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Dear USET/USET SPF Family,
The White House has announced the creation of the first-ever Tribal Advisor position within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This position will report directly to OMB Director Shalanda Young and will be responsible for coordinating Tribal Nation priorities across OMB’s budgetary, management, and regulatory functions. The Tribal Advisor will also be responsible for coordinating with leaders in the White House and across the Administration and serve as a key point of contact for Tribal Nations. Elizabeth Carr, a citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and formerly a Senior Advisor to the Director of the Indian Health Service, has been chosen as the inaugural Tribal Advisor to the Director of OMB.
USET SPF has consistently advocated for the establishment of a Tribal presence at OMB. In USET SPF comments submitted to OMB in April 2021, July 2021, and May 2022 we stressed the importance of establishing a dedicated Tribal Affairs Department within the Director’s Office as well as the establishment of an OMB Tribal Advisory Committee. With this in mind, we applaud this historic decision and look forward to working with Ms. Carr on improving the federal government’s delivery of trust and treaty obligations, including through the federal budget.
“USET SPF applauds the Administration’s continued commitment to improving its execution of trust and treaty obligations by establishing the first-ever Tribal Advisor at OMB,” said USET SPF President, Chief Kirk Francis. “While OMB serves a powerful oversight function within the Executive Branch, it has historically failed to ensure that all federal actions are the result of Tribal consultation, uphold trust and treaty obligations, and promote Tribal sovereignty and self-governance. This includes producing a budget request that delivers upon these sacred obligations. We support the appointment of Tribal Advisor Carr and look forward to partnering with her as she seeks to implement long overdue and necessary change at OMB.”
USET SPF will continue to advocate for additional Tribal resources and personnel at OMB to support meaningful change and inclusion of Tribal Nation priorities in OMB’s budgetary, management, and regulatory functions. We look forward to working with Tribal Advisor Carr in the annual budget formulation process, the OMB crosscut, and the continued review of OMB’s regulatory and policy procedures concerning Tribal Nations.
For more information, please contact Brian Howard, USET SPF Senior Policy Analyst, at bhoward@usetinc.org.
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