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It was such a relief to see that our President has made his number one priority the protection of Native Americans and their culture. Below is his tweet in solidarity with “our great Indian people.”

 

Because the War on Immigrants is relatively recent but at least Trump kingdom isn’t beating up on Native Americans. He wouldn’t possibly be trying to use sports teams as a distraction from his “good friend” Epstein’s pedophile kingdom. Right?

 

If only. Here’s how much he cares about Native Americans and any hope of the survival of their culture.

 

In 1978, Congress committed to funding a higher education system controlled by Indigenous communities. (Native education is guaranteed by federal law and at least 150 treaties.) These tribal colleges and universities were intended to serve students who had been disadvantaged by our nation’s long history of trampling the rights of Native Americans which, in case you forgot your education, included stealing their land and then enacting policies to eradicate their languages and cultures.

 

The federal laws that authorized the creation of the tribal colleges guaranteed funding, initially set at $8000 annually per student affiliated with a tribe, to be adjusted for inflation. That was in 1978. Apparently the only place there has been zero inflation for 47 years running has been at tribal colleges. The figure should now be $40K annually; it remains basically where it started.

 

So how is that “DEI handout” going under Trump?

 

While Congress today already allocates the colleges a quarter-billion dollars per year less than the inflation-adjusted amount they should receive, Trump’s Interior Department has proposed slashing the $127 million the tribal colleges got last year down to…

 

are you ready…

 

I’m not making this up…

 

just $22 million for next year.

 

For all 37 tribal colleges.

 

It amounts to less than $1500 per Native American student. And zero for maintenance, repairs, professors, books. (Unlike other colleges, the laws prevent tribal colleges from raising taxes or using bond measures for basic academic or building costs.)

 

So every tribal university and college will fold and the 14,000 Native American students will be S.O.L. Not exactly consistent with his latest slogan “Make Indians Great Again.”

 

So much for caring about Native Americans. Just another ridiculous publicity deflection that won’t work from a man whose policies certainly look like they are based on white supremacy. Next up to shut down release of the Epstein files he’ll probably start a war. Of course with a non-white majority population.

 

Looking at you Greenland.