This is in response to Rep. Pete Stauber’s quote on the Feb. 6 WeekendOpinion cover, headlined, “ Police reform needs Democrats’ support,” and the Feb. 17 story, “Fond du Lac Band counters Stauber: Tribal leaders say congressman fails to communicate with them .”
Stauber’s claim of a good working relationship with the five tribes in his district was so ludicrous it’s laughable.
In January 2019, Stauber met with tribal leaders and said he’d consult with the tribes and hold quarterly meetings. Stauber broke those promises.
During 2019 and 2020, Stauber received campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry and used scare-tactics claims that the Green New Deal would cost jobs, which I feel is inaccurate.
The “radical” policy plans of U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland, President Joe Biden's nominee for interior secretary, include good-paying jobs, climate solutions, and keeping families and the planet healthy.
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Stauber’s House committee assignments include Natural Resources with Haaland and Energy and Mineral Resources, to which he was nominated by Arkansas Republican Rep. Bruce Westerman, who also received campaign contributions from oil and gas. Stauber’s memberships, I feel, constitute a conflict.
Stauber sent a letter to Biden in January, opposing Haaland’s nomination. Five Ojibwe bands in his district wrote to Stauber, expressing dismay that he didn’t consult with the bands. However, “It appears (he) did consult with industrial interests in the 8th District,” the band’s letter states. Stauber has ripped the rug out from under the Indigenous people who voted for him.
On Jan. 14 and Feb. 19, Fond du Lac sent letters asking Stauber to meet again with the Tribal Council. His office said he wasn’t meeting with anyone in person.
On Feb. 17, Stauber traveled to meet with constituents in the southwest corner of his district, the News Tribune reported. I find it ironic Stauber refuses to drive 30 minutes to the casino to meet with tribal leaders. He chose one set of constituents over another, the Indigenous people.
Sharon Doolittle-Shuck
Duluth
The writer is a Fond du Lac Ojibwe elder.
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