ABSTRACT
This chapter offers a broad overview of the federal government’s overall attention and commitment to supporting self-determination during the modern policy era. The chapter begins with federal spending. It reveals that resources have not adequately followed the official federal commitment to supporting Native nations. The second section looks at congressional attention and actions and shows a relatively consistent level of attention, although there is not a strong promotion of policies explicitly focused on self-determination. The last section offers an overview of key decisions from the Supreme Court, highlighting inconsistent decision-making and drawing attention to the “subjective” nature of many decisions, particularly from the 1980s through early 2000s. The lack of commitment to self-determination evidenced in federal actions echoes the inconsistencies in presidential rhetoric.
