Chairwoman Nicole Boyd:
2025 can be described in acronyms as the year of DOGE, ICE, DEI and RIF. While the new federal government implemented their agenda, testing the fundamentals of a healthy democracy, we stayed focused on our people. We have been resiliently working to ensure the health and well-being of our constituents, shielding them from attacks on human decency and the disruption of everything they know as normal. Not everyone in this room may agree that we are in very unprecedented times, but Indigenous people, sadly, we know these tactics all too well. Consequently, we are the most resilient humans you will ever encounter, because we have had to be. I want to acknowledge the courage, swiftness and diligence of tribal leaders and advocacy groups when federal decisions threatened to negatively impact our nations and our members. When the lives of tribal members or sovereignty were threatened, we acted. When threats were made to freeze Indian Health Service hiring, we acted. When threats were made to defund Head Start, we acted. When hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites were at risk of losing their FoodShare benefits, we acted. This spirit of action extends to Wisconsin's Attorney General Kaul and the many partners who banded together. Despite our differences, we work to fulfill our moral obligation, ensuring our children, elders, lands, water, air and all living beings are protected and safe from harm. This is the kind of unity that creates change. This is the strength of working together. Tribal members reside in nearly every community in this state, relying on us to work in partnership on their behalf, and I believe we have more in common than we know.