2020 Voters Guide

Response:

I’ve had the honor to meet with Snoqualmie tribal members on multiple occasions during my time in Congress. The Snoqualmie have lived in the Puget Sound region since time immemorial, but they lost their land in the 1800s when white settlers came to the region and lost federal recognition a century later. Federal recognition was restored in 1999, and just last year, the Snoqualmie Tribe reached a deal with the Muckleshoot Tribe to buy its ancestral homeland surrounding Snoqualmie Falls.

Response:

I have been one of the biggest champions of Indian Country issues in Congress. I’ve worked in close partnership with Tribes and tribal stakeholders to introduce bills to reauthorize NAHASDA, to make it easier for Tribes to access homelessness assistance dollars, to direct more new markets tax credit dollars to Native communities, and to rescind the Medals of Honor awarded at the Wounded Knee Massacre. During the pandemic, I’ve closely engaged with my Tribes in district and tribal organizations to respond to the unprecedented need in Native communities.

Response:

The Federal-Tribal relationship should be a relationship of sovereigns and should affirm the principles of self-determination and self-government. The Federal government also has an important trust responsibility to protect lands, promote self-government, and provide assistance for the welfare of the Tribe and its members. The law is clear that states don’t have jurisdiction over Tribes, except when explicitly authorized by Congress. Though states don’t have authority over Tribes, I believe it behooves states to form a close government-to-government working relationship with sovereign Tribes and work to advance mutual interests and harmonize jurisdictional issues. I have a proven record of partnering with Tribes to work toward common goals, and I’d bring this work ethic into the office of LG. This dates back to my time working for Governor Gardner when we signed the Centennial Accord.

Response:

I believe that state governments must work as partners with tribal governments with a mutual respect of sovereignty and a mutual recognition of the deep interconnections between lands under state and tribal jurisdiction. The coronavirus and accompanying economic collapse means both governments are facing common problems. The tribes and state are facing an unprecedented decline in revenue due to coronavirus and are responding to increased need in their communities, and I would prioritize cooperation on public health, tax policy, and economic development as we look to emerge from this pandemic stronger and more unified than before.

Response:

One of the most important duties I have as an elected official is to protect the sovereignty of Tribal nations and promote policies that deliver on the federal trust responsibility. A Tribal treaty defines the government-to-government relationship between the federal government and the Tribe. Treaties exist in perpetuity and neither party has the unilateral authority to change the conditions. The federal trust responsibility is the federal government’s legal obligation to protect land and resources, promote self-government, and care for the wellbeing of Tribes and their members.

Response:

Yes, I do. For far too long, the federal government has fallen short of its trust responsibility in these respects. We must reckon with this unfortunate history and strive to do better.

Response:

Free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) is a process meant to ensure the free and full participation and consultation of Tribes when important decisions are being made. FPIC sets a high standard of tribal engagement, and if elected, I would do what I could to adhere to this high standard during important decisions.

Response:

Sacred sites and cultural resources are central to the heritage and cultural identity of tribal members. Indeed, the loss of these sites and resources literally means the loss of a cultures, religions, and histories. That’s why I believe they must have the highest degree of protection.

Response:

The federal government has a unique role as the trustee of lands held in trust for tribes, but all levels of government can help tribes reassemble their traditional lands. One aspect of that is as a land owner. In the South Sound, the Nisqually Tribe has worked for years to add additional land from Bonneville Power Authority and Joint Base Lewis McChord, and I have been proud to continue to move that process forward. Unused and underused State and local governments lands should also be made available to tribes for conversion from fee to trust. In developed areas and on private lands, the process will usually be more difficult, but I am hopeful that the changes that I have worked to make in the reauthorization of NAHASDA will eventually make land conversions more viable there as well.

Response:

The Snoqualmie Falls site is of great cultural and religious importance to the Snoqualmie. Tribal members believe that the mist from the falls lifts their prayers, and the traditional Snoqualmie burial site is nearby. I wholeheartedly support the Tribe’s right to consultation in future decisions about the site.

Response:

Sadly, the State of Washington has often been an antagonist of the tribes in Treaty Rights disputes, but I believe that things have clearly changed for the better in the aftermath of the Boldt decision, and I have been a strong supporter of the collaborative process between the state, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission and private parties regarding the primacy of tribes’ fishing rights. This should be the role of the state going forward: respecting the tribes’ treaty rights and working to ensure that conflicts between tribes and private parties are resolved quickly but fairly.

Response:

Yes