Published on Oct 17, 2017
WASHINGTON, DC | On Tuesday, October 17, 2017, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced the White House nomination of Tara Katuk Sweeney as the new Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs (AS-IA).
“The Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs is charged with the federal responsibility to protect tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, and the trust relationship,” said NCAI President Brian Cladoosby. “This nomination is an important step by the Administration, and we look forward a swift confirmation by the United States Senate.”
Until Sweeney is confirmed by the Senate, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs John Tahsuda III (Kiowa) will continue as the Acting Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs at the DOI headquarters in Washington, DC.
“We appreciate the Administration’s commitment to efficiently staffing important positions within governmental departments directly effecting Indian Country, and we look forward to hearing from Ms. Sweeney about her goals and plans for working with tribal leaders to ensure the government-to-government relationship is upheld,” said Cladoosby.
Sweeney (Iñupiaq) most recently served as the Executive Vice President of External Affairs for Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) where she led corporate media, government relations, and communications strategy for ASRC.
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About the National Congress of American Indians:
Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the country. NCAI advocates on behalf of tribal governments and communities, promoting strong tribal-federal government-to-government policies, and promoting a better understanding among the general public regarding American Indian and Alaska Native governments, people and rights. For more information, visit www.ncai.org.