National Congress of American Indians opens mid-year conference

Monday, June 12, 2017  

The National Congress of American Indians is holding its mid-year conference in Connecticut this week.

Top officials from the Trump administration are among the major speakers at the event, which kicks off on Tuesday morning. Heading the list is Secretary Ryan Zinke, the new leader of the Department of the Interior, who will address attendees during the opening session.

The appearance is Zinke's first before NCAI, the largest inter-tribal organization. But he won't be coming alone -- Jim Cason, the Associate Deputy Secretary at Interior and Mike Black, the "acting" Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs will be representing the department at meetings and panels during the event, which runs through Thursday.

The theme of the meeting is Sovereign Infrastructure: Building our Communities through our Values. Tribal leaders will be focusing on sovereignty, economic development, health care, education and other key priorities throughout the week.

The Mohegan Tribe is hosting the conference at its Mohegan Sun facility on the reservation.

Secretary Zinke headed to National Congress of American Indians in June (May 25, 2017)