U S Department of Interior Secretary Burgum’s silence to President Trump’s executive order to lay off employees at Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU) in February 2025, is a perception of conflict-of-interest in fulfilling trust responsibility to Indian people. Secretary Burgum, trustee has a fiduciary duty to act solely in the best interests of Haskell Indian student beneficiaries. Secretary Burgum’s silence appears to be for self-gain in career or financially related resulting in breach of trust to Indian education beneficiaries. Haskell Indian Nations University is a federal fiduciary trust Indian education treaty responsibility and obligation under the purview of Secretary Burgum. The Secretary of the Interior is a President Cabinet official and highest official in the administration responsible for Indian affairs.
The generosity and charitable virtues of the donors to the Haskell Foundation are commendable, however, donors to public causes should be fully informed of the issues of the circumstances. President Trump’s executive order to lay off employees at Haskell were illegal and subversive of federal Indian political status of Indian student beneficiaries at Haskell. The donors exemplify commitment to uphold and strengthen federal fiduciary trust responsibility to Indian people.
Senator Lisa Murkowski and 10 other senators cited the political status of Indian student beneficiaries and denounced President Trump’s illegal executive order cutting Indian beneficiaries enrolled in federal Indian schools. The 90% cuts of the Big Beautiful legislation traumatically exacerbate the chaos and crisis existing at Haskell. Also, the Big Beautiful bill negatively impacts the safety and Indian health care budget that supports Haskell students and weakens the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) impacting the biodiversity of the Haskell wetlands.
The donors to the Haskell Foundation can improve the outcome for Haskell students and employees in a Call to Action to Secretary Burgum to recommend approval of the proposed Haskell Indian Nations University Improvement Act and the Indian Boarding School Policies Act (S.761). We will look forward with the donors to the federal government fulfilling genuine trust responsibility to Indian people in the passage of the two legislations.
Haskell Indian Nations University is a beacon of Indian education with tradition; Indian ways of belief rooted in sovereign Indian Self-Determination to soar with eagles for generations to come.
Happy Sovereign New Year🪶
First Nations Journal
M’gwitch, 🪶
Steve Cadue
Kickapoo Nation Kansas
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