WASHINGTON – The first steps towards doubtlessly seating an appointed Cherokee Nation delegate within the U.S. House of Representatives had been taken Wednesday by the House Rules Committee.
The two-hour listening to featured Chuck Hoskin Jr., principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, and U.S. Rep. and Chickasaw Nation citizen Tom Cole, R-Norman.
U.S. Rep. James McGovern of Massachusetts, chairman of the committee, opened the listening to with an acknowledgment of the nation’s troubled previous with tribal relations and his hope for the longer term.
“America’s history with the indigenous people that are native to this land is atrocious,” McGovern stated. “I’m hopeful that today’s historical hearing opens the new door towards building greater understanding and the possible inclusion of these communities in Congress.”
The listening to was centered across the 1835 Treaty of New Echota, signed between the U.S. Government and the Cherokee Nation. Although protested by Cherokee Chief John Ross and the Cherokee National Council, the treaty was ratified within the U.S. Senate in 1836.
The ratification led to the compelled relocation of the complete Cherokee Nation to Oklahoma Territory in what would later be often known as the Trail of Tears. In Article 7 of the treaty, the tribe’s proper to a delegate within the House of Representatives is clearly outlined.
“They shall be entitled to a delegate in the House of Representatives of the United States whenever Congress shall make provision for the same,” the article states.
In Hoskin’s opening remarks, he highlighted the sacrifices the Cherokee Nation had to make, together with forfeiting hundreds of thousands of acres of land, in trade for a delegate within the House of Representatives as “promised” by the U.S. authorities.
“Cherokee Nation has in fact adhered to our obligation under the treaty. I’m here to ask the United States to do the same,” Hoskin stated. “It’s time for this body to honor the promise and seat our delegate in the House of Representatives.”
Ranking member Cole got here out in assist of the federal authorities to honor its “treaty obligations.”
“For far too long in our nation’s history, the federal government accumulated a sorry record of promises to tribes and the breaking of those promises,” Cole stated. “I’m glad to see tribes advocating for their treaties with such convictions and today’s hearing represents a starting point of that bipartisan process of recognizing tribal treaty rights.”
One of the primary issues expressed in the course of the listening to was the exclusion of different tribes from receiving a delegate. Four different tribes have made a request for a delegate, citing treaties they made with the U.S. authorities, together with the Choctaw Nation, the Delaware Nation, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
“I think the language of the Treaty of New Echota is the clearest of the treaties of the United States and various tribes,” stated legislative legal professional Mainon A. Schwartz.
“Cherokee Nation and Cherokee Nation alone is the tribe that is the party to the Treaty of New Echota,” Hoskin stated.
If accepted, the appointed delegate would have comparable roles to that of a non-voting delegate, of which there are at the moment six. The delegates are granted practically the identical roles as full members of the House together with the proper to serve on and vote in committees and suggest laws. The appointed delegate wouldn’t be allowed to forged remaining votes on the House flooring.
“We are not talking about anything different here than what we already do in multiple cases in terms of how that delegate would act in the authority and responsibilities they would have as members of Congress,” stated Cole.
Sitting within the viewers was Kim Teehee, the Cherokee Nation’s appointed delegate. Following her time in Washington, together with a senior advisor place within the Obama administration, Teehee was appointed the tribe’s first delegate in 2019 by Hoskin.
“I personally believe that delegate Teehee ought to be seated, I think it’s the right thing to do, I think it’s the moral thing to do,” McGovern stated in his closing remarks. “So we’ve got to find a way to get this done.”
The Rules Committee will strive to arrive at a consensus and attain out to different committees for jurisdiction as they proceed to transfer the proposal ahead towards a House vote.
Gaylord News is a reporting undertaking of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. For further tales by Gaylord News go to GaylordNews.net
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