Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith, Congressman Dale Kildee (D-Michigan), Cherokee Nation Tribal Council members Buel Anglen and John Ketcher.

WASHINGTON, DC- The leaders of the Five Civilized Tribes met in Washington, DC to formalize a legislative agenda for this congressional session and to brief senators, representatives and their staffs on important issues facing Indians in Oklahoma.

"Obviously, a big concern is health care funding," said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. "Oklahoma is still the lowest funded area per capita in the Indian Health Service system. We spent a whole day meeting with IHS folks trying to address that, before we even started with the congressional staff."

The leaders of the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole and Muscogee (Creek) Nations briefed legislative leaders on the economic impact of tribes on Oklahoma, lobbied for increased health care funding and the renewal of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act and demonstrated the need for increased funding for programs that build roads in rural Oklahoma as part of the Indian Reservation Roads program. The tribes also focused on land and economic development issues.

The Five Tribes also hosted a reception with more than 100 staffers from congressional offices, ten congressmen, two of the three commissioners on the National Indian Gaming Commission, and the acting Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Aurene Martin.

Among those speaking at the reception were Rep. Brad Carson (D-Okla.), Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), and Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.). The chiefs also had one-on-one meetings with Oklahoma legislators, including Carson and Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.).

Smith has made it a priority at the beginning of each Congress to hold this type of gathering and briefing in Washington, DC, saying it is a first step in building relationships and informing the legislators of the Cherokee Nation’s needs.

"We have a close government-to-government relationship with the United States," Smith said. "Talking face-to-face and building relationships with the leaders in Congress only helps us in the long run."