Tribal Leaders: ‘We Need to be Respected’: WASHINGTON - Before the largest gathering of tribal leaders in U.S. history Thursday, President Barack Obama pledged $50 million in funding for tribal colleges and vowed his administration would work to address problems facing Native Americans, from health disparities to economic development.
At the Tribal Nations Conference, held at the Department of the Interior, the president also signed a memorandum calling on every cabinet agency to give him a detailed plan to improve the relationship between the government and tribal communities.
'You will not be forgotten as long as I'm in this White House,' Obama said to a sustained ovation.
Tribal leaders and Native American scholars had expressed optimism about the outcome of Obama's tribal conference, but some remain skeptical that the administration can bring about substantive changes.
