the system, because I live in Pullman, can fully operate in that chancellor sort of role," Cantwell said. "So that's given us the opportunity to cut some costs there. We've combined offices, we've found some efficiencies there." Cantwell said she anticipates proposals for "kind of across-the-board" administrative cuts to be introduced in the coming weeks. "I'm guessing we're all asking ourselves, 'How do we do what we do at the administrative level a little bit more efficiently to deliver to results that we need to out of our offices?' " Cantwell said. "We need to walk the walk in addition to talking the talk. We can do what we need to do with less."
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US General Alexus Grynkewich to take top NATO command
Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich has been nominated as NATO's new supreme allied commander in Europe (SACEUR), the US announced on Thursday. Grynkewich will take over the top alliance role from US Army General Christopher Cavoli in a ceremony in Mons, Belgium, later in the year. The role will make Grynkewich primarily responsible for planning and executing military measures to defend the alliance. He also commands US forces during any conflict in Europe. Currently the Joint Staff's director for operations, Grynkewich is the principal military advisor to US President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. He has also served as an instructor pilot, weapons officer and operational test pilot. NATO's first SACEUR was Dwight Eisenhower, appointed in 1950, before he became US president.
