You are on page 1of 2

PRESIDENT OBAMAS ACHIEVEMENTS FOR NATIVE AMERICANS

STRENGTHENING THE GOVERNMENT-TO-GOVERNMENT RELATIONSHIP WITH TRIBAL NATIONS In 2009, President Obama Directed Every Federal Agency To Develop Detailed Plans For Consultation And Coordination With Tribal Governments, Resulting In Historic Levels Of Consultations Throughout The Government. The Obama Administration Has Held Three White House Tribal Nations Conferences As Part Of President Obamas Commitment To Strengthen The Government-To-Government Relationship With Indian Country. RESOLVING LONGSTANDING DISPUTES President Obama Signed Legislation Approving The Cobell Settlement On December 8, 2010. ! The Cobell Settlement Distributes $1.5 Billion In Compensation For Historical Accounting Claims And Establishes A $1.9 Billion Fund For Voluntary Buy-Back And Consolidation Of Land Interests. The Land Transfers Facilitated By The Settlement Will Trigger Government Payments Into A $60 Million Dollar Indian Scholarship Fund. The Four Indian Water Rights Settlements Contained In The Legislation Will Provide Permanent Water Supplies And Offer Economic Security For Tribes In New Mexico, Montana, And Arizona By Building And Improving Water And Irrigation Systems.

! !

Secretary Salazar Established A Secretarial Commission On Indian Trust Administration And Reform To Undertake A Comprehensive Evaluation Of DOIs Management Of Its Trust Responsibilities. PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Under The Obama Administration, The Small Business Administration Launched The Council On Underserved Communities To Help Communities That Have Traditionally Faced Barriers To Tools Needed To Start Growing A Business. ! The Advisory Council Includes Two Representatives From The Native American Community.

President Obamas 2012 Budget Request Included A $1.5 Million Increase In Funding For Employment And Training Services To Unemployed And Low-Income Native Americans. Through June 30, 2010, The Recovery Act Has Provided Funding For An Additional 5,610 Native American Youth And Veterans To Gain Summer Employment And Work Readiness Skills. Projects Supported By Recovery Act Funding Retrofit More Than 2,129 Buildings, Install 1.4 Megawatts Of New Wind And Solar Energy Generation, And Help Develop More Than 140 Energy Strategies In Native American Communities. The Department Of Interior Disbursed More Than $407 Million To American Indian Tribes And 30,000 Individual Indian Mineral Owners As Part Of Their Share Of Receipts From Energy Production During Fiscal Year 2010. INCREASING ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE

President Obamas Affordable Care Act Permanently Reauthorized The Indian Health Care Improvement Act. President Obamas Affordable Care Act Includes Provisions That Give Native Americans The Ability To Purchase Affordable Health Insurance Or To Participate In The Planned Expansion Of Medicaid In 2014. Under The Affordable Care Act, American Indians And Alaska Natives Are Exempt From Penalties For Not Enrolling In Exchange Plans. The Obama Administration Launched Lets Move! In Indian Country To Bring Together Federal Agencies, Communities, And Tribes To Fight The Epidemic Of Childhood Obesity In Indian Country.

! American Indian and Alaska Native Children Are Twice As Likely to Be Overweight Than The General Population. !
IMPROVING EDUCATION The Department Of Education Continued Its Collaboration With The Bureau Of Indian Education At The Request Of Tribal Leaders. President Obama Renewed The Charter Of, And Appointed Members To, The Department Of Educations National Advisory Council On Indian Education. In 2010, The Department Of Education Provided Approximately $150 Million To Tribally Controlled College And Universities To Strengthen Academic Quality, Management And Fiscal Stability. MAKING INVESTMENTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND HOUSING The Department Of Agriculture Awarded More Than $400 Million In Recovery Act Funds To Expand Broadband Access In Tribal Communities. The Recovery Act Included $510 Million In Funding For Native American Housing Block Grants, $310 Million For Roads, And $500 Million For Health Information Technology. Recovery Act Funding Aided The Development Of More Than 3,000 Affordable Homes, The Rehabbing Of More Than 44,000 Homes, And The Greening More Than 30,000 Homes In Indian Country. AMERICAN JOBS ACT BENEFITS FOR NATIVE AMERICANS The Small Business Tax Cut Proposed In President Obamas American Jobs Act Would Benefit More Than 20,000 Native American-Owned Small Business. An Extension To The Payroll Tax Cut As Proposed In The American Jobs Act Would Help Increased The Paychecks Of An Estimated 1.5 Million Native American Workers. Under President Obamas Proposal, Schools Funded By The Bureau Of Indian Education Would Receive $125 Million And Tribal College Would Receive $12.5 Million For School Construction.

You might also like