English subtitles for clip: File:President Obama Speaks at the 2013 Tribal Nations Conference.webm

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The President:
Thank you, Karen,
for the kind introduction.

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A couple of people
I want to introduce,

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or at least acknowledge.

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First of all, give it
up for our outstanding new

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Secretary of
the Interior, Sally Jewell.

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[applause]

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We're joined by several
other members of my Cabinet,

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which reflects how much my
administration values your

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partnership, the partnership
with your communities.

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I want to thank the members
of Congress who are here.

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I want to give, also, a special
shout-out to one of my closest

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advisors, one of
my oldest friends.

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But he's also a great
friend to all of you,

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and he doesn't get a lot of
credit because he hates credit;

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he just likes to work
behind the scenes.

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But he worked with many of you
when he worked in the Senate.

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He has been a key advisor on
Native American affairs for me

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throughout this process, and I
could not be prouder of him --

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Mr. Pete Rouse.

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So give Mr. Pete Rouse
a big round of applause.

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[applause]

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Now, most of all, I want
to thank all of you,

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especially the tribal
leaders who are here today.

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And I understand, actually,
we've got more tribal leaders

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here than we ever have at
any of these conferences.

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So it just keeps on growing each
year, which is wonderful news.

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[applause]

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You represent more than
300 tribal nations,

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each of you with your
own extraordinary heritage,

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each a vital part of
a shared American family.

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And as a proud adopted
member of the Crow Nation,

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let me say kaheĂŠ --
welcome -- to all of you.

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Now, after I became President,
I said that given the painful

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chapters and broken promises
in our shared history,

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I'd make sure this country
kept its promises to you.

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I promised that tribal nations
would have a stronger voice

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in Washington -- that as long
as I was in the White House,

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it would be your house, too.

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And for the past five years, my
administration has worked hard

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to keep that promise -- to build
a new relationship with you

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based on trust and respect.

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And this new relationship wasn't
just about learning

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from the past.

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It was also
about the here and now --

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recognizing the contributions 
that your communities make

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to enrich the United States 
every single day.

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Native Americans are doctors
and teachers and businessmen

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and women, and veterans
and servicemembers.

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And they get up every morning
and help make America stronger

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and more prosperous
and more just.

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And I want to build on our
true government-to-government

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relationship as well.

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So I'm proud to have Native
Americans serving with

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dedication in my administration,
including Assistant Secretary of

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the Interior for Indian Affairs,
Kevin Washburn of the Chickasaw

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Nation; my Senior Advisor
for Native American Affairs,

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Jodi Gillette of the
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe --

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(applause)

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-- our [inter] governmental
affairs office,

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we've got Charlie Galbraith
of the Navajo Nation.

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And I look forward to --

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[applause]

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-- so they worked so incredibly
hard to make this conference

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possible, and I look
forward to it every year.

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I had the privilege
of some of you coming

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to the White House yesterday.

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As we made clear in the
Executive Order earlier this

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year that established
the White House Council

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on Native American Affairs,

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we have a unique legal
and political relationship,

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one that's been affirmed
many times in treaties,

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in statutes and
in the Constitution.

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That's the unique
relationship we honor today.

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That's the relationship we're
called upon to sustain for the

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progress of all of our peoples.

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And while we should be proud of
what we've achieved together

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in recent years,
we also should be focused

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on all the work that
we still have to do.

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I know we've got members of
the Iroquois nation here today.

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And I think we could learn
from the Iroquois Confederacy,

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just as our Founding Fathers did
when they laid the groundwork

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for our democracy.

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The Iroquois called their
network of alliances with other

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tribes and European
nations a "covenant chain."

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Each link represented a bond
of peace and friendship.

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But that covenant chain
didn't sustain itself.

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It needed constant care,
so that it would stay strong.

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And that's what
we're called to do,

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to keep the covenant between
us for this generation

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and for future generations.

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And there are
four areas in particular

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where I think we need to focus.

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First, let's keep our covenant
strong by strengthening justice

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and tribal sovereignty.

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We've worked with you in good
faith to resolve longstanding

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disputes like establishing
the Land Buy Back Program

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to consolidate Indian
lands and restore them

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to tribal trust lands.

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We've reauthorized the
Violence Against Women Act,

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so tribes can prosecute those
who commit domestic violence in

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Indian Country, whether
they're Native American or not.

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[applause]

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I signed changes
to the Stafford Act,

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to let tribes directly
request disaster assistance,

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because when disasters like
floods or fires strike,

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you shouldn't have to
wait for a middleman

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to get the help you need.

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[applause]

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But there's more we can do to
return more control

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to your communities.

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And that's why I'm urging
Congress to reauthorize the

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Native American
Housing Assistance and

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Self-Determination Act --
because your communities know

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your affordable housing needs
better than Washington does.

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[applause]

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It's why we'll keep
pushing Congress to pass

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the Carcieri fix,

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so that more tribal nations
can put their land

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into federal trust.

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And we've heard loud and clear
your frustrations when it comes

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to the problem of being fully
reimbursed by the federal

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government for the contracted
services you provide,

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so we're going to keep working
with you and Congress

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to find a solution.

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[applause]

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That's all going to be part
of making sure that we're

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respecting the
nation-to-nation relationship.

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Now, second, we've got
to keep our covenant strong

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by expanding opportunity for
Native Americans.

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We've created jobs building new
roads and high-speed Internet to

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connect more of your communities
to the broader economy.

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We've made major
investments in job training

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and tribal colleges
and universities.

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But the fact remains Native
Americans face poverty rates

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that are higher by far
than the national average.

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And that's more
than a statistic,

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that's a moral call to action.

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We've got to do better.

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So I said to some of you
that I met with yesterday,

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growing our economy, creating
new jobs is my top priority.

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We've got to stop the
self-inflicted wounds

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in Washington.

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Because for many tribal nations,
this year's harmful sequester

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cuts and last month's
government shutdown

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made a tough situation worse.

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Your schools, your
police departments,

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child welfare offices are
all feeling the squeeze.

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That's why I'm fighting for a
responsible budget that invests

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in the things that we need in
order to grow -- things like

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education, and job training,
and affordable housing and

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transportation, including for
Native American communities.

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And we're going
to work to make sure

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Native American-owned businesses
have greater access to capital

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and to selling
their goods overseas.

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So we've got to
build the economy,

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create more opportunity.

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Number three, we've got
to keep our covenant strong

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by making sure Native Americans
have access to quality,

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affordable health care
just like everybody else.

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That's one of the reasons
we fought hard to pass the

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Affordable Care Act,
and we're working overtime

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to make sure the law works
the way it's supposed to.

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For Native Americans, this means
more access to comprehensive,

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affordable coverage.

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It permanently reauthorizes

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the Indian Health Care Improvement Act,

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which provides care to
so many in your communities.

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And let me just give you one
example of how this law

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is already working
for tribal nations.

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Thanks to the ACA, the Puyallup
Tribal Health Authority

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in Washington State created the
country's first tribal family

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medicine residency program.

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Patients are cared for in
a culturally sensitive way,

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often by Native American staff.

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And we're seeing results --
a young physician caring

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for a revered Tribal Elder;

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a doctor who has
delivered babies

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in the community for years,

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and now his son
is also doing the same.

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And that's creating more
quality health care,

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but also sustaining bonds
between generations.

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That's progress that
we need to build on.

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And then the fourth area
that we've got to work on is,

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let's keep our covenant strong
by being good stewards of native

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homelands, which are sacred
to you and your families.

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I saw the beauty of
Crow Agency, Montana,

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when I was a candidate
for this office.

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Next year,
I'll make my first trip

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to Indian Country as President.

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[applause]

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The health of tribal
nations depends

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on the health of tribal lands.

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So it falls on all of us to
protect the extraordinary beauty

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of those lands for
future generations.

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And already, many of your lands
have felt the impacts

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of a changing climate,

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including more extreme
flooding and droughts.

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That's why, as part of
the Climate Action Plan

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I announced this year,

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my administration
is partnering with you

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to identify where your lands are
vulnerable to climate change,

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how we can make
them more resilient.

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And working together, we want to
develop the energy potential

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of tribal lands in a responsible
way and in accordance

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with tribal wishes.

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Over the last four
years, we've more than doubled

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oil and gas revenues
on tribal lands --

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a big reason why
the United States

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is now more energy independent.

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So we're working
with tribes to get

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more renewable energy projects,

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like solar and wind,
up and running.

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Your lands and your
economies can be a source

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of renewable energy
and the good local jobs

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that come with it.

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So standing up for justice
and tribal sovereignty;

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increasing economic opportunity;
expanding quality health care;

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protecting native homelands --

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this is the foundation
we can build on.

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This is the progress
that we can make together.

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And we don't have to
look far for inspiration.

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Some of you know, Monday
obviously was Veterans Day,

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a time to honor all who
have worn America's uniform.

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[applause]

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I know everyone here is proud
that Native Americans have

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such a high enlistment
rate in our military.

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And we've seen generations
of patriotic Native Americans

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who have served with
honor and courage.

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We draw strength from the Navajo
Code Talkers whose skill

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helped win the Second World War.

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[applause]

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We draw strength
from Woodrow Wilson Keeble,

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who many years after
his death was finally awarded

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the Medal of Honor for
his heroism in the Korean War.

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[applause]

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We draw strength from --

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and I want to make sure
I get this right --

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Lori Piestewa, who during
the Iraq war was the first

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known Native American
woman to give her life

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in combat for the United States.

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[applause]

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And we draw strength from all
our men and women in uniform

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today, including
two pilots I rely on

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when I step onto Marine One --

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Major Paul Bisulca,
from the Penobscot Nation,

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and Major Eli Jones,
of the Shoshone Bannock.

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00:11:56,500 --> 00:12:00,670
And those guys are carrying
me around, keeping me safe.

248
00:12:00,667 --> 00:12:04,137
[applause]

249
00:12:04,133 --> 00:12:06,963
So on this Veterans Day week,

250
00:12:06,967 --> 00:12:09,367
even though it's technically
not Veterans Day,

251
00:12:09,367 --> 00:12:12,167
I want to ask all the
veterans in the audience --

252
00:12:12,166 --> 00:12:16,136
including several legendary
Navajo Code Talkers

253
00:12:16,133 --> 00:12:17,103
who are here --

254
00:12:17,100 --> 00:12:20,300
if you can, please stand,
accept our gratitude.

255
00:12:20,300 --> 00:12:42,270
[applause]

256
00:12:42,266 --> 00:12:45,596
For generations, these men
and women have helped

257
00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:47,030
keep our covenant strong.

258
00:12:47,033 --> 00:12:51,263
So now we've got to keep
strong what they've built,

259
00:12:51,266 --> 00:12:54,696
for this and
generations to come.

260
00:12:54,700 --> 00:12:59,300
It falls to us to keep America
the place where no matter

261
00:12:59,300 --> 00:13:02,230
where you come from,
what you look like,

262
00:13:02,233 --> 00:13:04,403
you can always make
it as long as you try,

263
00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:05,530
as long as you work hard.

264
00:13:05,533 --> 00:13:08,563
And I know that that's what --
all of you are working hard.

265
00:13:08,567 --> 00:13:13,797
That's what you represent as
leaders of the communities

266
00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:17,970
that are represented here
from coast to coast.

267
00:13:17,967 --> 00:13:19,867
I want you to know that's
what I'm working for.

268
00:13:19,867 --> 00:13:21,797
That's the partnership
that I cherish,

269
00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:23,600
and I will cherish
as long as I have the honor

270
00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:25,700
of serving as your President.

271
00:13:25,700 --> 00:13:26,700
So thank you.

272
00:13:26,700 --> 00:13:27,700
God bless you.

273
00:13:27,700 --> 00:13:29,470
God bless
the United States of America.

274
00:13:29,467 --> 00:13:30,997
Thank you.