From healthcare and Standing Rock to #MMIW: Presidential candidates talk Native American issues

California State Assemblyman James Ramos, a member of the Serrano and Cahuilla tribes, doesn't remember presidential candidates paying this much attention to Native American issues in past election cycles.

In fact, until then-Sen. Barack Obama pledged to reach out and work with tribal leaders in 2008 — a promise he made good on by convening a White House Tribal Nations Conference each of his eight years in office — Ramos, a first-term Democrat, doesn't remember candidates addressing them at all.

But that's changed.

Various candidates in the crowded Democratic field have distinguished themselves by publishing lengthy tribal issues position papers, detailing their positions on sovereignty-related court cases and pinpointing how their broader platforms will affect the United States' nearly 6 million Native Americans.

And for the first time in history, candidates participated in Native American presidential forums — in Sioux City, Iowa in November and Las Vegas last month. Some attended in person and others provided written statements or participated over webcast.

For U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland, D-New Mexico, it's about time.

“(Native Americans) are the most underrepresented group of people anywhere — in higher education, in CEO jobs, you name it — in Congress," said Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna tribe. "The most underrepresented people in our country should be in the spotlight. We should know where the candidates stand with us."

The Desert Sun reached out to all the Republican and Democratic candidates with questions about their platforms regarding Native American issues and reviewed the position papers candidates had published online.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and businessman Tom Steyer responded to our questions via campaign staff, while a representative for former South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg directed us to the position paper on his website. Some candidates focused on initiatives tailored directly to Native Americans, while others highlighted parts of their climate, housing and healthcare plans they said anticipated would buoy tribal communities throughout the country. Candidates that are not featured did not provide a response.

Here's what the candidates said:

WIFI

While 82% of nationwide households have broadband internet connections, only 53% of Native Americans living on reservations in the U.S. have access to high-speed internet, making them the "least connected" demographic group in the country, census data shows.

Buttigieg promises to bring high-speed broadband coverage to all of Indian Country as part of his $80 billion Internet For All initiative, according to his policy paper "Achieving Autonomy for Tribal Nations and Enhancing Opportunities for Native People to Thrive" published on Columbus Day in October 2019.

promises to bring high-speed broadband coverage to all of Indian Country as part of his Internet For All initiative, according to his policy paper "Achieving Autonomy for Tribal Nations and Enhancing Opportunities for Native People to Thrive" published on Columbus Day in October 2019. Klobuchar pledges to ensure every U.S. household, including those on reservations, is connected to the internet by 2022 by focusing on building out electrical and broadband infrastructure to connect rural communities to existing grids.

pledges to ensure every U.S. household, including those on reservations, is connected to the internet by 2022 by focusing on building out electrical and broadband infrastructure to connect rural communities to existing grids. Sanders plans on earmarking $7.5 billion for high-speed internet in Indian Country as part of his $150 billion government-provided municipal broadband plan.

plans on earmarking for high-speed internet in Indian Country as part of his government-provided municipal broadband plan. Steyer wants to invest $135 billion in universal broadband, 10% of which he promises to set aside for tribes and reservation land.

wants to invest in universal broadband, 10% of which he promises to set aside for tribes and reservation land. Warren proposes creating a new $85 billion grant fund to expand broadband access across the country, which would include $5 billion earmarked for tribes, according to her policy paper titled "Honoring and Empowering Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples" published on Medium in August 2019.

HOUSING

People on tribal lands are six times more likely to live in homes with plumbing and heating deficiencies than the nationwide average and eight times more likely to live in overcrowded households, which the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines as more than one person to a room.

Buttigieg wants to invest billions in housing, but his "Indian Country" platform doesn't detail specific housing investments geared toward Native American communities.

wants to invest billions in housing, but his "Indian Country" platform doesn't detail specific housing investments geared toward Native American communities. Klobuchar would prioritize housing for Native American veterans and work with tribal officials to make sure her broader plans — for example, to reduce wait times for Section 8 voucher recipients — would keep Native American communities in mind, according to her position paper "Policy Priorities for Indian Country."

would prioritize housing for Native American veterans and work with tribal officials to make sure her broader plans — for example, to reduce wait times for Section 8 voucher recipients — would keep Native American communities in mind, according to her position paper "Policy Priorities for Indian Country." Sanders ' "Housing for All" plan calls for $2.5 trillion of investment to build 10 million new units throughout the country but his "Empowering Tribal Nations" platform does not detail specific housing investments geared toward Native American communities.

' "Housing for All" plan calls for of investment to build 10 million new units throughout the country but his "Empowering Tribal Nations" platform does not detail specific housing investments geared toward Native American communities. Steyer would support existing grant programs for Native American housing. His planned investments in "climate-smart" cities do not carve out specific allocations for demographic groups, but his campaign said they would benefit communities that have historically been subjected to discriminatory housing policies, including Native Americans.

would support existing grant programs for Native American housing. His planned investments in "climate-smart" cities do not carve out specific allocations for demographic groups, but his campaign said they would benefit communities that have historically been subjected to discriminatory housing policies, including Native Americans. Warren has released detailed plans to expand housing grants for Indian Country. As president, she'd increase funding by reauthorizing the expired Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act and expanding the Indian Housing Block Grant program, which awarded $200 million in grants last year, in order to award $2.5 billion annually.

WATER & POWER

Native Americans living on many reservations struggle to access reliable drinking water and electricity. In the Southwest, 15,000 households scattered across the 27,000-square-mile Navajo Nation remain without electricity. Native American households lack reliable access to safe drinking water at almost twice the national rate, according to the federal government's Indian Health Services agency.

Buttigieg promises that under his administration, the federal government would make an unspecified "major" investment in infrastructure for water, transportation and climate adaptation on reservations throughout the U.S.

promises that under his administration, the federal government would make an unspecified "major" investment in infrastructure for water, transportation and climate adaptation on reservations throughout the U.S. Klobuchar 's tribal policies platform calls for an unspecified amount of investment "in infrastructure, including renewable energy development."

's tribal policies platform calls for an unspecified amount of investment "in infrastructure, including renewable energy development." Under Sanders ' Green New Deal proposal, tribes would be considered "frontline communities" eligible for a new $40 billion Climate Justice Resiliency Fund for roads, bridges, and electric grid and water infrastructure updates.

' Green New Deal proposal, tribes would be considered "frontline communities" eligible for a new Climate Justice Resiliency Fund for roads, bridges, and electric grid and water infrastructure updates. Steyer 's environmental platform doesn't mention Native Americans directly, but his campaign said the platform's "trillions" in proposed climate infrastructure investments would benefit tribal communities and increase equity as the country transitions away from fossil fuels.

's environmental platform doesn't mention Native Americans directly, but his campaign said the platform's "trillions" in proposed climate infrastructure investments would benefit tribal communities and increase equity as the country transitions away from fossil fuels. As president, Warren would direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set aside money specifically for tribes in its Clean Water State Revolving Fund and triple Energy Department investments for electric grid updates and renewable energy projects on tribal lands. Like Sanders, she believes her Green New Deal proposal would particularly buoy frontline communities "that often bear the brunt of climate change."

INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE

For more than a century, the federal government has promised to provide Native Americans access to benefits like healthcare on the lands provided to them as reservations. But today, the Indian Health Service (IHS) often runs out of funding mid-year. In 2017, the National Tribal Budget Formulation Workgroup concluded the program would need $32 billion annually to be fully funded, but the federal government's 2020 budget allocated less than $6 billion.

Buttigieg pledges to fully fund the IHS and reclassify its appropriations as mandatory, rather than discretionary, spending.

pledges to fully fund the IHS and reclassify its appropriations as mandatory, rather than discretionary, spending. Klobuchar also would fully fund the IHS and would advocate for funding programs "... focusing on prevention and treatment of diseases where there is a severe health disparity between tribes and non-Indian communities, including cancer, diabetes and suicide."

also would fully fund the IHS and would advocate for funding programs "... focusing on prevention and treatment of diseases where there is a severe health disparity between tribes and non-Indian communities, including cancer, diabetes and suicide." Sanders ' Medicare for All proposal would "complement" the healthcare provided by IHS, which he would fully fund, to ensure all Native Americans are insured.

' Medicare for All proposal would "complement" the healthcare provided by IHS, which he would fully fund, to ensure all Native Americans are insured. Steyer also pledges to fully fund the IHS and, as president, will advocate for medical providers throughout the U.S. to "complete cultural competency training."

also pledges to fully fund the IHS and, as president, will advocate for medical providers throughout the U.S. to "complete cultural competency training." Warren also pledges to fully bankroll the IHS and reclassify its funding as mandatory spending. Additionally, she'll harness the power of the presidency to recruit doctors to ensure the agency is fully staffed both in hospitals on tribal lands and in Urban Indian Health Programs.

MISSING & MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN

Native American women disproportionately face the threat of domestic violence, rape and murder. Although extensive data on the crisis hasn't been collected, the Department of Justice estimates Native American women on reservations where data is tracked face murder rates about 10 times higher than the national average. President Donald Trump's administration launched a task force this month on the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women. All of the candidates who responded to The Desert Sun's questions identified funding gaps in the tribal court system as key to addressing the epidemic.

Democratic presidential hopefuls have also taken aim at Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe, a 1978 Supreme Court case that stripped tribes of jurisdiction to try and punish non-Native American people on their land, "unless specifically authorized to do so by Congress." Many candidates have proposed an "Oliphant fix," which would expand the domestic violence exception to the ruling and grant tribal courts jurisdiction to prosecute non-Native Americans accused of violence against women committed on tribal land.

In addition to an Oliphant fix, Buttigieg also proposed in October establishing a commission to study the problem, as detailed in a position paper he unveiled months before Trump established his White House Task Force.

also proposed in October establishing a commission to study the problem, as detailed in a position paper he unveiled months before Trump established his White House Task Force. Klobuchar advocates for unspecified funding increases for tribal judicial systems and would continue pushing the Senate to pass Savanna's Act, which would direct the DOJ to train and accept input from tribal authorities to improve data collection practices on murdered and missing indigenous women.

advocates for unspecified funding increases for tribal judicial systems and would continue pushing the Senate to pass Savanna's Act, which would direct the DOJ to train and accept input from tribal authorities to improve data collection practices on murdered and missing indigenous women. Sanders wants increase the percentage of cases solved by increasing funding and resources available to tribal law enforcement.

wants increase the percentage of cases solved by increasing funding and resources available to tribal law enforcement. Steyer supports expanding the DOJ's largest grant program: the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, which funds tribal justice system initiatives, drug courts and victims' services, among other things.

supports expanding the DOJ's largest grant program: the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, which funds tribal justice system initiatives, drug courts and victims' services, among other things. Warren would create a DOJ task force dedicated to investigating and prosecuting murders and sexual assaults of indigenous women. She'd lobby Congress to reform the Indian Civil Rights Act to allow tribal courts to impose harsher punishments on offenders and create a federal Tribal Court Innovation Fund geared toward public defenders and unspecified "criminal justice innovations," as outlined in her position paper. She also proposes an Amber Alert-type system geared toward Native American women.

CANNABIS

The National Congress of American Indians has long held the position that, as sovereign nations, tribes should be able to write their own rules regarding cannabis. But as the DOJ and state attorney generals have sparred over the crop, many tribes say they lack clear guidelines on the issue. All of the Democratic candidates have fully embraced legalizing cannabis on a federal level but have outlined different pathways to doing so, except for Biden, who wants to decriminalize the substance and expunge prior convictions, and Bloomberg, who supports decriminalization and leaving decisions about full legalization up to states.

Buttigieg supports fully legalizing marijuana and putting a "significant percentage" of tax revenue from legalization toward communities of color most impacted by the war on drugs.

supports fully legalizing marijuana and putting a "significant percentage" of tax revenue from legalization toward communities of color most impacted by the war on drugs. Sanders pledges to appoint an attorney general who'd begin the process of de-scheduling cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug within his first 100 days in office, a move that'd amount to "effectively legalizing marijuana, including on tribal land," his campaign said.

pledges to appoint an attorney general who'd begin the process of de-scheduling cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug within his first 100 days in office, a move that'd amount to "effectively legalizing marijuana, including on tribal land," his campaign said. Steyer supports legalizing cannabis and clarifying current laws that tribal nations are subject to.

supports legalizing cannabis and clarifying current laws that tribal nations are subject to. Warren supports both full legalization and a bill that would give states and tribal nations the authority to make their own cannabis laws. She's partnered with Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., on the STATES Act, which, if passed, would give states and tribal nations the authority to regulate cannabis. Klobuchar, who also supports legalization, signed on as a co-sponsor to the bill.

STANDING ROCK

Thousands of Native Americans and allies made their way to Cannon Ball, North Dakota in 2016 to protest the Dakota Access pipeline and support the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, which feared contamination in its water supply. Amid the protests, then-President Obama halted the pipeline by denying a needed permit. However, a few months later, President Trump approved construction. All of the candidates who responded to The Desert Sun's questions said they want to revoke the permits granted for the pipeline project and decried its infringement on tribal sovereignty.

In his "Indian Country" position paper, Buttigieg says he wants to "avoid the next Standing Rock," which he'll do by consulting with tribal nations on decisions that will impact their communities.

says he wants to "avoid the next Standing Rock," which he'll do by consulting with tribal nations on decisions that will impact their communities. Klobuchar said she is opposed to an expansion of the Dakota Access pipeline and promises that, if elected, she will ensure "meaningful consultation" between all federal agencies and tribes.

said she is opposed to an expansion of the Dakota Access pipeline and promises that, if elected, she will ensure "meaningful consultation" between all federal agencies and tribes. Sanders opposed the pipeline during the protests. He promises to "stop all new fossil fuel infrastructure from being built" and require consent and further consultation with tribes for future projects.

opposed the pipeline during the protests. He promises to "stop all new fossil fuel infrastructure from being built" and require consent and further consultation with tribes for future projects. Steyer , who opposed the pipeline years before Obama and most Democrats adopted the stance, said he'd push back against the eminent domain decisions that allowed the pipeline's backers to acquire the needed land.

, who opposed the pipeline years before Obama and most Democrats adopted the stance, said he'd push back against the eminent domain decisions that allowed the pipeline's backers to acquire the needed land. Warren opposed the pipeline during the protests. If elected, she plans to revoke permits for the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. No project that would have a significant impact on a tribal nation, she said, would move forward without that tribe's consent.

SEAT AT THE TABLE

Native Americans have long asked the federal government for additional opportunities to provide input on matters affecting their communities. Several candidates are proposing the establishment of new positions to grant them the chance to have their voices heard.

If elected, Buttigieg would create a cabinet-level position and establish an Office of Native Affairs in the White House Office of Management and Budget division (OMB). He'd also reinstate the annual White House Tribal Nations Conference, which ceased under President Trump.

would create a cabinet-level position and establish an Office of Native Affairs in the White House Office of Management and Budget division (OMB). He'd also reinstate the annual White House Tribal Nations Conference, which ceased under President Trump. If elected, Klobuchar promises to appoint judges and cabinet officials that "represent the diversity of America."

promises to appoint judges and cabinet officials that "represent the diversity of America." Steyer would appoint a senior Native American advisor in a cabinet-level position and reinstate the annual White House Tribal Nations Conference. He also pledges to create tribal advisory committees in "many federal agencies."

would appoint a senior Native American advisor in a cabinet-level position and reinstate the annual White House Tribal Nations Conference. He also pledges to create tribal advisory committees in "many federal agencies." Sanders would appoint a senior Native American advisor in a cabinet-level position and also create an Office of Native Affairs in the OMB.

would appoint a senior Native American advisor in a cabinet-level position and also create an Office of Native Affairs in the OMB. Warren would also create a cabinet-level position, establish a new office in the OMB and commit to an annual tribal issues conference at the White House.

Desert Sun reporter Risa Johnson covers Native American affairs and Sam Metz covers politics. Reach them at risa.johnson@desertsun.com and samuel.metz@desertsun.com.