Remarks by Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman National Congress of Americans Indians 2000 Executive Council Winter Session Washington, DC - February 24, 2000 Release No. 0059.00 Remarks As Prepared for Delivery by Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman National Congress of American Indians 2000 Executive Council Winter Session February 24, 2000 Washington, DC "Thank you and good afternoon. It's a great honor to be here with you today and to meet with the oldest and one of the most effective American Indian advocacy groups. That's a tribute to you, but it's a little disturbing to me, because I am as exactly as old as NCAI. I only hope that I'm still effective. "I know that I'm just one of about six members of the Cabinet to be here with you this week. That kind of turnout says something about the depth of commitment this Administration has to the Native American community. And make no mistake about it -- it comes directly from the top. President Clinton has made it a priority to move the government-to-government relationship to one of true partnership. "As we all know, the national economy is growing at a rate nearly unprecedented in American history. But anyone who thinks that our work is done, who thinks that we can rest on our laurels or take a victory lap, ought to pay a visit to Indian country. There they will find massive unemployment; limited economic infrastructure; overcrowded, unsafe housing; intractable social problems; and so on. Years of neglect has left too many reservations in an unspeakable state of distress. "But we refuse to write off any American community. We know that these are places that have economic potential, that are aching contribute to the nation's prosperity. That's why, at the Department of Agriculture, we are doing our part to empower Native Americans. As the federal agency that deals most closely with private land, it only makes sense that we should work closely with the people that have the longest and deepest ties to American land. "Too often in the past, however, a lack of communication kept us from building a strong partnership. Often, Native American communities have been eligible for USDA programs, but haven't taken advantage of them because they don't know about them. That's why we're working with a number of American Indian community-based organizations to broaden our outreach and provide more information about USDA resources and services. "And we're seeing the results. Just since 1995, USDA loans and loan guarantees to Native American farmers have increased from only $2 million to $28.7 million. We've also contracted with Native American companies to provide the transportation for a variety of our food aid programs. "Since 1995, we have spent almost 4 times more on housing programs in tribal communities than we did during the previous 4 years. Over the same period, we upped our investment in Native American business development more than sixfold. And of the 25 Round Two Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities announced last year, 10 have tribes as lead entities or partners. "Last fall, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of USDA's telecommunications program. And at the ceremony, a representative from the San Carlos Apache spoke movingly about what a USDA loan has meant on his reservation. It used to be they had only 14 phone lines. In one community, they had a pay phone -- a single pay phone -- to serve 2000 people. People would stand in line all day waiting to use it. But today, not only do they have Internet access, they have enough phone lines simply to reach the police when there's an emergency or contact the hospital when a child is sick. "Just about every part of USDA has initiatives geared specifically to Native Americans. We have agreements with several tribes to help with wildlife damage prevention efforts. And we're also finalizing a new agreement with the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society to provide training on the control of agricultural pests and animal disease prevention. "Our Research, Education and Economics arm is very active in Indian country, training and recruiting young Native Americans for careers in agricultural science and research. And over the last decade, the Forest Service has contributed $100,000 a year to 15 different tribal colleges. "For over 20 years, we've had a Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, to help feed low-income Native Americans. But we have recently made vast improvements in the program, to provide a food package that is both healthier and tailored to Native American tastes and preferences. "Sometimes USDA employees get involved in assistance efforts that go above and beyond their program responsibilities. A few months ago, after hearing about conditions in Pine Ridge, some folks who work for our Chief Financial Officer began a USDA-wide effort to donate excess computers to tribal colleges and universities. Already, we have gathered 300 Pentium PCs, which will be fully tested before delivery. "At USDA, we have been steadfast in our respect and support for the subsistence tradition that is so much a part of the Native Alaskan way of life. Since the Alaska legislature failed to meet its deadline to comply with federal law and uphold the rural subsistence priority, Secretary Babbitt and I have had no choice but to begin implementing regulations for federal management of Alaskan fisheries. We're not in the habit of coming in and administering state affairs, but we had no other choice. We are doing it because it's the law and because it's the right thing to do for Alaska Natives. "If the 2001 budget request we recently submitted to Congress is fully funded, I believe there will be many more success stories like the ones I've mentioned. The President has asked for about one-third more dollars for USDA's Native American programs than we will spend this year. The greatest increases would be in Rural Development, where we want to more than double our spending on programs designated for Native American communities and our Extension Service, where we propose a 57 percent larger investment next year. "Let me just close by saying that one of my most important priorities as Secretary of Agriculture something that I hope will be a part of my legacy is a vigorous commitment to civil rights, to fairness, inclusion and respect in the delivery of all our programs and the treatment of all our employees. That hasn't always been the attitude at USDA, but we are determined to make it so. "In signing the legislation to create the Agriculture Department, Abraham Lincoln called us the "People's Department." It is my hope and my belief that we can live up to that name to the fullest by making good on our commitment to all of the American people. "Thank you very much." #