Federal shutdown brings worry to member of Cherokee Nation

Christina Bennett knew that she could reach for the brass ring in her working life, and she knew what that brass ring would be: a safe and secure job with the federal government, working for Native American tribes through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. She reached for that brass ring and grabbed it.

As a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Bennett has worked for 11 years at the Miami, Okla., tribal courts, which serve five tribes. She built a seemingly stable career as a federal employee in the courts, where she also discovered a union home in the Federation of Indian Service Employees, a nationwide affiliate of the AFT.

Bennett first became a union steward after she saw a colleague being harassed on the job, and she stepped in to help. “I believe in sticking up for people who have no voice,” she says. “I am very vocal. With the people I work with, almost all of them Native, we don’t have a voice unless someone sticks up for us.” Largely for that reason—to have their voices heard—her mother and brother became attorneys, and Bennett used to work in law enforcement. Whenever there’s a problem, she says, “we say stop, let’s figure this out. With everything that the Indigenous community has been through, we don’t need to continue” encountering problems.

A heartbreaking history

Those problems are long-standing and well known. Bennett is a direct descendent of Major Ridge and his son John Ridge, prominent leaders of the Cherokee Nation who signed the controversial Treaty of New Echota in 1835, which ceded Cherokee lands to the U.S. government in exchange for a reservation in the West. The Ridges’ action was seen as treasonous by their chief and much of their tribe, but ultimately was ratified by the U.S. government. The result? The infamous Trail of Tears, in which the Cherokee people were forced to march west and in which thousands died on the way.

But now—as a single mom with two grown children and three teenagers at home—Bennett has been furloughed from her federal job. That means she’s not getting paid and is not allowed to pick up another job while the government is closed.

During the last big shutdown in 2018-19, she held on for 35 days, after several congressional extensions ran out. “For the first furlough, I said we can’t just shut the courts down,” Bennett says, leading to the designation of a few essential workers. “There are too many critical health and safety issues.”

And this time, Congress didn’t pass or fund a single extension for fiscal 2026, which began Oct. 1. This is what brought on the government shutdown. A waiver allows for key court employees not to be furloughed, so that the tribal courts don’t have to close entirely, but Bennett didn’t qualify for the waiver.

A dream job

Before she landed her BIA job, Bennett worked on the third shift as an emergency dispatcher for the county. Her hours were 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Then she got her current job, and it’s been great: permanent, stable and promising for the future of her family. “I’m able to work 9-to-5 and see my children,” she says. “I also believe this job is a way to give back and provide services to my tribal community. This is a win-win situation.”

She values her mission within the tribal justice system: “I believe in serving the tribes. It all goes back to the trust responsibility that we have with the Indian nations.” Under that trust, established early in the 19th century with the case of Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, it was decided that America’s relations with tribes were a federal matter. The U.S. government promised to forever serve and protect Native American nations in exchange for land.

That trust relationship has proven to be rocky during times like these, when the federal government runs out of funds.

“The last time we had a shutdown, in 2018, it was difficult because I hadn’t had a job that was impacted by a government shutdown before, so I wasn’t prepared,” Bennett says. “This round, I was a little better prepared, but it’s still very difficult as a single mom to provide the basic necessities that my children and I need, like housing, transportation and food. While I have healthcare through my federal job, healthcare for my children comes through the Affordable Care Act. I am getting more concerned about how this will affect us in the long run.

“While my federal employment has given me the opportunity to become more self-sufficient, if this drags on, I will have to get food commodities and a bill assistance program—but that doesn’t get me far, only $500. If this goes into December, it’s a real worry.” Bennett fears having her car repossessed or losing her home. “I only just got to be a homeowner three years ago through my tribe’s mortgage assistance program,” she says. “I don’t want to go back to not having a permanent home for my children and me.”

The shutdown affects the whole tribal population, too. “We struggle as a community … because many of our jobs and services are impacted by decisions beyond our control,” she says. “If you look at the history, it hasn’t been too great for us.” Many promises and guarantees were made between tribes and the federal government through treaties and trust responsibilities in exchange for giving up land and resources to the federal government.

When a shutdown occurs, Bennett notes that virtually nothing can happen while federal employees are on furlough: no social services, real estate, self-determination or natural resources. Everything stops, with the exception of law enforcement, the courts and a handful of other tribal services. And because of the administration’s “deferred resignations” earlier this year, a lot of the federal workers’ institutional knowledge is gone. Those who remain are doing the work of two or three jobs, she says, which could burn out tried-and-true employees who, like her, believe in the mission of the BIA.

A message for everyone

It’s hard to convey the disappointment in what’s happening, Bennett says. “We have to stay positive, lean on each other, reach out to each other, if only by asking, ‘How are you doing?’ Some people don’t have family or a tribe who can help them. Some of my co-workers don’t have support. That old saying, you know? ‘It takes a village.’ We have to help each other out.”

Still, it’s not easy. “We internalize things. We depend on each other but we have difficulty reaching out for help,” Bennett says. Her solution is to call and text people to find out how they’re doing. “During the last furlough, I knew some people who got very depressed,” she says. “Keeping that positivity is important.”

Her message to the federal government, including Congress: “We want to do our jobs and provide for our communities and families. We need this shutdown to be over.”

The AFT has joined an expanded lawsuit with the American Federation of Government Employees; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; and other labor unions to challenge the Trump administration’s illegal firing of federal workers during the shutdown. AFT President Randi Weingarten says the firings show “complete and utter contempt for the workers who’ve dedicated their careers to helping others.” For the lowdown on the shutdown, go to the AFT’s federal shutdown watch.

[Annette Licitra]