US House candidate Neal Tapio says if elected he’ll declare a state of emergency to renegotiate treaties with South Dakota tribes.
It’s a policy platform the Tapio campaign released earlier this week, which garnered headlines.
He says he’s identified systematic problems in the Indian reservation program.
“We need to renegotiate these treaties,” Tapio says. “Because it’s leaving behind a generation of people that are suffering from a lack of hope and a lack of purpose. We need major changes on the reservation system”
Tapio did not offer specifics as to what those treaty negotiations would look like. During a press conference he pointed to the lack of access to capital on reservations.
He says he spoke with South Dakota tribal leaders about renegotiating the treaties, but didn’t name any.