Key players in Indian Country and national politics joined the Native Nations Law and Policy Center at the UCLA School of Law for a Nov. 12 webinar to discuss the current political landscape in the U.S., following Donald Trump’s reelection. They also explored the unique opportunities tribal leaders may have in working with a GOP-controlled Congress and conservative majority in the Supreme Court.
Panelists stressed the importance of protecting gains made for Indian Country during the Biden-Harris administration, such as Department of Treasury tax regulations and the Tribal General Welfare Exclusion Act of 2024. They weighed in on turning potential challenges into opportunities, including discussing the potential impact of Project 2025 on tribal lands and the need for continued support for renewable energy initiatives.
Experts said tribal lawmakers in Washington should maintain strong relationships with legislators and educate the new administration on the success stories of tribal self-governance and self-determination. They also discussed the need for legal advocates and community members to advocate for Indigenous intellectual property rights and the preservation of traditional knowledge.
The panel was moderated by UCLA’s Angela Riley, director of the Native Nations Law and Policy Center and the Carole Goldberg Professor of Native American Law. Riley is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and serves as a special advisor to UCLA’s chancellor on Native American and Indigenous affairs.
Guest speakers included Jennifer Weddle, co-chair of the American Indian law practice group at Greenberg Traurig; Del Laverdure, counsel to the Coalition of Large Tribes and former acting assistant secretary for Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior; Robert Odawi Porter, former president of the Seneca Nation of Indians and founder and president of Odawi Law PLLC; and Mark Macarro, tribal chairman of the Pechanga Band of Indians and president of the National Congress of American Indians.
“I think we need to focus on how we can work with the incoming majorities and administrations,” Weddle said. “What are our areas of agreement?” She pointed to Elon Musk’s proposed Department of Government Efficiency as an opportunity to reach “substantive resolutions” to appropriations restrictions on spending. Entities negatively impacted by these provisions include the Indian Health Service, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services.
“Almost certainly, one area of agreement is local control; that tribal self-determination is territorial — governments making those decisions locally,” she said.
To hear more from Weddle and the other panelists, watch a recording of the webinar below.
