Tribal & indigenous policy
All 16 modern US presidents ranked by their net score on this single sub-criterion. Good and harm are scored 0–10 independently; net is good minus harm. Click a name for the full scorecard.
Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 (Wheeler-Howard Act) ended the allotment-and-assimilation policy in force since 1887, restored tribal self-government, halted land alienation. Defining federal tribal-policy reform of the 20th century.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
The IRA ended Dawes-era allotment, restored tribal governance, and halted the loss of tribal land — reversing 47 years of termination policy.
congress.gov ↗
Nixon's Special Message on Indian Affairs (July 1970) explicitly ended termination policy and committed federal government to tribal self-determination. Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act drafted under Nixon (enacted 1975 under Ford). Restored Taos Pueblo Blue Lake (1970).
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
Nixon's 1970 message formally ended 17-year termination policy and committed federal government to tribal self-determination; restored ~48,000 acres of Blue Lake sacred land to Taos Pueblo, the first major tribal-land restoration.
archives.gov ↗
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 (Public Law 93-638). Drafted under Nixon administration; signed by Ford. Ended termination era formally.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
ISDEAA enabled tribes to contract for federal Indian-services programs, formally ending termination era and establishing self-determination framework that continues today.
congress.gov ↗
American Indian Religious Freedom Act 1978. Continued ISDEAA framework. Strong tribal self-determination support.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
AIRFA committed federal government to protect tribal religious practices, though enforcement provisions were weak.
congress.gov ↗
Restored Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante (October 2021). Deb Haaland (first Native American Cabinet Secretary). Indian boarding school investigation. Strong tribal engagement.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
Biden restored Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments to pre-Trump boundaries; Haaland appointment as first Native American Cabinet Secretary historic.
archives.gov ↗
Cobell settlement (2010, $3.4B). Annual tribal nations conferences. Standing Rock pipeline controversy (DAPL) — Obama denied easement (late-term, reversed by Trump).
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
Cobell settlement resolved century-old federal trust accounting failure; Obama held first tribal nations summits annually; DAPL easement denial reversed by Trump.
archives.gov ↗
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act 1990. Continued ISDEAA framework.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
NAGPRA required federal agencies and museums to return Native American cultural items and human remains to descendant tribes; major federal acknowledgment of tribal cultural rights.
congress.gov ↗
Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 extended Bill of Rights protections to tribal governments (controversial). Termination policy continued though slowing.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
ICRA extended most Bill of Rights protections to tribal members vis-a-vis tribal governments — contested by some tribes as federal overreach but ended some tribal-government abuses.
congress.gov ↗
Tribal Self-Governance expansion. Government-to-government relationship clarified by EO 13175 (2000). Cobell v. Salazar trust accounting litigation continued.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
EO 13175 established formal government-to-government consultation framework with tribes that subsequent administrations have continued.
archives.gov ↗
Indian Claims Commission Act (1946) — established commission to address treaty violations. BUT: termination policy intellectually launched under Truman administration (Hoover Commission 1947-49 recommended assimilation); formal HCR 108 was Eisenhower 1953.
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- good·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
The Indian Claims Commission opened a 30-year process for tribal nations to seek federal redress for treaty violations; concurrently the administration's policy intellectual framework moved toward the termination doctrine formalized in 1953.
congress.gov ↗
Continued ISDEAA framework. Some tribal land/trust litigation issues (Cobell case ongoing). Modest record.
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- harm·Tier 2·Primary document·Unverified
Cobell trust-accounting litigation continued through GW Bush term; substantial federal liability accruing during the term, settled under Obama.
Cobell v. Salazar continuing litigation 2001-2009
Tribal Self-Determination framework continued. Reagan administration tribal trust fund mismanagement contributed to later Cobell v. Salazar litigation. American Indian Religious Freedom Act enforced weakly.
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- harm·Tier 2·Primary document·Unverified
Reagan administration's mismanagement of Indian Trust Fund accounts contributed to subsequent Cobell class action that resulted in $3.4 billion settlement (2009) for systemic federal accounting failures.
Cobell v. Salazar trust accounting case origins; Indian Mineral Development Act of 1982
Post-termination era continuing. Limited tribal-policy initiatives. Continued some self-determination momentum.
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- good·Tier 2·Historical record·Unverified
Tribal policy era-typical under Kennedy; no major reform but also no major escalation of termination.
bia.gov ↗
Reversed Obama DAPL easement denial. Bears Ears National Monument shrunk dramatically. ANWR drilling approved. Reduced consultation.
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- harm·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
Trump shrunk Bears Ears National Monument by 85% and Grand Staircase-Escalante by 50% — largest reductions in monument history; both subsequently restored by Biden.
archives.gov ↗
Reduced tribal consultation. Federal lands policies favoring extraction over tribal interests. Some Trump-era patterns continued.
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- harm·Tier 2·Historical record·Unverified
Reduced federal tribal consultation framework continuation of Trump T1 pattern.
Tribal consultation EO revisions 2025
House Concurrent Resolution 108 (1953) initiated termination policy — ending federal recognition of tribes. Public Law 280 (1953) transferred state criminal jurisdiction over tribal lands without consent. Both major harms to tribal sovereignty.
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- harm·Tier 1·Primary document·Unverified
Termination policy formally inaugurated by HCR 108 led to the federal termination of 109 tribes between 1953-1968, with severe economic and cultural consequences; reversed by Indian Self-Determination Act 1975.
congress.gov ↗