Government Shutdown Is a Life or Death Issue for Native Americans: Tribe Chairman
*By Carlo Versano*
For many Americans, the partial shutdown of the federal government is only felt in minor ways, if it all: [overflowing trash cans](https://wtop.com/dc/2019/01/national-park-service-gets-help-with-garbage-cleanup-during-government-shutdown/slide/1/) on the National Mall, or [free entry](https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/us-government-shutdown-travel/index.html) to national parks. For Native Americans, a prolonged shutdown could mean life or death.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs, part of the Dept of the Interior, is one federal office considered non-essential as President Trump and Congress fail to reach a deal over a funding impasse. For tribes like the Sault Ste. Marie of Michigan, which are heavily reliant on federal funding thanks to long-ago deals made with the government for services in exchange for land, the results of the shutdown as already devastating.
Aaron Payment, Sault Ste. Marie's chairman, told Cheddar that he's focused on one date: Jan. 15. That's when the tribe's next drawdown of federal funds is scheduled. If that transaction doesn't happen, critical services will become unavailable, he said.
"In the long term, it's going to have a drastic impact," he said, noting that the shutdown, already in day 14, is costing the tribe about $100,000 a day. Eventually, "we won't have access to healthcare," he said. "Our members need prescriptions and medicines that help keep them alive."
For Payment and members of his tribe and others, the situation in Washington is familiar. A 2013 shutdown under President Obama cost Sault Ste. Marie $1 million, he said, and had lasting impacts still felt today. Tribe members were laid off, furloughed, and lost healthcare providers, who pulled out due to the uncertainty of the shutdown. Recruiting health services is one of the most difficult challenges for Indian Country, which has the added disadvantage of being in rural areas without many providers.
Payment stressed that Native Americans were not asking for handouts, or reparations. As far back as the 1800s, tribes sold hundreds of millions of acres of land to the government "for the promise of health, education and social welfare in perpetuity." Those services are now deemed non-essential. And when the shutdown ends, it is not guaranteed that tribes will be reimbursed for the costs they incurred during the closure, the way other federal employees will be.
"We prepaid for everything," Payment said.
"The government is only as good as its word."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/tribe-leader-says-government-shutdown-could-have-drastic-impact).
Just days after the detection of the Omicron variant, the World Health Organization has agreed to start the process of establishing a global pandemic treaty or accord. Amy Maxmen, senior reporter for Nature, and Dr. Samuel Scarpino, managing director for the Rockefeller Foundation's Pandemic Prevention Institute, joined Cheddar to discuss this effort and what lessons can be learned from the many COVID-19 failures as the world prepares for future pandemics.
It's a mixed bag for the November jobs report. Hiring slowed last month as employers only added 210,000 jobs, massively missing the estimate of 550,000. But there was one bright spot: the unemployment rate fell to 4.2%, with the number of unemployed people dropping to 6.9 million. Both of those numbers are considerably down from their highs at the end of the 2020 recession. Heather Boushey, a member of President Biden's Council of Economic Advisers, joined Cheddar to discuss the report and the state of the country's ongoing economic recovery.
As the U.S. continues to face supply chain shortages, President Joe Biden is reassuring U.S. consumers that the supply chain is in "very strong shape" ahead of the all-important holiday season. As supply bottlenecks start to show signs of improvement, the industry may be faced with yet another challenge: the Omicron variant. Rob Caucci, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Fillogic joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Markets rebounded Monday morning after Friday's deep sell-off that saw the Dow suffer its worse day since 2020. It comes as investors continue to react to the impact of the omicron variant on the broader reopening. Eddie Ghabour, Co-Owner at the Key Advisors Group joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
Markets bounced back this morning with travel leading the gains after plunging on Monday as the first case of Omicron was detected in the U.S. Jimmy Lee, CEO, Wealth Consulting Group joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
The market saw investors react to comments by the World Health Organization's chief scientist, who suggested existing vaccines are likely to offer protection against the new variant. According to Thomas Hayes, chairman of Great Hill Capital, the next two weeks will be crucial as the markets watch for not only the effects of the Omicron variant, but also the Fed's decision on a taper.
It's Friday at long last. Jill and Carlo cover the latest on Omicron, including a possible superspreader event in NYC. Plus, previewing the November jobs report, a new Zoom feature no one asked for, and when it's no longer a good idea to eat Thanksgiving leftovers.
Following the Mississippi abortion case, the fate of Roe V. Wade is at stake. A decision is expected next summer, right around the time midterm candidates will be making their cases to voters. Laura Packard, executive director of Health Care Voter, joins Cheddar News to discuss how the ruling will impact upcoming elections.
