Team --
Today is Indigenous Peoples' Day -- a time when we celebrate and recognize the nearly 600 federally recognized Tribal communities in the United States.
Listening to and working with the sovereign nations in our region is an important part of my job. Just this month, I had the chance to meet with Tribal leaders and the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission to discuss how the Biden administration can invest in and support Indigenous peoples.
Tribal communities are bearing the brunt of climate change as sea levels rise. I'm proud the House majority passed new federal funding this year for Tribal relocation efforts. I even had the honor of welcoming Secretary of the Interior and the first Native American cabinet secretary, Deb Haaland, to our region to see firsthand the Quinault Indian Nation's Taholah Village Relocation project. And I'm working to secure key funding increases in the federal budget to help recover salmon stocks and support the Tribal fisheries that depend on them.
Washington is home to 29 federally recognized tribes, including 11 right here in the 6th district: Chehalis, Quinault, Hoh, Quileute, Makah, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Jamestown S'Klallam, Port Gamble, Suquamish, Skokomish, and Squaxin Island.
Team -- each of these nations has their own unique culture, traditions, and stories that add important threads to the fabric of our region and our country. They existed long before Christopher Columbus' voyages. They've withstood horrendous treatment, persecution, and broken promises from our own government.
I hope you'll join me in celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day today. We need to continue calling on Congress to right the wrongs of the past and honor its trust and treaty obligations with Tribal communities.
It's an honor to serve you,
Derek
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People for Derek Kilmer
PO Box 1381
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