Vice President Kamala Harris emphasizes dedication to tribes, health care in Arizona visit

Vice President Kamala Harris returned to Arizona on Thursday to talk about the top issues challenging the state's Indigenous communities and to visit a water-treatment project in the Gila River Indian Community.

Harris and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff came to Arizona as part of the Biden administration's Investing in America Tour. They touched down at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport at 11:10 a.m. under clear, cloudless skies. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes was on hand to greet them.

Harris then went to Gila Crossing Community School in the Gila River Indian Community to highlight the administration's commitment to tribal nations and Native communities. She is the first sitting vice president to visit the community.

Upon arriving at the school, Harris and Emhoff were greeted by Gila River Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis, who took the pair through a welcome ceremony involving colorful baskets and singing.

In the school gymnasium in front of a cheering crowd, Lewis introduced Harris, who began speaking at 12:50 p.m. Elected leaders of all 22 tribes in Arizona were in attendance. Lewis expressed deep appreciation for the Biden-Harris administration’s investment in tribal communities.

A band played patriotic music as the vice president took the stage.

Harris reaffirmed her duty to safeguard the bond between tribal nations and the U.S. government. She said the administration has a duty to address disparities that are the result of broken treaties, displacement, dispossession and violence.

"President Joe Biden and I believe that the bonds between our nations are sacred," Harris said. "Legally, we have a duty to hold our trust and treaty obligations, to honor tribal sovereignty."

She emphasized the importance of making sure Native communities are places of economic opportunity, specifically access to capital and financial services.

“We are committed to make sure that our Native communities are places of economic opportunity. In this community, and all across the country," she said.

Harris talked about the climate crisis and how the land that tribes have called home is being threatened by wildfires, droughts and floods. She stressed the importance of Native-led efforts to improve conditions.

"That is why we are investing billions of dollars to help fund Native-led — not Native-consulted, Native-led — climate resiliency efforts," Harris said.

On other topics, Harris also touched on the importance of the freedom to vote and protecting the Native vote; about championing missing Indigenous people and making sure young people have mental health access; and about the need for vigilance to protect the Indian Child Welfare Act. She spoke about putting voting registration sites in health care centers.

“President Joe Biden and I will continue to call on others to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the Native American Voting Rights Act," she said.

Derek Thomas, a member of the Gila River Indian Community, said he was honored to be at the "historical event."

"Being a Native American, living within the community and working in the community, (because of) their improvements, the future looks brighter," he said in an interview.

The Gila River Indian Community announced in April that it was securing federal funds to conserve water. That includes $83 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, for a pipeline to move water from the reservation to its Pima-Maricopa Irrigation Project Facility, where Harris arrived at 2:23 p.m.

The money will go toward creating a project that will save up to 125,000 acre-feet of water over two years.

Harris viewed the facility with Lewis. They met project director David DeJong, who told Harris that they are taking water from the cities of Mesa and Chandler and moving it downhill. They talked against a backdrop of dirt, mountains, trees and a "Building a Better America" sign.

Harris said the work her administration has done is exhibited in the project. She mentioned innovation and training to reduce reliance on the Colorado River. She reaffirmed the government's partnership with Native nations.

Harris and Emhoff departed Sky Harbor at 3:48 p.m.

Harris last visited Arizona in January, when she discussed a high-voltage transmission line connecting Arizona and California, using the event as an opportunity to tout the Inflation Reduction Act.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kamala Harris promotes tribal welfare in visit to Arizona