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Showing posts with label treaty obligations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label treaty obligations. Show all posts
Starting
Nov. 1, millions of people — including large percentages of Native
American populations — may not receive their food stamps benefits from
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP. Photo by
Adobe Stock.
Frost and freezes are starting to set in across
the northern swaths of Indian Country, but the heat may soon get shut
off in family homes.
Lines at food banks on reservations are longer than usual.
Tribal social workers are going without pay.
These are just a few of the challenges tribes face as the U.S. government shutdown continues into its second month.
“Every day without funding stretches social workers and law
enforcement thin, putting vulnerable children in danger,” said Marisa
Cummings, a citizen of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska and a tribal
consultant with 20 years of experience in federal policy and advocacy.
Starting Nov. 1, millions of people may not receive their food stamps
benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as
SNAP. Also frozen: the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program; Head
Start preschool funding; and Women, Infants and Children subsidies as
the federal government heads toward a “fiscal cliff.”
In addition to the federal safety-net programs that are particularly
vital to rural tribal communities, the shutdown has also halted funding
that tribes get from the Bureau of Indian Affairs for child welfare and
law enforcement services. That has prevented tribes from paying social
workers and other essential staff, making it difficult to respond to
child protection concerns, conduct home visits, or provide foster care
prevention.
Aaron Payment
The Sault Ste. Marie of Chippewa Indians, the largest tribe east of
the Mississippi, is projecting a 30% to 40% increased burden on its
tribal commodities program because many citizens rely on the SNAP
benefits slated to be paused.
The outcome will be dire, predicts councilmember Aaron Payment.
Their cruelty is not uncommon... This whole mess is a test - to see how far they can go with digital ID, control, to capture us with digital surveillance and digital money, and no more cash. RESIST! Trace
By Native News Online Staff|
Native Vote.New
Mexico gubernatorial candidate Deb Haaland released a statement Monday
as the federal government shutdown entered its 31st day, warning that
thousands of New Mexicans are facing food insecurity and healthcare
challenges.
“For the last 31 days, federal
workers across the country have been furloughed, working without pay,
missing paychecks, and facing the uncertainty of being fired,” Haaland
said. “Today, millions of Americans face an added hardship as SNAP
benefits lapse. That’s at least 460,000 New Mexicans who won’t know
where their next meal will come from.”
Haaland said she appreciates state
leaders who extended funding for food programs by 10 days and
acknowledged that recent court intervention has offered temporary
relief.
“In New Mexico, we are proud to
have leaders who are funding the program for an additional ten days, and
while the courts have stepped in for now, these are not long-term
solutions,” she said. “I am grateful to all of the community groups,
volunteers, churches, and others who are working to stock and expand
food banks in their neighborhoods. The only real solution however is for
Republicans to do their jobs and have the backbone to fight for what’s
right.”
She also criticized Republican
lawmakers for contributing to rising healthcare costs, noting the start
of open enrollment amid the shutdown.
“Today also marks the first day of
open enrollment. Republicans passed a law that forced healthcare
premiums to skyrocket, and New Mexicans will pay the price,” Haaland
said. “This means in a state that is already facing a shortage of
healthcare workers, New Mexicans won’t get the coverage they need, won’t
be able to see a doctor when they need to, and will have even longer
wait times between appointments.”
Haaland warned that the shutdown’s effects extend beyond food and healthcare.
“That’s just the tip of the
iceberg,” she said. “The wellbeing of New Mexicans and Americans across
the country is on the brink. Republicans in Washington, D.C. need to do
their job. In the meantime, it’s more clear than ever that state
governments are the front lines and as governor, I will always fight for
solutions to make sure that New Mexicans are fed, healthy, and safe.”
IN ALL THE TREATIES, tribes are promised food (as in health, education, welfare.)
WHAT ABOUT COMMODITIES:
The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
(FDPIR) provides USDA Foods to income-eligible households living on
Indian reservations, and to American Indian households residing in
approved areas near reservations and in Oklahoma. Many households
participate in FDPIR as an alternative to the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP).
FNS, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA), oversees FDPIR at the federal level. The program is
administered by FDPIR administering agencies, which are either Indian
Tribal Organizations (ITOs) or state governmental agencies. As of fiscal
year (FY) 2024, 110 agencies administer FDPIR, including 107 ITOs and 3
state agencies.
USDA purchases and ships USDA Foods to
administering agencies, which then store and distribute the foods,
determine applicant eligibility, and provide nutrition education to
recipients. USDA also provides administering agencies with funds for
program administrative costs.
FDPIR is authorized under Section
4(b) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 and Section 4(a) of the
Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973. Federal regulations
governing the program can be found at 7 CFR Parts 250, 253, and 254.
In FY 2024, $170 million was appropriated for FDPIR – approximately
$68.6 million for the federal share of administrative costs, and the
remainder for food purchases.
Participation
Average FDPIR monthly participation for FY 2023 was 49,339 individuals. For more information visit the interactive FNS Program Participation Dashboard.
Trump Pledged to “Make America Healthy Again,” Then Cut a Program Many Tribes Rely on for Healthy Food
by Mary Hudetz
ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
As he has promoted the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Health and Human Services secretary, has lamented the toll that processed foods have taken on the health of Americans, in particular Native Americans.
Weeks later, in testimony before the House Appropriations Committee, he said processed foods had resulted in a “genocide” among Native Americans, who disproportionately live in places where there are few or no grocery stores.
“One of my big priorities will be getting good food — high-quality food, traditional foods — onto the reservation because processed foods for American Indians is poison,” Kennedy told the committee. Healthy food is key to combating the high rates of chronic disease in tribal communities, he said.
Yet even as the president tasks Kennedy’s agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture with improving healthy eating programs, the USDA has terminated the very program that dozens of tribal food banks say has helped them provide fresh, locally produced food that is important to their traditions and cultures.
That program — the USDA’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement program — began under President Joe Biden in late 2021 as a response to challenges accessing food that were magnified by the pandemic. Its goal was to boost purchases from local farmers and ranchers, and the funding went to hundreds of food banks across the country, including 90 focused on serving tribes.
In March, the Trump administration decided the program did not align with its priorities. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins defended the cut of a half-billion dollars by calling the program a remnant of the COVID era.
The Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But in a statement, a USDA spokesperson said the department continues to distribute hundreds of millions of dollars through more than a dozen other nutrition programs that help families meet their nutrition needs. For tribal communities, the spokesperson said, that includes the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations for low-income households.
Chief
Robert Head of Peter Chapman Band, which is part of James Smith Cree
Nation, said the money will be used for trusts, payments to members and
infrastructure. (CBC News)
The
federal government is compensating more than a dozen Saskatchewan First
Nations for agricultural benefits promised in treaties signed long ago,
but never provided.
It has also reached a separate agreement with Cumberland House Cree Nation on a land claim.
Federal
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Gary
Anandasangaree said at a news conference Friday that the 14 First
Nations involved in the agricultural settlement will get a combined
$1.72 billion.
"We have an opportunity today as a
country and as a people to make sure that we reset the relationship for
the next generation," Anandasangaree said.
These are the latest examples of what's known as cows-and-plows settlements.
The
treaties made promises including hand tools such as spades, scythes and
axes, as well as bigger equipment like plows, harrows and pit saws, to
be shared among families. Many of these promises were never fulfilled.
"We're
currently building our nation basically from the ground up, because we
have long been denied our benefits under treaty," Chief Robert Head of
Peter Chapman Band, which is part of James Smith Cree Nation, said.
Head's
First Nation will receive about $46 million. He said that the money
will be used for trusts, payments to members and infrastructure.
"We
weren't allowed to leave the reserves unless we had a permit or a pass.
We weren't allowed to sell, you know, the produce that we grew on our
reserves," Head said.
"Residential schools, the Sixties
Scoop and, you know, all the other policies … all point to genocidal
policies of the Canadian government."
Head said that the compensation is justice that was long overdue, since the treaties were signed over 150 years ago.
Tanya
Aguilar-Antiman Chief of Mosquito-Grizzly Bear’s Head-Lean Man First
Nation said some of the money will be put in a trust for children under
18 so that when they turn 18 they get a good head start. (CBC News)
Tanya
Aguilar-Antiman Chief of Mosquito-Grizzly Bear's Head-Lean Man First
Nation said that the settlement is an action-based example of
reconciliation.
"We've committed some resources to our
language, and economic development is a big thing in our community right
now," Aguilar-Antiman said.
Her First Nation will be
getting around $114 million. She said some of the money will be put in
trust for children under 18, so that when they turn 18 they get a good
head start.
The First Nations being compensated include:
Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation.
James Smith Cree Nation #370.
Little Black Bear First Nation.
Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation.
Moosomin First Nation.
Mosquito-Grizzly Bear's Head-Lean Man First Nation.
Pasqua First Nation.
Piapot First Nation.
Pelican Lake First Nation.
Poundmaker Cree Nation.
Saulteaux First Nation.
Sweetgrass First Nation.
Waterhen Lake First Nation.
Witchekan Lake First Nation.
Sask. First Nation agrees to $152M agricultural settlement with Ottawa
Sturgeon Lake First Nation to distribute $30K of settlement to each of 3,250 members
Chief
Christine Longjohn, centre, and the Sturgeon Lake First Nation council
have announced that community members voted to accept a $152-million
settlement agreement with the federal government. (Submitted by Christine Longjohn)
Sturgeon Lake First
Nation says community members have voted in favour of a $152-million
settlement over the federal government's reneged agricultural promises
as outlined in Treaty 6.
It is among several settlements referred
to as "cows and plows" agreements between Saskatchewan First Nation
communities and the federal government over the failure to fulfil treaty
promises to provide agricultural assistance and tools.
According
to a news release from the community, issued Wednesday, Canada did not
deliver promised agricultural tools, seeds and livestock that "were
crucial for the community's economic development and self-sufficiency."
"We
haven't been able to do a lot of things within our community … because
we haven't had the funding for that," Sturgeon Lake Chief Christine
Longjohn said Thursday.
"So this is a huge step and it promises a brighter future, you know, for the generation now, but also the generations ahead."
CBC Indigenous reporter Jennifer Francis simplifies what you need to know about this settlement.
Plus, she debunks the myth that cows and plows eliminates your treaty rights.
The Cree community, located about 146 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, has about 3,250 members.
Longjohn
said each registered member alive on the date of the ratification vote,
which ran from July 22 to July 26, will receive $30,000 of the total
settlement. Funds for minors will go into a trust until they are 18.
Of
the remainder, $36 million is being put into a legacy trust fund, $12
million into a community development fund and the rest toward
ratification costs, loan payment, legal fees and the legacy account, she
said.
"With the legacy fund, that is going to ensure there is
always funds available for the community for generations to come,"
Longjohn said.
A news release from the community said 51 per cent of eligible members voted, with 88 per cent voting in favour.
Now
that the ratification vote is complete, Longjohn said the First Nation
council can sign the agreement, which will then go to Minister of
Crown-Indigenous Relations Gary Anandasangaree to sign on behalf of
Canada.
The process of signing the agreement and delivering the
money is expected to take about six months, according to the First
Nation. The federal government said the compensation will be paid within
45 days of the agreement being signed.
According to data from the
federal government website, more than $729 million has been paid to
Saskatchewan First Nation communities in similar settlements, including
certain situations where the government did not provide
promised ammunition and twine.
In an email, Crown-Indigenous
Relations and Northern Affairs Canada spokesperson Ryan Tyndall said
each settlement is negotiated separately and considers several factors.
"We
are very pleased that the First Nation's membership has approved the
proposed settlement, which will help to renew our relationship with and
advance reconciliation with the First Nation," the email said.
"The
Government of Canada has no involvement in how a First Nation uses
settlement monies. First Nations can use their settlements to invest in
community priorities and initiatives as they see fit."
Kim Wheeler was adopted during the Sixties Scoop and fought to find her way back to her culture My name is Kim Wheeler but some know me as...
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To Veronica Brown
Veronica, we adult adoptees are thinking of you today and every day. We will be here when you need us. Your journey in the adopted life has begun, nothing can revoke that now, the damage cannot be undone. Be courageous, you have what no adoptee before you has had; a strong group of adult adoptees who know your story, who are behind you and will always be so.
Diane Tells His Name
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Lost Birds on Al Jazeera Fault Lines
click to read and listen about Trace, Diane, Julie and Suzie
NO MORE STOLEN SISTERS
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We conclude this series & continue the conversation by naming that adoption is genocide. This naming refers to the process of genocide that breaks kinship ties through adoption & other forms of family separation & policing 🧵#NAAM2022#AdoptionIsTraumaAND#AdopteeTwitter#FFY 1/6 pic.twitter.com/46v0mWISZ1
As the single largest unregulated industry in the United States, adoption is viewed as a benevolent action that results in the formation of “forever families.” The truth is that it is a very lucrative business with a known sales pitch. With profits last estimated at over $1.44 billion dollars a year, mothers who consider adoption for their babies need to be very aware that all of this promotion clouds the facts and only though independent research can they get an accurate account of what life might be like for both them and their child after signing the adoption paperwork.
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