Supporting Indian Country

With 11 tribes in or near our region, Representative Kilmer understands just how important it is that the federal government fulfills its treaty and trust obligations and fully respects the government-to-government relationship with our tribal governments. As a Member of the Congressional Native American Caucus, he’s working across party lines to help champion issues for all tribes.

• In April, Representative Kilmer worked with tribes in his region to host a tribal summit with Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, who serves as the Chair of the White House Council on Native American Affairs. The summit included targeted discussions with key stakeholders on tribal sovereignty, the best ways to increase economic development and grow opportunities on reservations, and the need for coastal resiliency to mitigate the impact of severe weather on tribal communities in the 6th District.
   
• Many tribes in our region are based in locations that are subject to threats from rising sea levels and extreme weather events. As tribes consider how best to protect public safety and preserve their sacred sites, Representative Kilmer believes the federal government needs to live up to its trust and treaty responsibilities. That’s why he is working to advance coastal resiliency legislation that fully respects tribal sovereignty and is targeted to addressing the pressing need to act before a major weather event.
   
• Representative Kilmer is pushing for Congress to make a serious effort at simplifying our tax code. As part of comprehensive tax reform, Congress should incorporate the principles of General Welfare Exclusion to ensure that services provided to tribal members are recognized appropriately. Representative Kilmer has cosponsored legislation to support this and will continue to urge its inclusion as part of any kind of tax code overhaul.

• Our unique government-to-government relationship with Native American tribes means that Congress has a responsibility to ensure that the federal government is treating tribal members fairly and equitably under the law. That is why Representative Kilmer introduced the Adoption Tax Credit Tribal Parity Act—bipartisan legislation that would end a disparity in the law that prevents parents who adopt Native American children with special needs through Tribal Courts from getting the federal support that Congress intended them to have.
   
• Over the course of the past 15 years, the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act has dramatically improved tribal access to safe, affordable, and quality housing. Housing is a pressing need for many tribes across the country. In 2012, the Department of Housing and Urban Development found that more than 25% of Indian housing units lack basic facilities, are overcrowded, or cost more than 50% of residents’ income. There is a need, today, for 200,000 more housing units in Indian Country. Representative Kilmer spoke on the House Floor about the need for Congress to take this issue up and act. Representative Kilmer will continue to work closely with the tribes to advance a NAHASDA reauthorization that respects our trust obligations and builds on the success that we’ve seen since it was first passed into law.
   
• Representative Kilmer strongly supports programs designed to help end veteran homelessness and believes that these programs should be accessible to all veteran populations. Many Native American veterans, however, are unable to access successful programs such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program - even though the Native veteran population is disproportionately higher than that of all veterans. Representative Kilmer introduced the Housing Native Heroes Act to ensure that the brave Native American veterans who served our nation can also access the vital rental assistance, case management, and clinical services through the HUD-VASH program.
   
• The across-the-board cuts of sequestration, alongside the government shutdown, had a severe impact on Indian Health Service and violated the spirit of the federal government’s trust obligations. That is why Representative Kilmer has cosponsored the Indian Health Service Advance Appropriations Act, which would ensure allow the Indian Health Service to continue their critical services without worrying whether Congress is doing its job.
   
• Representative Kilmer strongly supports legislation to address the 2009 Supreme Court Carcieri v. Salazar decision that limited the Department of the Interior’s ability to take land into trust for tribes not under federal jurisdiction in 1934. He has cosponsored legislation that would resolve the uncertainty associated with this ruling.