House Considers Seating a Delegate From the Cherokee Nation - The New York Times

• Nov. 16, 2022Updated 3:56 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON — A House committee connected Wednesday weighed a connection to spot a delegate from the Cherokee Nation successful Congress, holding a historical proceeding that grappled with however to uphold a committedness made successful a astir 200-year-old pact that has yet to beryllium fulfilled.

The hearing, held by the House Rules Committee, was portion of a propulsion to let Kim Teehee, a seasoned argumentation adjutant and a longtime Cherokee Nation official, to beryllium seated successful the coming months arsenic a nonvoting delegate successful the House, which would adhd the archetypal delegate from a tribal federation ever to service there.

The effort has prompted members of Congress to publically face immoderate of the darkest moments successful American past and the drawstring of breached promises to Indigenous radical crossed the nation.

If it granted the presumption to Ms. Teehee, 54, the House would fulfill a once-overlooked stipulation successful the Treaty of New Echota, which forced the federation to relinquish its ancestral lands successful the South. The pact led the U.S. authorities to unit 16,000 members of the Cherokee Nation connected the Trail of Tears, a deadly trek to onshore successful what is present Oklahoma. A 4th of those forced to permission — astir 4,000 — died earlier they arrived, arsenic a effect of harsh conditions, starvation and disease.

But the treaty, ratified by conscionable a azygous ballot successful the Senate and signed by President Andrew Jackson successful 1836, besides declared that the Cherokee Nation would beryllium “entitled to a delegate successful the House of Representatives of the United States whenever Congress shall marque proviso for the same.”

Congress has ne'er done so.

Ms. Teehee, whose ancestors survived that treacherous march, was connected manus successful the committee country connected Wednesday to perceive to a bid of questions astir the complexity of establishing different delegate position.

“It tin beryllium beauteous overwhelming to deliberation about, erstwhile I deliberation astir what was what was bargained for and what was mislaid arsenic a effect of that peculiar pact right,” Ms. Teehee said successful an interrogation earlier the hearing. “I deliberation astir my family’s past — the poverty, the nonaccomplishment of life, each the struggles that occurred arsenic a effect of that forced removal.”

“The last result being the seating of the existent delegate successful the House would springiness immoderate tiny measurement of justness for those, including my ain ancestors, who mislaid their lives during that forced march,” she added.

Delayed by the pandemic and mindful that a caller Congress successful January whitethorn unit them to restart the process, tribal leaders person accelerated their run to person a ballot connected the House level to o.k. her seat. Indigenous radical crossed the United States person emerged arsenic an progressively almighty voting bloc with notable influence, with representatives successful the highest levels of the national government, and lawmakers connected Wednesday were receptive to taking up authorities successful the coming weeks.

“As I survey this issue, I judge is the close happening to bash — it’s the motivation happening to do,” said Representative Jim McGovern, Democrat of Massachusetts and the president of the House Rules Committee. He said helium believed determination was bipartisan enactment to let for the seating of the delegate careless of whether Republicans instrumentality power of the enclosure successful January, arsenic appeared each but definite connected Wednesday contempt respective uncalled House races remaining.

Representative Tom Cole, Republican of Oklahoma, who reflected connected his ain Chickasaw ancestors and their tumultuous narration with the national government, said helium was “glad to spot tribes advocating for their treaties with specified conviction.”

“It’s ne'er excessively precocious to bash the close thing,” helium said, adding that the proceeding had been “extraordinarily adjuvant and clarifying.”

Should Ms. Teehee beryllium seated, she would articulation the ranks of a half-dozen delegates, including from the District of Columbia, Guam, and the Virgin Islands, who are capable to present authorities and beryllium connected committees, but cannot ballot connected the House floor. Ms. Teehee said she would not prosecute the close to a level vote, successful portion due to the fact that of concerns astir dual practice for Cherokee citizens already represented by the lawmaker successful whose territory they reside.

Unlike those delegates, however, Ms. Teehee was named to the station by Chuck Hoskin Jr., the main main of the Cherokee Nation successful August 2019 and was confirmed unanimously by the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council.

During the hearing, lawmakers questioned experts successful Indigenous and legislature instrumentality astir the precedent for seating a delegate who has not been elected, arsenic good arsenic the mechanics for establishing specified a position. Both Mr. McGovern and Mr. Cole, arsenic good arsenic different lawmakers connected the panel, signaled a penchant for taking a ballot to spot a delegate. Among the options, experts said, was including instauration of the presumption successful the House rules bundle that governs the enclosure proceedings, though that would necessitate a caller ballot each 2 years.

Mr. Hoskin, who was among those brought to attest earlier the panel, said helium would beryllium unfastened to specified a step, particularly if lawmakers continued to prosecute much imperishable legislation.

“It’d beryllium breathtaking for the adjacent Congress to accidental we’re going to past interruption this promise,” Mr. Hoskin told the panel. “Now, I’m a tribal person — I cognize my past and the United States has breached a committedness oregon two.”

“But I deliberation successful the 21st century, erstwhile this House of Representatives seats Kim Teehee, determination won’t beryllium different Congress that volition situation interruption that committedness to the Cherokee Nation,” helium added.

Lawmakers besides raised questions astir whether seating a delegate from the Cherokee Nation would unfastened opportunities for different tribes to prosecute akin representation. The Delaware Nation, which signed a pact with the United States successful 1778, and the Choctaw Nation, which signed the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek of 1830, whitethorn person akin rights to a delegate successful the House and person already reached retired to lawmakers, Mr. McGovern said.

But it appeared that the House would archetypal absorption connected the close raised by the Cherokee Nation. After Ms. Teehee was named arsenic a delegate successful 2019, she went to Washington for a bid of meetings connected Capitol Hill to statesman educating lawmakers astir the position.

Those meetings, however, were chopped abbreviated by the pandemic, during which Ms. Teehee and Cherokee leaders turned their absorption to lobbying for resources to support their members arsenic the coronavirus spread. With the extremity of the existent Congress approaching, however, the Cherokee Nation has revamped its efforts to spot Ms. Teehee seated, dropping advertisements successful astatine slightest one governmental newsletter connected Capitol Hill and rallying lawmakers and voters to enactment the issue.

Ms. Teehee grew up successful Claremore, Okla., with parents who inactive talk the Cherokee language. She inactive collects American currency issued betwixt 1915 and 1919, each signed by Houston Benge Teehee, a distant comparative and the archetypal Native American to service arsenic registrar for the Treasury.

While Ms. Teehee studied instrumentality and governmental science, she said it was her acquisition arsenic an intern for Wilma Mankiller, the archetypal pistillate to service arsenic the main main of the Cherokee Nation, that led her to enactment connected tribal argumentation successful Washington.

She worked arsenic a elder advisor to Representative Dale Kildee, Democrat of Michigan, erstwhile helium helped pb the bipartisan House Native American Caucus, earlier becoming the archetypal elder argumentation advisor for Native American affairs nether President Barack Obama. In that role, she helped trade a bid of tribal initiatives, including policies intended to trim unit against Indigenous women and guarantee that offenders were prosecuted.

“However effectual I mightiness person been successful my career, it can’t beryllium afloat realized until you person a spot astatine the table,” Ms. Teehee said. She added, “We conscionable privation the pact close honored.”