Kamala Harris deserves the powerful Navajo votes, not Trump

By Chris Deschene

Editor’s note: Chris C. Deschene is a U.S. Marine veteran, a tribal energy attorney, and an engineer. He is Tódích’íi’nii and born for Deeshchíí’nii. His maternal grandfather is Nóóda’í Táchii’nii and his paternal grandfather is Tábąąhá. He is the founder of Battleground Indian Country Inc.

The center of Arizona’s 2024 battleground is the Navajo Nation. In American politics, the support and advocacy for Native American communities have often been overlooked by political campaigns. Yet, there are some leaders that dedicate their careers to not just acknowledging but actively supporting our Native peoples and communities. Among these leaders, President Obama, President Biden, and now, Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz stand out for their unwavering commitment and actions for Indian Country. For these reasons, Navajos should vote for Harris and Walz in the November 5th election.

Vice President Kamala Harris is a wife, mother, sister at her core. She is the current sitting vice president of the United States. She has served as a U.S. senator from California, the attorney general from California, and started her career as a prosecutor protecting families like yours and mine. Harris is on a first name basis with many tribal leaders and has a deep understanding of the unique challenges we face here in Indian Country. Similarly, Tim Walz taught school for seven years on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. As the Governor of Minnesota, he knows Minnesota tribal leaders on a first name basis and he established the Office of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives, the first of its kind in the country, which addresses a critical issue affecting Native communities. Walz’s commitment to consultation and collaboration with Native American tribes shows his respect for their sovereignty and self-determination. We should vote for them for following reasons.

First, under the Biden-Harris Administration, Democrats established a Nation-to-Nation Policy, with respect for treaty rights and the trust responsibility, and made the largest ever financial investments into sovereign tribal Nations:

(a) In March 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration enacted the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which made the largest single federal financial investment in Native communities in the history of the United States, with $32 Billion devoted specifically to tribal communities and Native peoples. The Navajo Nation received a substantial amount of ARPA funding, over a $1 billion, which has been distributed to get us through the national pandemic and the recovery.

(b) Through the Bi-Partisan Infrastructure Act and

(c) the Inflation Reduction Act, Biden-Harris addressed many longstanding needs of our Navajo people across our vast reservation with funding to support tribal infrastructure, energy, agricultural, technology, and manufacturing investments. While more resources and development are critically needed on the Navajo Nation, these measures provide a solid foundation for continuing to revitalize and strengthen our Navajo economy.

Second, the Biden-Harris Administration appointed the first Native American Secretary of the Interior, Debra Haaland of Laguna Pueblo to a Cabinet-level position. Secretary Haaland’s position signals to the rest of the Country and to the world that this administration, including a future Harris Administration values the strength, experience, and power of our People. Secretary Haaland’s appointment clearly indicates Biden-Harris value of tribal power and influence.

Third, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken a revolutionary step in addressing the healthcare needs of Native communities through the first-ever Advance Appropriations Funding for Indian Health Service, a major milestone achievement that provides a stable and predictable foundation for Native healthcare.

Fourth, Biden-Harris has been steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding Tribal lands and mitigating the impact of climate change on Native communities. This includes decisive executive actions restoring protections to the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, revoking the Keystone XL pipeline permit, and prioritizing environmental justice. Further, Vice President Harris policies will support tribes with continued renewable energy incentives, programs, and resources including, direct payments in lieu of tax credits going directly to tribal governments for wind, solar and geothermal development.

Fifth, Vice President Harris’s policies and priorities align with the deeply held belief in many Native American communities of living in harmony with the land and with each other. Harris also respects women’s rights, seeking to live in harmony with our children, families, and community. Biden-Harris has made significant investments in early childhood care, housing, healthcare, public safety, elders, veterans, and other Indian country priorities. Harris supported the Not Invisible Act, aimed at addressing the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, men, and children. Under the Harris-Walz Administration, Kamala will support child-care, child tax credits, and good jobs for working families. Harris will promote small business and the middle class. She knows main street Americans because she grew up in the middle class, starting out working at McDonalds like many of us.

Sixth, Vice President Harris immensely qualified to protect our rights regarding way of life, our health care choices, and our rights protected under the Constitution. As a former California attorney general and district attorney, Harris knows that public safety is essential to community wellness, and she will fight drug trafficking and put more cops on the beat. Harris will promote treatment for non-violent alcohol and drug offenders, so people who suffer addictions can find relief and find a healing way back to their families and communities.

Seventh, the future Harris-Walz Administration will protect the rights of veterans, their families, and the honor the service of all those who served and are serving now. Governor Walz is a veteran and is deeply committed to helping our brother and sisters in arms.

By stark contrast, Trump’s record is abysmal: (a) his Supreme Court appointments enabled that Supreme Court to deny Navajo Water Rights under our 1868 Treaty with the United States; (b) his “America First” energy plan expedited Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines, opposed by Native nations due to undue pollution risks to the only source of drinking water for affected Indian reservations; (c) he reduced the Bears Ears National Monument by 85%, a monument whose creation had been led by the Navajo Nation and other tribes; (d) he weakened National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act by undercutting tribal input on large-scale carbon emission projects on their ancestral lands; (e) he put an end to the annual White House Tribal Nations Conference; (f) he slashed and eliminated funding for law enforcement, detention, and other facilities in Indian Country, and (g) he called military service veterans “suckers and losers,” …rich, given that this man has dodged military service.

Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump Administration did not include any funding in the first relief package, and when Congress earmarked $10 billion to tribal nations, the Trump Administration held up distribution of these funds for months, withholding critical aid for personal protective equipment, financial aid, and testing. Our U.S. Senator Tom Udall, then vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, said of Trump, “This administration’s record is one of repeated failures for Native communities …. The truth is the White House is actively undermining tribal sovereignty across the country and mishandling a once-in-a-century pandemic that is disproportionately hurting Native communities.” When the Navajo Nation was experiencing a devastating rise in Covid cases, illnesses, and deaths, Trump and his administration were working against our health, welfare, and safety. Inexcusable.

In closing, as we look toward the future, Harris and Walz’s leadership offers a path forward that respects and uplifts our Native American communities. Unlike Trump, and his followers, Harris and Walz will unite, include, build, strengthen and up-lift our People. We fully expect that Harris-Walz Administration will appoint Native Americans to key positions throughout the government, including secretary of the Interior and important positions at the White House.

A vote for the Harris-Walz ticket is a vote for Democrats down the ballot that will send elected leaders we chose that will protect our rights and understand our concerns. A vote for Democrats from the top all the way down the ticket will send Jonathan Nez, Rueben Gallego, and other Democrats to keys positions of power who have proven themselves to be our trusted allies. A vote for Democrats is a vote for truth, for balance, for honor and dignity, and for me, a vote to protect our way of life, our mothers, sisters, daughters, and the future of our children. Please make a plan to vote, vote and then encourage other loved ones and friends to vote. Truly, our sovereignty depends on our votes.

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