He is committed to providing all At-Large citizens with the access to the resources for claiming increased tribal wealth.
“ I believe Fiscal Independence equals Strengthened sovereignty equals Enhanced At-Large Access.”
Wealth that is rightfully yours.
At-Large citizens know that very few benefits and resources are accessible to them. Tribal citizens living on opposite sides of the same street along the boundary line are not eligible for the same benefits. Citizens who live greater distances outside of the nation face even greater challenges.
In 2019, 79% of our Nation’s annual funds were subject to “external restrictions” on how they could be used. This means the federal government gets to tell the Cherokee Nation how to spend its money. More importantly, the federal restriction that impacts At-Large citizens the most is that the funds provided must only be utilized inside the reservation.
A way to avoid this restriction is by using Cherokee Nation Business (CNB) funding. For example, the prescription eyeglasses voucher program was expanded to At-Large citizens last year and funded, in part, by money from CNB. I applaud these efforts. However, we can’t stop there. There is a need to expand benefits and resources to ALL Cherokee Nation citizens regardless of where they live.
My plan to extend benefits, services and resources to At-Large citizens focuses on the revenue our Tribe creates – this money is beyond the federal government’s restrictions. In 2019, CNB earned over $1.1 billion in revenue. It has more than 7,500 employees working in all 50 states and 26 countries worldwide. We must continue to grow CNB and all of its subsidiaries; maximizing growth to increase Tribal income and opportunities. With increased CNB profits we can expand programs and resources to At-Large citizens.