Please contact Clint Bowers, NIEA Research and Policy Associate, at cbowers@niea.org with any questions.

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President Obama Issues Executive Order Establishing the White House Council on Native American Affairs

Yesterday, President Obama signed an Executive Order creating the White House Council on Native American Affairs. The Executive Order establishes "a national policy to ensure that the federal government engages in a true and lasting government-to-government relationship" with tribal nations. Your National Indian Education Association President, Dr. Heather Shotton, released the following statement:

"The President's Executive Order signifies not only a strong commitment to working with tribes on a government-to-government basis, but embodies the Administration's guarantee that the federal government will continue to strengthen its trust responsibility to Native education and our students. NIEA looks forward to working with the Council and our Native education stakeholders to improve our children's educational opportunities."

The Council, which will be led by the Secretary of the Interior, has been a top priority for tribal leaders and Native education stakeholders from the first days of the Obama Administration. In addition to other tribal priorities, the Council will ensure executive departments, agencies, and offices are coordinated and meaningfully collaborating with tribes to expand and improve the education of American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Executive Order is a commitment to:

* Ensuring tribal policy development is coordinated with the White House Domestic Policy Council to improve the effectiveness of federal resources in Native American communities;
* Increasing engagement with tribal nations and Native peoples through the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs;
* Providing effective and efficient meaningful consultation under Executive Order 13175;
* Establishing the White House Tribal Nations Summit as a permanent, annual event; and
* Respecting tribal demands to increase capacity and authority to administer educational programs that better address the needs of our Native students.

NIEA looks forward to strengthening Native education as we work with the President, the Secretary of the Interior, members of the Council, and Native partners to ensure the federal trust responsibility to Native education is upheld.

Please contact Clint Bowers, NIEA Research and Policy Associate, at cbowers@niea.org with any questions.