Speaker 1: Good morning, good morning, good morning, and welcome, welcome, welcome.
Speaker 1: It's time now for our community connection right here on ka.
Speaker 1: Why don't you trust on the phone with me? He
Speaker 1: is a principal Chief Chuck Hoskins, Junior, Cherokee Nation. How
Speaker 1: are you doing there? Chief?
Speaker 2: Very good time yourself.
Speaker 1: Oh, you know you can stop raining any time. But well,
Speaker 1: I'll tell you what We'll want this in August, so
Speaker 1: I'm not going to complain. So I'm going to re
Speaker 1: send my cynicism here. Hey, how are you and the
Speaker 1: governor get along these days?
Speaker 2: Well, hey, we were having a good ride for a while.
Speaker 2: You know. We reached a compact back in December, and
Speaker 2: so there was a bit of a honeymoon period. But
Speaker 2: the honeymoon came to a screeching colt a couple of
Speaker 2: days ago when he vetoed what was really a kind
Speaker 2: of a technical amendment to the law called Ida's Law.
Speaker 2: Tom he signed out of Ida's Law. And for good reasons.
Speaker 2: What IDs Law did was it established an office in
Speaker 2: the Oklahoma State Europe Investigation dedicated to Missing and Murdered
Speaker 2: Indigenous person's case. Why because Native people's are disproportionately subject
Speaker 2: to violent crimes, sexual assaults, cases that go unsolved. I mean,
Speaker 2: the statistics are pretty jarring. That's one reason. The second
Speaker 2: reason is that there are jurisdictional challenges when it comes
Speaker 2: to those cases. As we've talked about before, there's a
Speaker 2: layer of federal law, there's a layer of tribal law,
Speaker 2: there's a layer of state law. Getting everybody to work
Speaker 2: together means we can work quickly, we can work cooperatively.
Speaker 2: Made perfect sense. That's why I signed it. Twenty twenty
Speaker 2: one gets a little bit in the weeds here, Tom,
Speaker 2: But the technical amendment was to take away a requirement
Speaker 2: of federal funding. Now, I'm all for bringing in federal funds,
Speaker 2: and I don't think the governor's much as the span
Speaker 2: of federal fund at least I didn't think he was.
Speaker 2: But there were no federal funds for this particular program,
Speaker 2: and there weren't going to be any federal funds, And
Speaker 2: so almost unanimous legislatures said, hey, strike that amendment. We've
Speaker 2: already budgeted this in the OSBI. The USBI was already
Speaker 2: staffing this position at my top. This just housekeeping measure
Speaker 2: comes across his desk on MMIP awareness Day and he
Speaker 2: vetoes it and he detos it because he says, well,
Speaker 2: we shouldn't have a different set of resources for different races. That's,
Speaker 2: in my opinion, a tired old argument that's designed to
Speaker 2: confuse and divide. So he and I aren't getting along
Speaker 2: on that. Lots of other issues though, but that's an
Speaker 2: important one because it's worked, it's cooperation, and so here
Speaker 2: I think more reasonable folks will prevail. I think the
Speaker 2: legislature will override his detail.
Speaker 1: Well, let's talk about your trip to Washington, DC earlier
Speaker 1: this week. You're a well traveled man.
Speaker 2: Well, Washington, d C has been beckoning a lot lately,
Speaker 2: and also for good reason. We've got, as everyone knows,
Speaker 2: the new administration in Washington, d C. And look, irrespective
Speaker 2: of party, that always calls tribal leaders to get to
Speaker 2: d C. Start doing two things. One is making our
Speaker 2: case for the resources we need, making our case for
Speaker 2: why bringing resources to Indian country. It really is a
Speaker 2: win for every body, and it's to make up for
Speaker 2: a lot of lost opportunities that the United States has
Speaker 2: had over centuries to do the right thing. I think
Speaker 2: we've been in an aeron which they're trying to do
Speaker 2: the right thing. But the other reason is when you
Speaker 2: get a new batch of federal appointees, you got to
Speaker 2: educate them on the basis of Indian country. And that's
Speaker 2: not to diminish them. Tom, look at the dense topic.
Speaker 2: Tribes are a fraction of the entire population of the country.
Speaker 2: A lot of folks irrespect of a party, aren't well
Speaker 2: versed in muse isus. So there's a baseline reason why
Speaker 2: I would be in DC anyway at the start of
Speaker 2: a new administration. This administration, I think if you just
Speaker 2: if you say all you know is what you're reading
Speaker 2: the papers. Hey, this administration is definitely different in terms
Speaker 2: of its approach, the speed with which change is happening.
Speaker 2: And then some things that are really concerning to me,
Speaker 2: which is proposed cuts the things I care about that
Speaker 2: will hurt people I care about, and I'm talking about
Speaker 2: things that involve public safety. I'm talking about things that
Speaker 2: involve healthcare. I'm real concerned about that. Cuts that have
Speaker 2: already happened, grants that have been shut down. I'm not
Speaker 2: saying we're in free fall at the cherry condition, because
Speaker 2: we're not. I'm not saying that all of our grants
Speaker 2: have been cut because they have not, but there's been
Speaker 2: enough grants cut, Tom that I wouldn't be doing my
Speaker 2: job if I didn't go up there and make the
Speaker 2: reasonable case for why these cuts are harmful. And so
Speaker 2: that's what I've done. I met with the AHHS Secretary,
Speaker 2: Robert F. Kennedy Junior. I met with I never thought
Speaker 2: I'd be saying, Hey, I had a meeting with doctor
Speaker 2: Oz about government policy, but I did. And that's the
Speaker 2: reason it is because he's in charge of the Center
Speaker 2: for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Now that sounds like a long,
Speaker 2: really boring name, Tom, but it's one of the most
Speaker 2: consequential sub agencies around. If you ever want to be
Speaker 2: on Medicare, and I think we all probably hope we
Speaker 2: get there if you ever need Medicaid, and many of
Speaker 2: us hope we don't need it, but we know a
Speaker 2: lot of people need it. And so those two issues
Speaker 2: can my attention. And then Cash Patil, the director of
Speaker 2: the FBI, met with us along with the Secretary of
Speaker 2: the Interior, Doug Burgram. He's a former governor, talking about
Speaker 2: a lot of issues, not the least of which is
Speaker 2: public safety. And I'd say these have been productive meetings. Tom.
Speaker 2: I mean, look, I'm never going to agree with every
Speaker 2: person who holds these appointed offices. I don't care what
Speaker 2: their background. These particular pointies have come out with some
Speaker 2: pretty frankly harsh rhetoric on a lot of things. But look,
Speaker 2: my job is to Tom, come with a level head,
Speaker 2: make the case that the Cherokee Nations the not only
Speaker 2: a sovereign government. Frankly, I got to make the case
Speaker 2: that one of the best governments in the country. And
Speaker 2: I think I can make that case strongly, and that
Speaker 2: every dollar the United States sends to the Cherokee Nation
Speaker 2: is a dollar well spent. We're efficient, We're effective, and
Speaker 2: cutting those dollars hurts people I care about and hurts
Speaker 2: communities I care about. So that's what I've been doing, Tom,
Speaker 2: and I'll keep doing it all right.
Speaker 1: On that note, here, Summer EBT program is now application
Speaker 1: throw up.
Speaker 2: And I understand that's right. And this program is such
Speaker 2: a success. Look, we've been doing this for years, For
Speaker 2: three years in a row, the state of Oklahoma has
Speaker 2: said no, while we've been saying yes along with other tribes.
Speaker 2: What is the program, Tom, It is a low income
Speaker 2: food security program. Here's what it does one hundred and
Speaker 2: twenty dollars to really low income kids every summer, get
Speaker 2: them through months in which school's out that summer, or
Speaker 2: that lunch program is gone, the lunch lady's gone home
Speaker 2: for the summer, the kids are home, and they're in
Speaker 2: households that just don't have a lot of money, you know, Tom, Look,
Speaker 2: I've been paying attention to what's going on in the
Speaker 2: country over the past few years. There's something called inflation.
Speaker 2: We're all dealing with it. Grocery prices continue to be high.
Speaker 2: I've heard about it. I heard a lot of people
Speaker 2: talking about it. But what are we going to do
Speaker 2: about it? Well, if you want to do something for
Speaker 2: the people who are hurt the most, and look, the
Speaker 2: cot of eggs is a problem to you and I,
Speaker 2: if you and I are low low income, Tom, it's
Speaker 2: a big problem. And you could get every example in
Speaker 2: the grocery store and show why that's a problem. If
Speaker 2: we can put one hundred and twenty dollars into the
Speaker 2: pockets of a low income family in your listening area,
Speaker 2: for example, where are they going to spend it at
Speaker 2: the local grocery store. That's going to put money in
Speaker 2: the pockets of the people that work there. They're going
Speaker 2: to spend it in the community. It's an economic stimulus
Speaker 2: and it's also a hedge against inflation for families that
Speaker 2: are desperately needing it. That's why we're doing it. People
Speaker 2: can go to Cherokee publica dot org and find out
Speaker 2: how to apply. A lot of kids are applying through
Speaker 2: their schools or a lot of their families are. And
Speaker 2: when I say everybody, notice I didn't say just Cherokees, Tom,
Speaker 2: It's for everybody, everybody that qualifies low income. We're going
Speaker 2: to keep doing it. We think it's the right thing
Speaker 2: to do.
Speaker 1: Very good Chief. Any update on perhaps the new casino
Speaker 1: plans near Bartleofell.
Speaker 2: Well, it has been placed into trust. That much I
Speaker 2: can report, and that's one of the steps in the process.
Speaker 2: And we've talked about this before that having land in
Speaker 2: trust for gaming gives us options. It gives us the
Speaker 2: opportunity to very quickly invest. And look, we can build buildings,
Speaker 2: quality buildings for commercial purposes and healthcare purposes pretty quick,
Speaker 2: so we can move nimbly. What we don't want to
Speaker 2: do is be hung up in governmental red tape when
Speaker 2: it's time to act so we're still evaluating the market.
Speaker 2: We don't just buy land willy nilly, but we also
Speaker 2: buy land ahead of the curve, and so we want
Speaker 2: to be in a position to do something. So nothing
Speaker 2: to report right now in terms of any kind of groundbreaking,
Speaker 2: any kind of of a rendering of a new casino,
Speaker 2: but there has been a milestone in terms of land
Speaker 2: and trust. No matter what we do, I think we've
Speaker 2: proven we're good neighbors and we'll keep doing that.
Speaker 1: Oh indeed, hey, how are the healthcare facilities doing. You've
Speaker 1: had a lot of new ones and you've got the
Speaker 1: ones that have been operating pretty darn well here as
Speaker 1: have laid anything to report on that.
Speaker 2: Just the expansion projects are going ahead as scheduled. This
Speaker 2: massive hospital in Tahlequall four hundred and seventy million dollars
Speaker 2: is right on schedule. It'll open in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2: Clinic in Soalina, I hate to call the clinic at
Speaker 2: an eighty five million dollar really masterpiece tom At the
Speaker 2: health facility with the wellness center that'll open this summer.
Speaker 2: The biggest news is probably Clamore Indian Hospital. A year ago,
Speaker 2: I said, and our council said our debut, you said,
Speaker 2: we need to take that thing over. We can run
Speaker 2: circles around the federal government when it comes to healthcare.
Speaker 2: Let's do it at clam Will. I toured that place, Tom.
Speaker 2: It proved what I already knew, which is that there's
Speaker 2: great people working there at the facility. The United States
Speaker 2: has just not taken good enough care of It's not right.
Speaker 2: It's not right by the staff, not right by the patients.
Speaker 2: When we take it over, we'll have some big decisions
Speaker 2: to make, Tom, And eventually we know we'll have to
Speaker 2: replace that. We know we'll have to replace it. In
Speaker 2: the meantime, it's going to need a lot of tender
Speaker 2: love and care. So all I can report there is
Speaker 2: we're on track to take that thing over, have the
Speaker 2: keys turned over October first. But we got a lot
Speaker 2: of work to do. We're still negotiating agreements and looking
Speaker 2: at what we need to do to make that facility
Speaker 2: what it ought to be.
Speaker 1: Chief John Coskin Jr. Thank you very much for being
Speaker 1: with us here in our community connection today. I know
Speaker 1: you're a busy fellow, but bye golly, thanks for taking
Speaker 1: some time for us.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Tom.
Speaker 1: Alrighty and you've been listening to our community connection right
Speaker 1: here on K one, the one you druve