“The inclusion of this amendment to protect the reservation land of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe is a welcome development, and an important recognition of tribal sovereignty by the U.S. House of Representatives. We urge the U.S. Senate to include the same provisions in its appropriations bills, ensuring that the federal government respects this tribal nation’s rights, and that we avoid long, costly litigation that could threaten its very existence.”

Statement on U.S. House of Representatives Passing Amendment Protecting the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and its Reservation Land

“Last week’s historic Supreme Court decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma was pivotal for its recognition of tribal sovereignty and the perpetual sanctity of treaties with tribal nations. As the decision states, ‘The most authoritative evidence of the Creek’s relationship to the land lies … in the treaties and statutes that promised the land to the Tribe in the first place.’ Pursuant to this ruling, the policy of the federal government – specifically that of the U.S. Congress – ought to be to respect the promises made to the Creek, and to all of the other tribal nations across the country, who were promised permanent homes. In the words of Justice Gorsuch, ‘We hold the government to its word.’”

NCAI’s mission is to fully protect and support the sovereignty of every tribal government across the country. As such, we will strongly oppose any and all legislation that diminishes the sovereignty, jurisdiction, or treaty rights of tribal nations that are affirmed in the United States Constitution, statutes, and judicial opinions, including in the Supreme Court’s historic 

 decision. NCAI is aware of a legislative effort currently underway in Congress to disestablish or terminate the reservations of certain tribal nations in Oklahoma, and we will aggressively oppose this baseless action.

NCAI Statement on Legislative Efforts to Diminish Tribal Sovereignty in Oklahoma

Today, the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation) took steps to prevent the illegal taking of the Nation’s property rights to minerals beneath the Missouri River on its Fort Berthold Reservation in western North Dakota. The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) holds firm its position in support of the MHA Nation’s land and mineral rights, and has advocated for government-to-government consultation between the MHA Nation and the Department of the Interior’s Office of the Solicitor to confirm the longstanding Executive and Congressional actions declaring that the Missouri River bed within the Fort Berthold Reservation is owned by the MHA Nation.

“The MHA Nation’s rights to the Missouri River bed minerals have been reaffirmed through a history of longstanding, well-settled, and still applicable legal precedents, and there should be no question as to the validity of the Nation’s claims,” says NCAI President Fawn Sharp. “We cannot reiterate strongly enough that consultation with tribal nations and upholding treaty obligations is not optional. It is mandatory.”

For these reasons, NCAI urges the Department of the Interior to immediately withdraw Solicitor’s Opinion M-37056 as an unwarranted threat to longstanding tribal trust assets. The fiduciary obligation of the United States is to protect and preserve tribal trust assets in order to ensure tribal nations have the resources needed to provide permanent homelands for present and future generations of their citizens. Instead, M-Opinion 37056 does the opposite, and completely reverses course on the Department of the Interior’s longstanding legal position with little or no rationale for doing so. NCAI stands with the MHA Nation in its fight to preserve its trust assets.

To view NCAI’s resolution on this issue, please click 

NCAI Statement on Legal Filing by Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation Regarding Illegal Taking of Nation’s Missouri Riverbed Property Rights

"Today is a day for all Native people to celebrate. We thank the generations of tribal nations, leaders, and activists who worked for decades to make this day possible. We commend the Washington NFL team for eliminating a brand that disrespected, demeaned, and stereotyped all Native people, and we call on all other sports teams and corporate brands to retire all caricatures of Native Americans that they use as their mascots. We are not mascots -- we are Native people, citizens of more than 500 tribal nations who have stood strong for millennia and overcome countless challenges to reach this pivotal moment in time when we can help transform America into the just, equitable, and compassionate country our children deserve."

NCAI Statement on the Washington Football Team’s Retirement of Racist Mascot

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), the nation’s oldest, largest, and most representative organization comprised of American Indian and Alaska Native tribal nations and their citizens, along with the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), the oldest and largest legal organization devoted to protecting the rights of Native American tribes and people, applaud this morning’s decision in the U.S. Supreme Court case, which confirmed that the treaty-defined boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation still remain in full force today.

Through treaty, the United States “solemnly guarantied” the Muscogee (Creek) Nation their reservation as a “permanent home” in exchange for leaving their eastern homelands (

). In a later treaty, the United States reaffirmed that the reservation was “forever set apart as a home for said Creek Nation” 

Today’s historic decision by the United States Supreme Court reaffirms that understanding. In issuing the opinion of the Court, Justice Neil Gorsuch said, “Today we are asked whether the land these treaties promised remains an Indian reservation for purposes of federal criminal law. Because Congress has not said otherwise, we hold the government to its word.”

“Through two terms of the United States Supreme Court, and as many cases and fact patterns, this question has loomed over federal Indian law. This morning, NCAI joins the rest of Indian Country in congratulating the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and proudly asserting that its lands remain, and will forever be considered, Indian country – as guaranteed in their treaty relationship with the United States,” said NCAI President Fawn Sharp.

NARF Executive Director John Echohawk responded to the decision, “In this case, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation had to fight long and hard to protect their homelands, which were promised in their treaty agreements with the United States. In holding the federal government to its treaty obligations, the U.S. Supreme Court put to rest what never should have been at question. We congratulate the Nation on its success.”

About the National Congress of American Indians:

Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the country. NCAI advocates on behalf of tribal governments and communities, promoting strong tribal-federal government-to-government policies, and promoting a better understanding among the general public regarding American Indian and Alaska Native governments, people and rights. For more information, visit 

Founded in 1970, NARF is the oldest and largest non-profit dedicated to asserting and defending the rights of Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and individual Indians nationwide. For the past 50 years, NARF has represented over 275 Tribes in 31 states in such areas as tribal jurisdiction, federal recognition, land claims, hunting and fishing rights, religious liberties, and voting rights. For more information, visit

Historic Win in McGirt v. Oklahoma

The Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association (GPTCA), the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), and the National Congress of American Indians Fund (NCAI Fund) applaud the D.C. District Court’s decision today to vacate the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Lake Oahe easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline, and to require the removal of all oil flowing through the pipeline by August 5, 2020. This decision ensures that the treaty-reserved rights of the plaintiff tribes – the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, the Yankton Sioux Tribe, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe – are adequately addressed, along with any other land and natural resource considerations, in a full-fledged and well-documented environmental review process.

GPTCA, NARF, and NCAI Fund participated in a coalition of Native organizations submitting an amicus brief in support of the plaintiff tribes during the latest proceedings in the D.C. District Court and are encouraged by this outcome. We hope that this decision helps pave the way for full and proper environmental impact studies as well as meaningful consultation with tribal nations that have direct or indirect stewardship over the lands under review. Our organizations will continue to work to ensure that every time tribal lands and resources are at stake, the environmental review processes meet all legal standards and respect the federal government’s trust obligations to tribes set forth in federal laws.

About the Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association:

Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association is made up of the 16 Tribal Chairmen, Presidents, and Chairpersons in the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska. Their purpose is to provide a forum for sharing information on matters of interest to its member Tribes, develop consensus on matters of mutual importance, assist member Tribes in their governmental and programmatic development consistent with their goals for self-determination, and self-sufficiency and provide for effective public relations and education program with non-Indian communities. For more information, please visit http://gptca.net/index.html

Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the country. NCAI advocates on behalf of tribal governments and communities, promoting strong tribal-federal government-to-government policies, and promoting a better understanding among the general public regarding American Indian and Alaska Native governments, people and rights. For more information, visit www.ncai.org.

Founded in 1970, NARF is the oldest and largest non-profit dedicated to asserting and defending the rights of Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and individual Indians nationwide. For the past 50 years, NARF has represented over 275 Tribes in 31 states in such areas as tribal jurisdiction, federal recognition, land claims, hunting and fishing rights, religious liberties, and voting rights. For more information, visit www.narf.org.

Great Plains Tribes Win Important Legal Fight to Protect Tribal Water and Treaty Resources

NCAI Response to the Washington Football Team’s Commitment to Addressing Name Change

WASHINGTON, DC | Today, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) welcomed the Washington NFL team’s 

 this morning of its plan to conduct a “thorough review” of the team’s name and mascot, which represents an important breakthrough for Indian Country in its longstanding effort to change the name and mascot. 

“We are encouraged by the Washington NFL team’s announcement that it will conduct a ‘thorough review’ of the team’s name and mascot. This moment has been 87 years in the making, and we have reached this moment thanks to decades of tireless efforts by tribal leaders, advocates, citizens, and partners to educate America about the origins and meaning of the R-word,” said NCAI President Fawn Sharp. “NCAI looks forward to immediately commencing discussions with the league and team about how they will change the team’s name and mascot, and a prompt timetable for doing so. Indian Country deserves nothing less. The time to change is now.”

NCAI is the oldest, largest, and most representative national organization serving American Indian and Alaska Native tribal nations and their citizens, and has been 

 to eradicate offensive Native “themed” mascots from sports and popular culture for more than 50 years.

NCAI Commends Leadership of FedEx in Taking Stand Against the Washington NFL Team’s Racial Slur Mascot, Calls on League’s Other Sponsors and Retailers to Join Movement

WASHINGTON, D.C. | The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) commends this evening’s 

 by FedEx asking the Washington NFL team to “change the team name.” FedEx’s announcement is particularly noteworthy given that the company is the stadium sponsor of the Washington NFL team, and FedEx CEO Fred Smith owns a minority ownership stake in the team.

“Tonight’s action by FedEx is a wake-up call to all of those who choose to remain in business with the National Football League. In this historic moment and global movement for racial justice, they can no longer sit idly by as the league’s Washington franchise clings to a dictionary-defined racial slur as its mascot. The R-word is destined for the dustbin of history – it’s not a question of if, but when, and that time is now,” said NCAI President Fawn Sharp. “Our nation faces a day of reckoning – we can choose to perpetuate racial inequality and the marginalization of peoples of color, or we can choose to pursue a new path towards a just, righteous, and inclusive society. Removing racist and harmful words, symbols, and imagery like the Washington team’s R-word mascot is a necessary and non-negotiable first step in taking that path.”

NCAI calls upon the major corporate sponsors of the National Football League to join FedEx in calling for the immediate retirement of the Washington team’s name and mascot. It also calls upon the top retailers of NFL merchandise to discontinue selling any and all apparel and related products bearing the team’s name and mascot.

The oldest, largest, and most representative national organization serving tribal nations and citizens, NCAI has been 


Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the country. NCAI advocates on behalf of tribal governments and communities, promoting strong tribal-federal government-to-government policies, and promoting a better understanding among the general public regarding American Indian and Alaska Native governments, people and rights. For more information, visit 

We’re here for you. The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) stands with you in these uncertain and difficult times. We’re here to help. We’re here to listen. We’re here to work. We’re here to heal.

We simply want you to know that we are working every day to help bring positive change to your nations, communities, and citizens. We’ve had the honor and responsibility to carry out this sacred charge for more than 75 years and we won’t ever stop. Please know that you are not alone.

Despite what some proclaim, America’s greatness depends not on the degree to which this nation advances policies of racial and economic inequality that privilege one group of people at the expense of all others. To the contrary, America’s greatness has always risen and fallen on the degree to which this nation embraces its incredible diversity and provides equal footing to all Americans to seize opportunities, enabling them to realize their full potential. As the first peoples of this land, Native people are an integral part of the American mosaic, and we will not rest until we secure our rightful place in this country’s future and equal opportunities to thrive.

NCAI has an unwavering commitment to continue supporting Indian Country, no matter the challenges that stand in our way. Even during the coronavirus pandemic, we are advancing policies and protections that will serve us beyond the pandemic. In addition, we want to provide financial assistance where it’s needed the most. If you haven’t already, please visit our COVID-19 website at 

. On the site under the “Get Involved” tab, you’ll find a link to apply for COVID-19 relief funding. This funding can be used as you see fit, to ensure you can respond to and recover from this pandemic. If your tribal nation or a non-profit organization in your community needs assistance, we encourage you to apply. This website also serves as a resource hub to stay informed on all legislative matters, news, events, and reliable health-related information, including COVID-19 statistics specific to Indian Country.

In addition, NCAI encourages tribal nations to remain active in the fight for racial equity. We frequently express our commitment by consistently partnering with a number of national partners, such as with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, on the issues that matter most to communities of color. We also believe that public education and personal wellness are two additional components to consider. We encourage you to consider developing a 

 so that we can have a unified voice in our cries for justice. We also encourage you all to take a moment and check in with yourselves, your families, and your communities to create spaces for prayer and healing. 

 has an ongoing series of workshops, activities, and resources to get you started.

I call on you as leaders to come together and rise to the occasion. We must turn this crisis into an opportunity to shape the future for the next seven generations. We can do this together.

NCAI is here for you



This year’s Pride Month has been unlike any other, as a social justice movement more powerful, diverse, and widespread than any seen in decades has swept across the United States. As the country grapples with the issues of racism, police brutality, and confronting its history through monuments and statues, we are also marking the 51st anniversary of the Stonewall uprising – the catalyst for the modern fight for LGBTQ2S rights in the United States, and an incredible demonstration of a marginalized group standing up and demanding the respect they deserve.

In the early hours of the morning on June 28, 1969, the police raided on the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The Stonewall Inn was a popular location among the gay and lesbian communities, and was known to cater to their most marginalized members such as drag queens and transgender people. The LGBTQ2S community faced an anti-gay legal system in the 1950’s and 60’s, and as tensions escalated outside the Stonewall Inn, New York’s gay community broke out into riots that lasted for more than three days.

The Stonewall riots prompted organizations like the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance to form, setting the foundation for a half century of activism and advocacy that would bring the LGBTQ2S community to where it is today.

Indian Country has long stood side by side with the LGBTQ2S community, and far back into time immemorable tribes from coast to coast recognized, respected, and 

accepted two-spirit brothers and sisters.

 Just as the Stonewall uprising impacted and inspired tribes across the country, the ongoing social justice movement gets to the heart of the centuries long struggle Indigenous peoples have had to endure.

This month, a story similar to Stonewall has played out across the country. The death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police spurred protests and unrest across the country, prompting an in depth national discourse on policing in the United States, and the figures that are memorialized as statues and monuments.

We are watching as people stand up and make sure their voices are heard and their lives respected today, condemning oppressive practices and institutions while demanding statues and monuments to confederate soldiers and colonizing oppressors are removed across the country.

The Stonewall uprising launched a half century of forward progress and hard fought battles for justice and equality, bringing the LGBTQ2S community greater and greater protection under the law, and an ever growing acceptance and love from within our culture and communities. Today’s movement for justice and equality demands that we stand together for our marginalized and oppressed communities, always pushing for what is right and protecting those who are vulnerable, all while bringing the same passion and commitment that those at the Stonewall Inn did a half century ago.

Pride 2020: Indian Country, Black Lives Matter, and the Struggle for Equality

NCAI Statement on the Negative Decision in Chehalis v. Mnuchin

WASHINGTON, D.C. | The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is extremely disappointed in today’s decision by the D.C. District Court in Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation v. Mnuchin.

Although the Court acknowledged that Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) “are not federally recognized Indian tribes but are for-profit corporations established by Congress under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act”, and explicitly limited its decision to “the status of ANCs under [the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act] and the [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act]”, today’s decision would result in critical congressional funding intended for Indian tribal governments being diverted to state chartered corporate entities with no governance authority and no governmental duties to tribal citizens in Alaska.

NCAI continues to believe that Congress intended for Title V CARES Act funding to be distributed to Indian tribal governments.

NCAI Statement on the Negative Decision in Chehalis v. Mnuchin

MEDIA ADVISORY: NCAI to Convene Tribal Leaders to Discuss Tribal Lands andSacred Sites Issues and Threats across Indian Country

Cedric Cromwell – Chairman, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe

Mark N. Fox – Chairman, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation

Harold C. Frazier – Chairman, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe

Ned Norris, Jr. – Chairman, Tohono O’odham Nation

Terry Rambler – Chairman, San Carlos Apache Tribe

Fawn Sharp, President, National Congress of American Indians and President, Quinault Indian Nation


Join the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and tribal leaders for our upcoming Forum: Protecting Tribal Lands and Sacred Places: Current Threats across Indian Country.

This Forum will share the stories of five tribal nations working to protect their tribal homelands in the face of baseless and arbitrary attacks by the federal government, and they will discuss how the federal government must recommit to its trust and treaty obligations to all tribal nations in this critical area.

Each participant has a unique perspective and experience with tribal land issues and its effects to their rights as sovereign nations: 

 experienced attempts from the Secretary of the Interior to disestablish their reservation and take their lands out of trust; the 

, also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes, are currently fighting the illegal confiscation of minerals beneath the Missouri River on the Fort Berthold Reservation; the 

 has faced several issues including a recent attempt by the governor of South Dakota to force the removal of COVID-19 checkpoints into their tribal nation without cause or jurisdiction; the 

 Nation has long opposed fortified walls on the border of their reservation, and despite a 2017 Executive Order, the Nation reiterates their stance on border walls; and the 

San Carlos Apache Tribe recently testified

 in front of the House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States to discuss the irreparable environmental and cultural impacts of the proposed copper mining operation.

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7395488239360720652

 Tuesday, June 23, 2020 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT

MEDIA ADVISORY: NCAI to Convene Tribal Leaders to Discuss Tribal Lands and Sacred Sites Issues and Threats across Indian Country

WASHINGTON, D.C. | The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) commends the 

 of Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who declared Friday in referring to the “R*dskins” name and mascot of the Washington NFL team that “it’s past time for the team to deal with what offends so many people.”

“Mayor Bowser’s statement represents a watershed development in Indian Country’s decades-long struggle to remove this and the many other offensive and degrading Native ‘themed’ mascots from sports and popular culture,” said NCAI President Fawn Sharp. “In this historic moment for racial justice, Mayor Bowser’s declaration reflects the growing tide among our nation’s leaders and all Americans to choose respect for Native people and all other people of color by ridding our country of the symbols of racism and intolerance that have long marginalized and dehumanized us.”

NCAI calls upon the leaders of professional sports leagues, school systems, state and local governments, and the business world across the country to condemn and abolish these mascots, which cause profound and well-documented harms to Native people, in particular Native youth.

NCAI Commends DC Mayor Bowser’s Call for Washington NFL Team to Change Its Name and Mascot, Appeals to State and Local Officials and Corporations to Do the Same

NCAI Statement on the Removal of Christopher Columbus Statues

WASHINGTON, DC | The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), the largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the country, does not acknowledge Christopher Columbus as a hero. To Indigenous peoples, he was the opposite:

[O]ut of timbers for the Santa Maria, . . . Columbus built a fort [on Hispaniola], the first European military base in the Western Hemisphere. . . . He took . . . Indian prisoners and put them aboard his two remaining ships. . . . [H]e got into a fight with Indians who refused to trade as many bows and arrows as he and his men wanted. Two were run through with swords and bled to death. Then the Nina and the Pinta set sail. . . . When the weather turned cold, the Indian prisoners began to die. . . .

In the year 1495, they went on a great slave raid, rounded up fifteen hundred Arawak men, women, and children, put them in pens guarded by Spaniards and dogs, then picked the five hundred best specimens to load onto ships. Of those five hundred, two hundred died en route. The rest arrived alive in Spain and were put up for sale. . . .

Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, 3-4 (1980 Ed.).

“This growing movement across the country to rid our shared spaces of symbols that represent hate, genocide, and bigotry illustrates that it is past time for all cities to stand on the right side of history moving forward,” said NCAI President Fawn Sharp.

NCAI also strongly supports the recent actions taken by United States citizens and the international community calling for proper law enforcement reforms and the recognition of basic human rights for the African American community and all communities of color. We are humbled that these voices are including Indian Country’s perspectives. NCAI encourages local governments and their citizens to seek mutual understandings of their diverse perspectives and to develop peaceful solutions that are mindful of all human beings and our rich distinct and shared histories. Together we can build the tomorrow our children deserve to lead.

About The National Congress of American Indians:

Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the country. NCAI advocates on behalf of tribal governments and communities, promoting strong tribal-federal government-to-government policies, and promoting a better understanding among the general public regarding American Indian and Alaska Native governments, people and rights. For more information visit 

As the foremost national coalition of organizations dedicated to civil rights and racial justice, we are both heartbroken and outraged at the brutal and senseless murder of George Floyd by officers of the Minneapolis Police Department. George Floyd becomes the latest in a long and growing line of members of our communities who have needlessly died at the hands of police acting outside of the bounds of the law and their sworn duty to uphold and protect the public. This epidemic of racialized violence must stop, and it must stop now. Bringing it to an end will require the affirmative commitment, solidarity and sustained action of all Americans, from grassroots advocacy to the ballot box.

Our collaborative calls for swift, full, and impartial justice for George Floyd and his family. We call for justice for the many other Black, American Indian, Alaska Native, Latino, Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander people of color who have suffered the same fate at the hands of law enforcement across this country. And we call for justice for the future victims from our communities, who no doubt will lose their lives unless all Americans come together to compel federal, state, and local governments to dismantle the deep-rooted power structures that allow these brutal acts of violence to occur, and then go unpunished. We call for:

the immediate arrest of all of the officers involved in George Floyd’s murder;

President Trump’s appointment of an independent special prosecutor to lead the federal government’s full and impartial investigation of the murder of George Floyd, specifically to determine whether violations of federal hate crimes statutes have occurred and to prosecute those violations accordingly to the full extent of the law;

the systematic reinstitution by the Department of Justice of consent decrees on police departments and municipal governments across this country that have demonstrated patterns of racism towards and mistreatment of people of color;

Congressional oversight hearings, at least annually, to review the status of the implementation of the Death in Custody Reporting Act to compel the collection, reporting and analysis of all deaths, by race and gender, that occur in law enforcement custody, including any while a person is detained or arrested;

federal, state, and local governments to issue states of emergency declaring racism a public health crisis, and to develop targeted policies to address this crisis; and

all Americans to commit to working with us to dismantle systemic racism that has enabled this scourge of race-based violence to grow unabated.

As the Bishop Desmond Tutu once declared, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

Advancement Project National Office, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Demos, Faith in Action, NAACP, National Congress of American Indians, National Urban League, Race Forward, and UnidosUS are a collaborative of nine leading national racial equity anchor organizations (the Anchors) supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Together, we work to promote racial equity, advance racial healing, and ensure that all children, families, and communities have opportunities to reach their full potential.

Leading National Civil Rights and Racial Justice Organizations Denounce Murder of George Floyd, Call for Impartial Investigation of Officers Involved

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), the oldest and largest national organization comprised of American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments and their citizens, denounces the reprehensible conduct and fatal actions by the Minneapolis Police Department that caused the death of George Floyd.

Indian Country knows too well the terrible harm that racist and unaccountable police officers can inflict upon peaceful citizens. Police violence is occurring across the United States and is growing at alarming rates. The growth in unlawful and racially-motivated conduct by police officers demonstrates the prejudice that communities of color are continuing to endure, and our cries for equal rights and justice are being ignored. And far too often, these perpetrators in uniform are shielded from prosecution and other forms of warranted punishment by indifferent or enabling law enforcement leadership and police unions.

“As someone who served in law enforcement for a decade and took an oath to protect and serve all of my fellow citizens, I am sickened by what I’ve witnessed over the past several days, first with the murder of George Floyd, and the inadequate response since to apprehend and bring to justice all of those responsible. This latest unjustifiable tragedy is a stark reminder that people of color face disproportionate rates of police brutality, a situation that merits a comprehensive national policy response. No one should be harmed or murdered simply because of the color of their skin,”

 said Kevin Allis, Chief Executive Officer of the National Congress of American Indians.

Law enforcement officers who swear an oath to protect all citizens yet use violence as a tool to oppress and harm communities of color should be investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. We stand in solidarity with the African American community and the organizations that serve the African American community, and are committed to working together to advance policies of racial equity, policies that must begin with creating a law enforcement system in this country that protects and serves all Americans. #BlackLivesMatter.

NCAI Condemns the Behavior of the Officers Involved in the Death of George Floyd

WASHINGTON – The Presidential Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives announced four listening sessions to be conducted by teleconference in May and June. In response to the COVID-19 health emergency, previously scheduled in-person sessions have been postponed and will be rescheduled as soon as it is safe to do so.

American Indians and Alaska Natives experience disproportionately high rates of violence. President Trump has called the crisis of missing and murdered Native Americans “sobering and heartbreaking.” The task force, designated Operation Lady Justice, has been empowered to review Indian Country cold cases, to strengthen law enforcement protocols, and work with tribes to improve investigations, information sharing and a more seamless response to missing persons investigations.

Tribal Listening Session Webinars are open to Tribal Leaders and others. Sessions will include a short presentation about the current activities of the task force, followed by a listening session.

Registration information for the following listening sessions is available at 

Tribes in Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)’s Eastern Region (Tribal land located in Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and all states to the east coast)

Tribes in BIA’s Southern Plains, Southwest, Western and Rocky Mountain Regions (Tribal land located in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Montana and Wyoming)

Tribes in BIA’s Midwest and Great Plains Regions (Tribal land located in Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska)

Tribes in BIA’s Pacific, Northwestern and Alaska Regions (Tribal land located in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska)

Katharine (Katie) Sullivan, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, designee for the Attorney General;

Tara Sweeney, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, designee for the Secretary of the Interior;

Terry Wade, Executive Assistant Director, Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch, Federal Bureau of Investigation;

Laura Rogers, Acting Director, Office on Violence Against Women;

Charles (Charlie) Addington, Deputy Bureau Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services;

Trent Shores, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma and Chair of the Native American Issues Subcommittee of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee; and

Jean (Jeannie) Hovland, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Native American Affairs and Commissioner, Administration for Native Americans, Department of Health and Human Services.

Marcia Good, of the Department of Justice, serves as the Executive Director of the Task Force. The Task Force will present a progress report to the President by Nov. 26, 2020, and a final report detailing its activities and accomplishments by Nov. 26, 2021.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of the Department of Justice at 

. 2020 also marks 171st anniversary of the Department of the Interior. Learn more about the history of DOI at 

Presidential Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives to Resume Remote Listening Sessions

 | Yesterday, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) released the much-anticipated 

 modernizing the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), a regulatory framework that features landmark provisions designed to incentivize increased access to capital and credit for tribal governments, communities, and citizens.

Leading up to the release of the Final Rule, NCAI, the Native American Finance Officers Association (NAFOA), and our partners had closely engaged the OCC and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for more than two years about how best to modernize the CRA so that it serves the unique challenges and needs of Indian Country. The CRA Final Rule – which the OCC explains “makes capital more accessible in Indian Country and rural and distressed areas” – addresses several major priorities outlined in NCAI’s April 2020 

 on the OCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, notably:

specific measures aimed at spurring investments in tribal public safety, housing, education, healthcare, and communications infrastructure, as well as other community and economic development projects on tribal lands;

providing banks with CRA credit for serving tribal communities even when Indian Country falls outside their CRA assessment areas; and

creating CRA scoring incentives for banks that choose to do business in Indian Country.

“We are both relieved and excited to see that the final rule governing the Community Reinvestment Act retains the landmark provisions for Indian Country that NCAI, NAFOA, and its partners fought so hard to get included,” said Kevin J. Allis, Chief Executive Officer of the National Congress of American Indians. “As we turn to implementing this new rule, NCAI plans to work closely with our Indian Country and federal partners to ensure that the CRA fully achieves its intended benefits for tribal nations and communities.”

For more information about the Final Rule, check out 

The CRA was signed into law in 1977 to encourage depository institutions to help serve the credit needs of the communities in which they operate, in particular low- and moderate-income areas and populations. The Act also sought to deter discriminatory credit and lending practices against those populations, a practice commonly known as “redlining.” With many Indian reservations located in the poorest regions of the country, and with a significant portion of the Native population considered to have low or moderate incomes, on paper the CRA should have discernably enhanced the ability of Native people to access capital and credit through CRA-qualifying financial institutions. However, as the CDFI Fund’s landmark 2016 “

Access to Capital and Credit in Native Communities

” report noted, while the CRA “was not intended to exclude Native Communities living on tribal lands...in practice it often does,” and banks under the Act’s current regulations can easily satisfy CRA requirements “without working with a Native Community located on Native lands (communities which otherwise meet CRA criteria)” if they so choose. The modernized regulations feature several measures to address these issues.

Final Rule for Community Reinvestment Act Features Landmark Provisions to Increase Access to Capital and Credit for Indian Country

 in 11 additional states (AZ*, CO, IN, IA, LA, NE, NV, NM*, NY*, RI, and WY) and Puerto Rico, including dropping census invitation packets at the front doors of rural households and households that don't normally receive mail at home (known as the Update/Leave operation). As a reminder, on May 6, 2020, the Census Bureau resumed the hand delivery of census packets in AK, AL, AR, ID, ME, MS, MT, ND, OK, TN, UT, VT, and WV. On May 13, the Census Bureau resumed operations in an additional 54 Area Census Offices across FL, GA, KS, KY, MO, NC, OR, PA, and WA.'

Census Bureau Resumes Update/ Leave Operation in Some States

U.S. Departments of Treasury and Interior Release Update on Distribution of Coronavirus Relief Fund Funding and Formula

Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Department of the Interior issued a 

 regarding the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) dollars with updates on set-aside funding for tribal governments as follows:

“The Secretaries will:

Distribute 60 percent of the $8 billion to Tribes based on population data used in the distribution of the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG), subject to a floor of $100,000. This data is based on U.S. Census figures and is already familiar to Tribal governments.

Distribute the remaining 40 percent of the $8 billion based on the total number of persons employed by the Indian Tribe and any tribally-owned entity, and further data to be collected related to the amount of higher expenses faced by the tribe in the fight against COVID-19.

Payment to Tribes will begin today based on the population allocation, and will take place over several banking days. Amounts calculated for Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act regional and village corporations will be held back until pending litigation relating to their eligibility is resolved.

Payments to Tribes based on employment and expenditure data will be made at a later date. Treasury will work with Tribes to confirm employment numbers and seek additional information regarding higher expenses due to the public health emergency.”

“Treasury notes that the pending litigation has introduced additional uncertainty into the process of implementing the allocation and making payments to the Tribes, but Treasury is endeavoring to make payments of the remaining amounts as promptly as possible consistent with the Department’s obligation to ensure that allocations are made in a fair and appropriate manner.”

Also today, the Treasury Department posted a document regarding its Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) methodology titled “Allocations to Tribal Governments.” The document can be found 

.

Further, on May 4, 2020, the Treasury Department updated its Frequently Asked Questions on use of CRF funds 

.

If you have questions about the CRF, please contact Fatima Abbas, NCAI Director of Policy and Legislative Counsel, at 

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