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Cherokee Nation chief highlights Summer EBT, elder farmers market and MMIP coordination in State of the Nation
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Summary
Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. told the tribal council the nation will bring federal Summer EBT funds to children on the reservation, launch an elders farmers market pilot, and continue work on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons coordination after a veto of a related legislative amendment.
Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. told the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council on May 12 that the nation is resuming a federal Summer EBT program for low-income children on the reservation, launching a pilot Elders Farmers Market program and continuing interagency work on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) cases.
The chief said the Summer EBT benefit will be $120 per eligible child and that Cherokee Nation is administering the program to the geographic extent of the reservation. “I can't think of a better way to invest than that this summer,” Hoskin said, describing an administrative investment of about $900,000 that he said brings roughly $6,000,000 into the hands of households that qualify.
The chief also announced an Elders Farmers Market pilot run by Cherokee Nation Public Health that he said will support about 5,000 elders who live within the reservation; the program had signed up about 500 elders at the time of his remarks. Hoskin noted the pilot is funded from the Public Health and Wellness Fund Act rather than federal dollars.
Hoskin described recent events and program activity across tribal departments, including mental health outreach during Mental Health Awareness Month, teacher recognitions and record scholarship funding supported by the council. He credited the secretary of natural resources, Christina Justice, for sustainability steps in the executive branch and for pushing food-waste reduction efforts and a recently held agriculture summit.
On MMIP work, Hoskin said coordination across jurisdictions with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has improved case response. He criticized a veto by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt of what Hoskin called “a housekeeping amendment to Ida's law,” saying the amendment removed an unused requirement related to federal funds and had bipartisan legislative support. Hoskin said he encouraged the legislature to consider overriding the veto.
The chief also recounted federal engagement, including meetings with U.S. Department of the Interior officials and the Department of Health and Human Services, and noted participation on a Secretary of the Interior advisory committee. He said meetings addressed funding and program risks affecting tribal services.
Hoskin praised public safety investments, noting the tribe invested $476,000 across 36 fire departments and recalled a separate $50,000 Public Safety Partners grant the council approved in earlier years. He also recognized recent immersion-language graduations and invited the tribal youth council to introduce themselves during the meeting.
The remarks combined program announcements, recent ceremonial recognitions and policy priorities; Hoskin framed many items as continuations of work already funded or underway rather than new statutory changes.
