"Tribal Groups Warn Inhofe Bill Could Undermine Sovereignty"

"OKLAHOMA CITY — Legislation being discussed by some members of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation to address a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision threatens to undermine tribal sovereignty, several Native American groups warned in a letter this week to Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe.

The leaders of eight separate tribal organizations, including the National Congress of American Indians and the Association on American Indian Affairs, wrote to Inhofe on Thursday outlining their concerns.

“It has come to our attention that staff members of the Oklahoma congressional delegation have formed a working group with the ostensible purpose of establishing, in a matter of weeks, proposed legislation to abrogate the tribal sovereignty upheld by the Supreme Court in its July 9, 2020 decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma,” the letter states. “We fear that any such bill could irreparably undermine the sovereignty of tribal nations across the country.”"

The Associated Press had the story August 14, 2020.

Source: AP, 08/17/2020