The re-opening of the federal government for three weeks is better than a shutdown, but it does not provide us with any certainty that the health for American Indians and Alaska Natives is secure. President Trump, himself, made it clear that he would not agree to a compromise deal to permanently re-open the government unless it contained money for the wall.

For Seattle Indian Health Board, the guarantee of three weeks only means that we can draw on the federal contracts that were left unpaid. It does not mean that we can conduct our operations at the level our community needs because there is no indication to us that a government shutdown will not happen again in three weeks.

We will continue to advocate as this issue looms over us.