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Politico
17-07-2025
- Health
- Politico
Many American Indians put their faith in RFK Jr. They're starting to lose it.
His apparent earnestness prompted the Coalition of Large Tribes, whose members include the Navajo and Blackfeet nations and the Oglala Sioux, to call him 'the most qualified nominee there has ever been, from any Administration, to carry that mantle of responsibility' three weeks before the Senate confirmed him to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. But with each zealous statement from Kennedy, American Indians leaders have wondered when they'll hear a detailed plan, and they point to President Donald Trump's budget proposal as an example where the administration's actions haven't matched Kennedy's rhetoric. 'We're looking at the lives of real people, Indian people,' said Phyllis Davis, chair of the Great Lakes Area Tribal Health Board. 'I don't know if anybody really knows him well enough to understand what he wants to do, and I wish — for him — that he took more time to learn more about who we are.' A spokesperson for Kennedy said Americans Indians needn't worry. 'HHS and Secretary Kennedy remain fully committed to supporting the Indian Health Service and its mission to provide high-quality, culturally competent care to American Indian and Alaska Native communities,' HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon told POLITICO in an email. 'The Department will continue working closely with Tribal Nations to protect health care access and to strengthen delivery systems across Indian Country.' Congress committed to provide American Indians health care a century ago and created the Indian Health Service within HHS to manage it 70 years ago. By every important metric, it has failed. American Indians live, on average, around a decade less than other Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kennedy has said he's sincere about changing that. 'It's been an issue that I've been committed to my whole life,' Kennedy told Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) at a recent House budget hearing, adding that he'd shielded the IHS from cuts led by Trump's so-called Department of Government Efficiency and offered jobs to some of those DOGE had targeted for termination at the IHS. The agency, he said, was 'chronically understaffed' and needed the help. But when Trump released his proposed budget for 2026, some Native leaders were disappointed. Unlike the deep cuts the budget called for at other health agencies, the IHS would get a $1 billion increase if Congress agrees, most of which would go toward reimbursing tribes for administrative and facility costs. Still, tribal health leaders told POLITICO that real improvement would take tens of billions more. The budget proposal also did not include advance appropriations for the IHS — the government has, in recent years, provided the tribes access to their funds early — a provision tribal leaders say helps prevent disruptions to care during government shutdowns. They also said other programs Republicans are cutting are likely to have a negative impact on their health. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act that Trump signed on the Fourth of July slashes more than $1 trillion over a decade in health care spending, mostly from Medicaid, the federal-state insurer of low-income people on which many American Indians rely. 'Tribes rely on these other agencies to fill the gaps where IHS cannot,' said Jerilyn Church, CEO of the Great Plains Tribal Leaders' Health Board, citing years of inadequate funding. 'In the spotlight' Native people are more likely than others in the U.S. to die from a host of chronic conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, chronic lower respiratory disease, cirrhosis, stroke, pneumonia, kidney disease and hypertension. During his 2024 presidential campaign, before he dropped out and endorsed Trump, Kennedy courted the tribes, spending time with Native people and listening to their concerns. He recalled his namesake father, who was a New York senator and attorney general, and uncle Edward, who served 47 years as a Massachusetts Democrat in the Senate, and their advocacy for American Indians. And he brought up his own involvement in the founding of the newspaper Indian Country Today. During his Senate confirmation hearing in February, Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski said Kennedy had previously committed to ' immediately triple the budget to support tribes ' and asked for some details. Kennedy didn't have many. But he said he wanted to designate a Native American as an assistant secretary and that he enjoyed traveling in Alaska. Last month, he swore in Mark Cruz — a citizen of the Klamath Tribes — as senior adviser to the secretary. Some tribal leaders say, despite some concerns, they're happy with Kennedy so far. That includes OJ Semans Sr., executive director of the Coalition of Large Tribes that endorsed Kennedy's appointment as Health secretary in January. 'He put IHS in the spotlight nationally,' Semans told POLITICO. 'Sometimes we don't get as much and sometimes we get more, but it's having the discussion that counts.' The IHS supports 21 hospitals, 53 health centers and 25 health stations, and provides care to about 2.8 million Native Americans and Alaska Natives. Some facilities are managed by the federal government, while some are overseen by tribes. It has suffered from underfunding for years, and slight increases to its budget have not kept up with health care inflation over the past few decades, according to a peer-reviewed article published in the American Journal of Public Health. The IHS is unable to fully fund some of its facilities and the care provided there, and the difference must be made up by billing Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers. Cuts to Medicaid in the GOP's One Big Beautiful Bill Act will likely deliver a blow to tribal health. A 2017 analysis by the health care think tank KFF found that Medicaid provides coverage to more than 1 in 4 nonelderly American Indian and Alaska Native adults and half of Native children. Nixon told POLITICO that the package 'focuses on eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse to ensure Medicaid remains strong, sustainable, and effective for the people who rely on it, including Tribal communities.' The president's budget proposes funding the IHS at $8.1 billion, a slight increase from the previous year. But the National Tribal Budget Formulation Workgroup — a group of tribal representatives that provide budgetary guidance to the IHS — regularly requests more than five times that after considering how much money fully funding the IHS would require. That's roughly what it would cost to 'for all tribes in the United States to receive 100 percent of what they need to provide care for their citizens that they serve,' said Davis, who has been part of the work group for more than 10 years representing the Bemidji, Minnesota, area. '[Trump's budget request for IHS] is still an inadequate dollar amount that keeps programs running, but not in a way that can provide comprehensive and really robust programs and … consistently serve health care needs and eliminate disparities,' Davis said. IHS transfers stall At the start of April, HHS sent letters to officials at the CDC, National Institutes of Health, and Food and Drug Administration offering a 'voluntary' transfer to the IHS and putting them immediately on administrative leave. Kennedy has said he aims to staff up the IHS and touted the transfers as a way to make that happen. But three months later, four of those former officials told POLITICO that they are still on administrative leave — collecting their salaries — with no more information about their futures. The four were granted anonymity for fear of retribution from the administration. The original offer listed several locations that the officials, mainly based around Washington or Atlanta, could relocate to, including Alaska and Montana. At the time, some public health officials speculated that the administration was using the offers as a way to prompt high-paid officials to quit. 'It's a mixture of incompetence and ill intent,' one of the four said recently about the offers. Nixon pushed back on the idea that the offers were meant to push officials out. 'To address staffing needs and support the IHS in fulfilling its mission, HHS invited certain individuals to consider positions within the IHS,' he said. While the IHS has suffered from understaffing for decades, the agency mainly needs more physicians and nurses, while many of the HHS officials who received offers were running divisions or centers within the agency — not working with patients. Many of the officials who received the offer responded with questions about job description, salary and relocation — but most received no response, said the people, citing their own experiences and conversations with colleagues. In May, some of the officials received an email or, in some cases, a letter requesting that they submit an updated resume so the department could consider where to place them in the IHS. But since submitting the resumes, they have not received any more information, they said. In response to a question about the stalled transfers, Nixon noted that legal challenges have held up the HHS reorganization. While the IHS would see a slight increase if Congress passes Trump's budget, other HHS programs that supported tribal health would be cut. That includes the CDC's Healthy Tribes program — which, through cooperative agreements, aims to help prevent chronic disease among American Indians and Alaska Natives. In April, nearly all of the CDC staff working on the Healthy Tribes program were placed on administrative leave pending termination, two people who had worked on the program and were granted anonymity for fear of retribution said. '[Healthy Tribes] was born out of input from tribal leaders and tribal public health advocates, and it was designed to strengthen cultural connections, prevent chronic disease, and improve overall health and wellness using a holistic approach,' said one of the people. 'Historical trauma has resulted in the deliberate erasure of cultural practices and Indigenous ways of knowing. This, culminated with current systemic and institutionalized inequities, continually perpetuate the non-medical factors that influence health, preventing people from living healthy lives.' The program oversees two cooperative agreements that funnel millions of dollars to American Indian and Alaska Native communities to help them create programs to prevent chronic diseases — a blend of two topics Kennedy has said are top priorities:Native health and chronic illness. That includes things like Indigenous community gardens to make produce and healthy foods more accessible. The third cooperative agreement provides funding to help the IHS pay for Tribal Epidemiology Centers, which investigate diseases and respond to public health emergencies. The agreement provides roughly $6.8 million every year to the 12 centers. None of the three cooperative agreements — which, combined, totaled more than $30 million yearly — are included in Trump's budget request, though the congressional justification for the Administration for a Healthy America, a new entity the administration plans to create to centralize 'health resources for low-income Americans,' sets aside $19 million 'for tribes, tribal organizations, urban Indian health organizations, and health service providers to tribes serving rural communities experiencing poor chronic disease and maternal health outcomes.' The AHA congressional justification also proposes a new program to address mental health and substance abuse disorders in tribal communities — but provides little information about how it would operate. 'I know [Kennedy] and the Kennedy family — say they have a commitment — to tribal populations and American Indians, but it's not fully evident that that is the case,' said one of the CDC staffers who'd worked on the Healthy Tribes program. 'I get the impression that this administration says one thing, but is actually doing another.'
Condé Nast Traveler
12-06-2025
- Condé Nast Traveler
A Guide to Glacier National Park, According to a Regular Visitor
If the 10 million acres of peaks, rivers, and lakes spanning northern Montana and southwestern Canada is the Crown of the Continent, then Glacier National Park is that crown's sparkliest jewel. Hugging the Continental Divide and encompassing 1,583 square miles of remote glacial lakes, rose-tinged mountains, and trout-filled rivers, Glacier is epic in the truest sense of the word. The ecosystems of the park remain relatively undisturbed, home to the same plants and animals that have been here for centuries—grizzly bears, mountain goats, wolverines, and wolves among them—and tribes like the Blackfeet, Séliš, Ql̓ispé, and Ksanka maintain deep ties to their ancestral lands. Travelers can hike into the backcountry, cruise lofty heights on Going-to-the-Sun Road, and lounge by a sapphire lake, making a visit as wild, or as refined, as desired. No matter how you choose to spend your time in Glacier, the park is sure to treat you like royalty. Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan is an award-winning freelance writer and editor who focuses on climate solutions, environment, the outdoors, travel, and parenting. Born and raised in the Chicagoland area, she now makes her home in Missoula, Montana. Elisabeth holds a Master's degree in magazine journalism from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, where she earned the prestigious McCormick Scholar designation and the Harrington Memorial Award. Her most ambitious trip to date was taking two kids under five on a two-week jaunt around England and Ireland (nobody slept much, but it was worth it). Of the dozens of national parks I've visited, Glacier is my favorite. My husband and I got engaged in a tent alongside Gunsight Lake, and we've watched our kids go from exploring Logan Pass while riding in a baby carrier to confidently hiking Avalanche Lake under their own power (mostly). We make the trip up there at least once a year to sleep under the stars, canoe the lakes, and count how many mountain goats we can see. Over the years, we've found our favorite nooks and crannies. Below, I share them all, in this guide to Glacier National Park. What's new in 2025 The Swiftcurrent area at Many Glacier will be under construction for road and water system repairs until spring 2026. Visitors can still access the area, but only those with Many Glacier Hotel or activity reservations will be allowed to park there from July through September. Everyone else must park along the entrance road and ride a shuttle into the heart of Many Glacier ($2 reservation required; book at
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Oakland Zoo welcomes quartet of baby bison
(KRON) – The Oakland Zoo has welcomed four new residents. A quartet of new baby bison is now occupying the zoo. The Oakland Zoo called its new occupants 'red dogs' due to the color of their coats. Bison are North America's largest land mammals. According to the zoo, bison play a crucial role in shaping biodiversity. Due to extreme sport hunting, in the late 1800s, bison were on the verge of extinction, per the Oakland Zoo. In 1906, there were only around 1,000 wild and captive bison. There are now around 450,000 bison due to conservation efforts. Endangered monkey rescued in Vallejo recovering at Oakland Zoo Oakland Zoo collaborates with several conservation organizations to restore heritage bison to the landscape of the Blackfoot Confederacy. The herd will eventually move to Montana to help repopulate the Blackfeet herd, according to the zoo. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Montana faces opportunities, challenges, for energy transition
A beaver dam slows the water of the Snake River, creating a beaver pond. (Photo by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, via Flickr) The future of energy will be bolstered by lessons from beavers, enthusiasm from lawmakers, and consultation with tribal nations. Those were some of the messages panelists shared Wednesday at the Clean and Affordable Energy Conference hosted by the NW Energy Coalition with an estimated 100 in attendance throughout the day. Patrick Yawakie, a lobbyist with the Blackfeet Tribe and conference panelist, said non-Native American companies and state agencies have a long history of failing to consult with tribes on energy. He said those entities have left tribes in the dark on development within their reservations. 'There needs to be much more transparent and regular conversations that are happening with the tribes and these entities,' said Yawakie, also co-CEO of Red Medicine, a civic engagement and lobbying organization. The conference focused on energy resources for tribal communities, reliability and transmission, and energy efficiency and housing. The NW Energy Coalition is an alliance of more than 100 organizations, utilities and businesses in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia that promote clean, affordable energy. Panelist Gerald Wagner, with the Blackfeet Nation, shared the way the tribe is applying the way beavers work to help with water storage and, therefore, energy conservation. Beavers build dams, which hold onto water, and in Montana, spring runoff is taking place earlier, and the land is becoming arid more quickly, Wagner said. As a pilot project that mimicked the ways of beavers, the Blackfeet dammed a couple of smaller streams, he said. He said workers, 10 or 12 Native American youth, collected earthen material, such as rocks and willows, and then built a series of dams roughly 50 yards apart. The dams don't stop the water, but they slow it and allow storage. He said cameras took pictures of the dammed areas every 12 hours, and the effects were visible. 'The riparian zones came back, vegetation came back,' said Wagner, director of the Blackfeet Environmental Program for the tribe. The idea is part of the Blackfeet Climate Change Adaptation Plan from 2018, and the dams were installed as part of a pilot project around 2021, he said. They are good for a season or so, and then require patching. 'If you look at the beaver, they're always maintaining their structures,' Wagner said. The larger idea, he said, is to observe what is occurring in nature, and then apply the lessons toward green energy. He said the dams may result in less energy use because people don't have to look for water or buy it. 'If you've got it stored, your wildlife, your cattle, your horses have more access to the water,' Wagner said. Montana needs more energy transmission capacity too, and panelists discussed the work underway and how to expedite energy development so it doesn't take 15 or 20 years. Appropriate planning from the beginning is key, panelists said. Maranda Compton, an attorney and founder of Lepwe, said whether talking with communities or tribal nations, it's important to hear criticism and have dialogue about projects. Lepwe is a consulting firm providing advice and education to tribal nations and entities that seek to engage with tribes. Developers need to understand tribal nations are government entities with their own political processes and priorities, Compton said. 'Really understanding who in the government should be involved, what the tribe's strategies and goals are, and how your project can work with those strategies and goals I think is really, really important,' Compton said. Compton said a direct relationship between planning and development groups and tribal nations 'has largely been missing,' and more robust conversation is needed, well before permitting is underway. The energy summit took place on the heels of the 69th Montana Legislature, and Makenna Sellers, with the Montana Renewable Energy Association, said lawmakers see the need to increase transmission capacity, and they understand the urgency. 'State lawmakers are more open and proactive about how we can solve transmission than ever before,' Sellers said. 'I've never seen more unanimous interest and policy prioritization happening at the state legislature on transmission.' Sellers said some proposals didn't make it to the finish line this year, but Sen. Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings, sponsored a study resolution that will look at how state government can help solve regulatory barriers. 'Lawmakers are very open minded to some creativity here … this was the first session that I've seen this with seriousness,' Sellers said. Senate Joint Resolution 21, to study the power grid, says competitive policies in some jurisdictions hinder transmission development, and as a result, hurt ratepayers and markets. It calls for an examination of a cooperative interstate compact. When it comes to energy conservation, Yawakie said homeownership also plays a role, especially on the Flathead Indian Reservation, where he lives. If people don't own their own homes, he said, they can't access programs such as those that help people install solar panels, and many tribal members live in poverty and in low income housing. 'Probably the biggest issue that lies on our reservation is the lack of homeownership to be able to access a lot of these (energy conservation) programs,' Yawakie said. Brant Johnson, with Grid United, talked about the North Plains Connector project, a high-voltage transmission line being developed to connect the eastern and western electric grids in Montana and North Dakota. Johnson described it as a 'giant extension cord' that can transport power in either direction and be moved whichever way the market needs. It's intended to improve the reliability of the electrical grid and provide electricity when people need more power, such as during extreme weather. 'The value is in trying to make a grid that's bigger than the weather,' Johnson said. 'The wind doesn't blow in Montana at the same time that it's blowing in North Dakota.' He said energy demand peaks in the east at different times than in the northwest, so the needs can counterbalance each other. He said more work remains, but the project is 'a nice start.' 'It did catalyze something,' Johnson said.
Fox News
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Commanders strike deal with DC officials to take over old RFK Stadium site
The Washington Commanders reached an agreement to build a new stadium on the site of the old RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., officials said Monday. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said the District of Columbia government and Commanders executives reached a deal to return to the site they called home for three decades. The deal is pending D.C. City Council approval. The Commanders posted a nostalgic video showing the old days of the franchise, formerly known as the Washington Redskins, playing in Washington, D.C. Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Theismann narrated the video. "The time is now," Theismann said. "Let's bring Washington back to D.C." The franchise played at RFK Stadium from 1961 to 1996 before they moved to Landover, Maryland, at the faculty now known as Northwest Stadium. Team owner Josh Harris had considered different sites for a new stadium since he bought the team from Daniel Snyder. Congressional lawmakers supported Harris' pursuit of taking over the old RFK Stadium site on the condition the team and the NFL would honor the old Redskins logo in some way. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said he would support the organization going forward with its plan after "good faith negotiations" with both entities. "We were calling out leaders in case of really, woke gone wrong. The irony that they were canceling Native American culture as the DEI movement went way too far," Daines said in November. "This is honoring a Blackfeet chief who was born in Montana. He is highly esteemed. The Blackfeet tribe of Montana, their current chairman and tribal council signed a letter in strong support to bring the logo back. It honors Indian Country. "We have good discussions with the NFL and with the Commanders. There's good faith in negotiations going forward that's going to allow this logo to be used again. Perhaps revenues going to a foundation that could help Native Americans in sports and so forth. We're making good progress and, based on the good faith negotiations, I made a decision to support this bill yesterday in the committee." Harris said in August that 2030 was a "reasonable target" for a new stadium. He also expressed hope of a future NFL Draft taking place on the National Mall between the U.S. Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
