President Biden is renewing his commitment to our rural tribal communities and reminding lawmakers that our work is far from over.

On the heels of Native American Heritage Month, President Biden travelled to Arizona to offer a formal apology on behalf of the United States government for its role in the atrocities of the Indian Boarding School system.

For almost 150 years, all the way through the 1960s, native children were not only forced into boarding schools far away from home but also subjected to rampant physical, sexual, and verbal abuse and neglect. By the mid-1920s, over 80% of all native children attended these boarding schools.

In the decades since, Washington has consistently lacked the willpower to fund and support action in tribal communities. The result: poorer health outcomes, lower rates of high school and college graduation, and weaker economic opportunities.

But over the last four years, President Biden has made record investments in Indian Country, which will benefit tribal communities across the U.S.:

* Nearly $50 billion dollars for infrastructure renewal projects for roads and bridges, high-speed internet connection, drought mitigation, clean energy development, and more.
* Directing support of native businesses through the Buy Indian Act, which encourages federal contracts to Native-owned or operated businesses.
* Expanded access to capital and loans for native-owned small businesses through the Small Business Administration.
* Securing advance appropriations for the Indian Health Service (IHS) for the first time ever and requesting mandatory funding for IHS from here on out.
* Strengthening protections for important tribal lands, monuments, forests, and natural resources, including historic partnerships with tribes and states of the Pacific Northwest to restore wild salmon throughout the Columbia River Basin.

There is so much more to be done, and we hope the next administration will build on these Biden-era successes. In the meantime, we'll be pushing Congress and state leaders to fulfill their obligations to our tribal communities, not simply because of past injustices, but because it's essential that they have the resources to thrive, create jobs, and build growth and prosperity.

Heidi

Heidi Heitkamp, Former U.S. Senator from North Dakota
Founder, One Country Project



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