“The agreement will ensure those rural communities will have more channels of transportation, which is exciting,” Hoskin said. Hoskin sees the agreement as a means for development of transportation projects in rural areas of the Cherokee Nation. “This agreement will speed up funding because we can get some forward funding that will allow us to plan further into the future,” Hoskin said. We hope this is a template for a lot of agreements to come,” Trottenberg said.Īllowing the Cherokee Nation to self-govern its transportation funding will eliminate a step in what can be a long process when seeking permission to move forward on transportation projects. “We have a lot of new dollars to bring to the table and we want to make sure we are really working closely on the ground to meet the needs of all those local communities. The Biden Harris administration is committed to this mission. We hope this is what the future looks like for Indian Country. And I think we learned a lot in the process,” Trottenberg told Native News Online, adding, “We certainly want more such agreements. “This is an incredible model and it took us a while to get there. Trottenberg said the agreement had its roots during the Obama administration and was further developed in the Biden administration. She signed the document as a witness at the ceremony.

Deputy Secretary of Transportation Polly Trottenberg attended the event in Buttigieg’s place. Department Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who did not attend the signing ceremony because he tested positive for COVID-19. The Tribal Transportation Self-Governance Program compact and funding agreement was signed by Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. The Cherokee Nation is the first tribe in Indian Country to enter into such an agreement with the Transportation Department. The pact allows one of Indian Country’s largest tribes to plan and oversee its own road construction planning and transit projects without having to seek federal permission and oversight over projects. Department of Transportation (DOT) on Tuesday. The Cherokee Nation signed an historic self-governance agreement with the U.S.

Cherokee nation casino agreement