Chief Hoskin calls for $40 million permanent expansion of historic Housing, Jobs, Sustainable Communities Act during State of the Nation address

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. - Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. delivered his sixth State of the Nation address Saturday, Aug. 31, as part of the 72nd annual Cherokee National Holiday, calling for the permanent expansion of and funding for the tribe's historic Housing, Jobs and Sustainable Communities Act initially signed into law in 2019.

During his annual State of the Nation address, Chief Hoskin discussed the tribe's first comprehensive study of housing security across the region, which shows an overall $1.75 billion gap in housing for the region over the next decade.

"This is not a crisis caused by the Cherokee Nation. It is not a crisis that falls only on the Cherokee Nation. But it is a crisis that commands our attention," Chief Hoskin said. "We are not a people who sit back and wait for others to come to the rescue. We are a people meant to lead and we must lead on housing."

To help address future housing concerns across the Reservation and expand upon the historic $120 million Housing, Jobs and Sustainable Communities Act created by Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner with approval of the Council, Chief Hoskin is proposing a new, permanent law. If approved, it will commit $40 million to housing and community buildings every three years in perpetuity.

Deputy Chief Bryan Warner gives his State of the Nation address from downtown Tahlequah.

Hoskin said that during the five years of the current HJSCA, the tribe has taken on over 2,800 housing projects from new homes to repairs compared to only 1,600 projects using federal Housing and Urban Development funds for Indian Housing. Chief Hoskin would tap the tribe's business profits to help fund the proposed new HJSCA.

"Under the Housing, Jobs and Sustainable Communities Act, we have built five new community buildings, with two more under construction and four more projects out for bid. We've repaired or expanded dozens more and locked in over $1 million in energy savings with our solar panel project," Chief Hoskin said. "If anyone needs to understand the value of community buildings, go to South Coffeyville or Dewey. Take a look at Brushy or Baron. Look at the plans for that new ball field in Greasy. Go see families gathering at that new park in Kenwood or playing basketball in the new Woody Hair Center. Spend time in Marble City where elders are speaking Cherokee inside and kids are playing outside. The list goes on and on. Our new Housing, Jobs and Sustainable Communities Act will be all about building up Cherokee communities during this great Cherokee century and we won't leave any community behind."

Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner are also proposing a $65 million Sequoyah Schools capital improvement project, the addition of $86 million in loan support to grow and expand Cherokee citizens' small businesses, and a proposal that the Cherokee Nation take ownership and control of the Claremore Indian Hospital, which currently operates within the Indian Health Service federal system, by the end of 2025.

Before Saturday's State of the Nation address, thousands gathered for the annual Cherokee National Holiday parade through downtown Tahlequah.

"All of this means that the generation of Cherokees coming up can be a generation of Cherokees that is healthier, better educated and better positioned to seize the great opportunities of this century than any generation of Cherokees before it. It means that Cherokees in their twilight can live with greater security and greater dignity. For all of us, it means our communities keep improving," Chief Hoskin said.

If approved by the Council of the Cherokee Nation, Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner's plan to transform the Sequoyah Schools campus in Tahlequah will include remodeled dorms, a new academic building, and a performing arts center, among other upgrades.

The $86 million in loan support for Cherokee small businesses is part of an historic agreement between the Cherokee Nation and U.S. Department of the Treasury.

"Whether it is the thousands of college graduates or those in one of our career training programs each year, the generation of Cherokees coming up need jobs," Chief Hoskin said. "Although we are the proud employer of 14,000 worldwide, small businesses remain the biggest driver of the economy."

When Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Warner took office in 2019, the Cherokee Nation's health system was already the largest in Indian Country, with 1.3 million patient visits each year. In 2024, the tribe's health care system is on track to see 2 million patient visits annually.

"Staffing is up, access is up, and quality continues to rise," Chief Hoskin said. "Since 2019 we finished some amazing projects that we inherited, and we have just kept moving forward. We expanded four health centers. We began construction on the Carson Wellness Center in Stilwell and in 2026 we will break ground on a wellness center to replace Markoma here in Tahlequah. The construction of our $450 million hospital in Tahlequah, which will double our in-patient capacity, is right on track. The $85 million Salina health center, which will triple our capacity and includes a wellness center, is right on track."

And in August, the tribe broke ground on a $25 million addiction treatment center south of Tahlequah, made possible through the Public Health and Wellness Fund Act. The center was the vision of First Lady January Hoskin and is "built for Cherokees, by Cherokees, and we made the opioid industry pay for every single penny of it," Chief Hoskin said.

Chief Hoskin said the Claremore Indian Hospital helps thousands of Cherokee citizens each year.

"That facility has always been staffed by wonderful people who work hard to deliver great health care," Chief Hoskin said. "But, the truth is, the Claremore Indian Hospital operates in a federal system, Indian Health Service, that has never adequately delivered health care. IHS is $26 billion behind on building health care clinics and hospitals for Indian Country. IHS' budget is seven times less than it should be. Quite simply, we have proven that when Cherokees operate our own health care system, we do it better."

Before Saturday's State of the Nation address, thousands gathered for the annual Cherokee National Holiday parade through downtown Tahlequah.

Chief Hoskin said if the Council approves the proposal for Cherokee Nation to assume ownership and control of the hospital, the tribe will "continue to take control of our health care destiny and build toward that world class system of wellness."

During Saturday's State of the Nation Address, Chief Hoskin also reaffirmed the tribe's commitment to keeping citizens safe and said working with the Council and the judiciary to establish a new drug court, sentencing reform and an expansion of the Cherokee Nation's re-entry program. He also asked Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt to "put aside his hostility to tribal sovereignty" and to work with a sense of respect toward a fair tribal car tag compact with the Cherokee Nation.

Saturday's State of the Nation ceremony also featured an address from Deputy Chief Bryan Warner and remarks by Secretary of State Shella Bowlin, Deputy Secretary of State Canaan Duncan, and Speaker of the Council Mike Shambaugh.

Download the State of the Nation address

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