Yesterday, Elizabeth Warren announced her plan to "write a new chapter" in
U.S. relations with tribal nations. It's been called "historic" "bold"
"transformational" and "honestly, top notch" by Native American leaders.

Warren teamed up to write this plan with Rep. Deb Haaland, one of the
first two Native Americans elected to Congress last year. They laid it out
in an op-ed in Indian Country Today. Can you take a few minutes to read
Elizabeth Warren's email to her supporters about the plan?

Once you do, [ [link removed] ]click here to share the op-ed on Facebook. And, [ [link removed] ]click
here to Tweet about it. (Please also forward this email -- and if Warren
is now one of your top choices, [ [link removed] ]tell us here.)

Thanks. -- The PCCC Team

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ELIZABETH WARREN'S EMAIL TO SUPPORTERS:

After years of failure, it’s finally time for Washington to fully
recognize its historic and ongoing trust and treaty obligations to Tribal
Nations.

For generations, the federal government robbed Native Americans of over a
billion acres of land, suppressed their languages and cultures, and
literally stole children from communities in an effort to eradicate entire
cultures. It’s a history of violence, theft, and broken promises.

Despite this history, Tribal Nations and indigenous peoples have proven
resilient, and continue to contribute to a country that took so much and
keeps asking for more.

But Washington must do better, including by...

* Ending the corruption that empowers giant corporate interests to
desecrate Native American sacred sites and violate Tribal treaty
rights
* Protecting historic monuments and public lands
* Taking steps to stop violence against Native people, especially
women and girls
* Ending the neglect that allows Congress to chip away at nutrition
assistance, health care, education funding, and other programs

And to truly make big, structural change, we must ensure that America’s
sacred trust and treaty obligations are binding legal and moral principles
— not merely slogans.

That’s why I’ve teamed up with Representative Deb Haaland, one of the
first Native American women to serve in Congress, on a proposal called the
Honoring Promises to Native Nations Act. And it’s why I've put forward a
set of additional ideas to uphold the federal government's trust and
treaty obligations with Tribal Nations and to empower Native communities.

Washington owes Native communities a fighting chance to build stronger
communities and a brighter future.

I have fought for a brighter future for Tribal Nations during my time in
the Senate, and I’m proud to come together on this proposal with
Representative Haaland in the House. And when we take the White House,
here’s what I’ll work on as president:

1. Guaranteeing vital resources: Our bill will ensure predictable,
guaranteed funding for vital programs for Indian Country — no matter the
circumstances in Washington. Trust and treaty obligations do not vanish
because of political games, and funding these programs is not optional.

2. Elevating Tribal priorities to the highest levels of federal
government: I know that when it comes to government decisions, it matters
who’s in the room — and what authority they have. As president, I will
establish a permanent, statutory White House Council on Native American
Affairs and create a new White House Budgetary Office of Tribal Affairs to
track government-wide progress on Native and indigenous programs.

3. Economic development: We will invest in the physical, digital, and
financial infrastructure that Native communities need to sustain economic
development. From ensuring access to safe drinking water to building fiber
broadband connections, it is time for new government policies to empower
Native families to thrive economically.

4. New economic opportunities: We also need to respect tribal jurisdiction
over tribal businesses and promote forward-looking efforts to ensure full
access to new economic opportunities. For example, a number of Tribal
Nations view cannabis as an important economic opportunity. I support full
marijuana legalization and have advanced the STATES Act, a proposal that
would safeguard the ability of Tribal Nations to make their own marijuana
policies.

5. Housing: The housing crisis in Indian Country isn’t new, but its
severity is shocking. In far too many places, extreme overcrowding is the
norm. My housing plan would substantially expand the Indian Housing Block
Grant to $2.5 billion and build or rehabilitate 200,000 homes.

6. Health care: I am calling for a new commitment to Native health — one
that replaces the current, chronically underfunded regime with one that
guarantees funding for all necessary services, ensures access to adequate
medical providers throughout Tribal lands, and includes specific programs
designed to zero in on behavioral health and chronic disease issues. And
when we achieve Medicare for All, coverage disparities for Native
populations can be eliminated.

We also need to ensure new resources to combat substance use disorder,
empower tribes to resolve the suicide crisis, and address childhood
trauma. I have advanced several legislative proposals to address these
issues, from the CARE ACT to the American Indian and Alaska Native Child
Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act.

7. Education: We will involve Tribal governments as the local
administrators of Universal Child Care, fully fund Bureau of Indian
Education Schools, and ensure that all students understand the important
place Native Nations occupy in American history. Our plan for universal
free college would also make it possible for students at Tribal Colleges
and Universities to graduate without paying a dime in tuition or fees.

8. Honoring Native veterans: Native Americans serve in the military at
among the highest rates in the country. We should honor this service and
guarantee that Native veterans receive the services they have earned,
including housing assistance to combat the disproportionate risk of
homelessness for Native veterans.

9. Public safety and criminal justice: Washington has refused to fully
respect tribal sovereignty in criminal justice matters. This has deprived
countless crime victims of the opportunity to get justice and fed the
ongoing epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women.

In 2013, the Violence Against Women Act crucially recognized some criminal
jurisdiction by Tribal Nations, but we need to go further. I support a
full Oliphant fix to fully recognize the inherent jurisdiction of tribes
over their sovereign territory and end the circumstances that effectively
immunize crimes on Tribal lands. And we need to provide tribal authorities
sufficient funding to provide robust legal systems that deliver justice
for victims and due process to criminal defendants.

10. Tribal lands and tribal sovereignty: Washington must stop putting the
interests of companies that want to exploit our environment ahead of the
interests of Native people who seek to preserve their sacred sites. As
president, I will expand federally protected land that is important to
tribes and protect historic monuments and sacred sites from companies that
see it as just another place to drill or mine. I will revoke the
improperly granted permits for the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines
and make respect for sacred tribal religious interests the law of the land
by passing a new Sacred Lands Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

11. Voting rights: We must ensure that Native people have full and equal
access to our democracy — including making voting convenient and secure
and wiping out laws that suppress the vote. I have proposed sweeping
reforms to achieve this, and will continue advocating for the Native
American Voting Rights Act to combat festering discriminatory practices.

These proposals aren’t the last word on everything we’ll need to do. As
president, I’m committed to continuing to engage and work with Native
communities — to make sure we do everything we can to support Tribal
Nations and indigenous peoples.

And we’ll fight side by side as a grassroots movement to live up to our
commitments as a country.

Thanks for being a part of this,

Elizabeth

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[ [link removed] ]Click here to share Warren's op-ed on Facebook. And, [ [link removed] ]click here to
Tweet about it. (Please also forward this email -- and if Warren is now
one of your top choices, [ [link removed] ]tell us here.)


Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told PCCC members, "The majority of Americans are with us on the policies. Americans support Medicare for All, expanding Social Security benefits, gun reform, debt-free college, and a $15 minimum wage. Bold progressive values are popular EVERYWHERE. Together, we have the people. Together, with your help, we’ll have the votes." Chip in $3 here: [link removed]


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