February 3, 2023
The Honorable Garret Graves Natural Resources Committee
1329 Longworth House Office Building United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Re: Comments Regarding House Passage of Native American Bills During 117 th Congress Dear Rep. Graves: I write on behalf of the Indian Gaming Association to respond to your recent disparaging comments regarding the passage of federal Tribal legislation central to the improvement of our Tribal citizens. The 23 bills passed by the House Natural Resources Committee and their enactment into law have improved the lives of Native citizens and are not remotely comparable to renaming Post Offices. We demand that you issue an apology and amend your remarks on the record. Congress has a unique treaty and trust responsibility to the 574 Native American Tribes within the United States. The trust responsibility is a legal principle that has been upheld by the Articles of Confederation, the U.S. Constitution, and countless Supreme Court cases since the earliest days of our nation. The Supreme Court in Worcester v. Georgia (1832) ruled that there is an undisputed existence of a general trust relationship between the United States and the Indian people. Just weeks ago, every member of Congress swore an oath uphold these duties. One of the ways Congress upholds these obligations is by passing laws that benefit tribal nations. The U.S. Constitution in Article 1, Section 8, permits Congress to make all laws pertaining to Tribes. Often called the “Indian Commerce Clause” the section states that “…Congress shall have power to…regulate commerce with foreign nations, among several states, and with the Indian tribes…” Congress plays a vital role in upholding the government’s solemn treaty and trust obligations to Indian Tribes through the advance of legislation. Your statement that the passage of 23 tribal bills last congress was akin to “naming post offices” displays a misunderstanding of the importance of upholding the treaty and trust responsibility and is demeaning to all of Indian Country.
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