By Matthew Holloway |
The Navajo Nation’s Democrat President Buu Nygren met with Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Council Delegate Germaine Simonson at Window Rock on Wednesday. The trio discussed the ongoing issue of access to critical healthcare on tribal land.
According to a press release issued via X, the meeting centered around “solutions rooted in sovereignty, tradition, and self-reliance.”
Kennedy, as part of his nationwide “Make America Healthy Again” tour, had previously met in Phoenix with members of the State legislature, and traveled to northern Arizona and the Navajo Nation to meet with tribal leaders including President Nygren, First Lady Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren, Speaker Crystalyne Curley, members of the 25th Navajo Nation Council, and officials from the Navajo Department of Health.
President Nygren noted in his remarks that much of the disparity and strain on the Navajo Nation healthcare system is linked to the Indian Health Services’ manpower shortage with the service currently running at a 30% vacancy rate.
Nygren emphasized that the solution must come in a way that protects the tribe’s sovereignty, however. “As President, I want to emphasize the importance of protecting and maintaining tribal sovereignty among food and healthcare for the Navajo Nation,” he said.
Answering these concerns, Kennedy expressed his support and provided a roadmap to addressing the tribal government’s concerns. “By lifting the IHS hiring freeze and rescinding the hundreds of employee terminations,” Secretary Kennedy said, “it will not happen.”
“Today we learned many things that HHS could be doing to improve the condition of Navajo health…” he added, with a focus on the need for secured water rights that will allow the Navajo to become self-sufficient once again.
In a post to X, Kennedy described his visit saying, “Today I had the pleasure to visit Navajo Nation in Window Rock, Arizona. I joined Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren and members of the Navajo Nation Council for a hike, followed by a traditional blessing and a performance of the Diné Tah Dancers.”
“We discussed Navajo Nation’s efforts to promote health and wellness within their community and how HHS can support these goals. My administration remains committed to making Indian Country a top priority.”
Buu, a Democrat, stressed in a statement that his recent trip to the White House and Kennedy’s trip to Window Rock represented an effort to work with the federal government in the Navajo Nation’s interests, regardless of partisan considerations.
He wrote,” I need our Navajo people to understand that no matter what our political party affiliation is, we must work with the federal administration – whoever is in office – to fight poverty on the Navajo Nation and to protect our interests. In the past two days, I have spoken to several federal officials to discuss the coal industry, our water rights settlements, RECA, the protection of the Indian Health Service, and social programs our people rely on. As a Nation, we must act like a Nation and work with the United States. We must work with the federal government based on our treaty and on a government-to-government basis.”
President Nygren was elected in 2022, defeating incumbent former-President Jonathan Nez by a narrow margin of less than six percent. The Navajo Nation leans heavily Democrat in most elections, however, 2024 exit polling suggested that support for the Trump administration has significantly increased with Native News Online citing polls showing President Trump received 51% of Native American votes in the presidential election.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
