Federal proposal to recognize tribes as racial groups instead of governments sees local, state resistance

MISSION, Oregon — Governor Kate Brown and the state’s delegation to Congress are opposing efforts by the federal government to change the way Medicaid is dispersed to American Indians. The federal proposal is that instead of recognizing tribes as sovereign governments, they be recognized as racial groups.

U.S. Representatives Greg Walden and Peter DeFazio and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley sent letters this week to HHS Secretary Alex Azar that opposed the agency recommendation. The letter signed by Walden, DeFazio and 54 other members of the House of Representatives, expressed “profound concerns and strong opposition to a recent decision…to undermine tribal sovereignty.”

http://www.mycolumbiabasin.com/2018/05/18/federal-officials-face-local-state-resistance-concerning-proposal-to-recognize-tribes-as-racial-groups-instead-of-governments/