Cherokee chief not welcome to express contrary views to state House. Really?

EDITORIAL THE OKLAHOMAN

Last week in an editorial we urged the state Legislature to reconsider its apparent inclination to try to undo the constitutional expansion of Medicaid the people of the state approved in 2020. Two slightly different approaches to this rewind effort were still being considered as we pen this new editorial.

Our belief, that state legislators shouldn’t try to take away what state voters themselves said they wanted, was shared by Chuck Hoskin Jr., since 2019 the principal chief of the Oklahoma-based Cherokee Nation.

He expressed this viewpoint on “Cherokee Day” at the Legislature, speaking to the House and Senate, and for that was banned from ever coming back to the House by Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow.

In a letter to Hoskin, the speaker wrote that it was “quite inappropriate and contrary to our House rules for an invited guest to delve into political matters.”

Hilbert said he “was particularly concerned with the tone and tenor of the speech, which was in direct contrast to the public position of an overwhelming majority of the members of the House of Representatives.”

Really?

Was Hilbert’s concern the fact that something “political” was said in the House Chamber, of all places?

Or was it that Hoskin dared to disagree with the overwhelming Republican majority?

Hoskin apparently did not realize he was in such hostile territory.

He told legislators Medicaid expansion has been beneficial to both the people’s health and state’s economy.

“Sometimes friends have to level with each other about issues that may be difficult to talk about,” he said. “I feel moved to talk about Medicaid expansion because I’ve seen what it does. I’ve seen that not only 250,000 Oklahomans receive health coverage from Medicaid expansion, I’ve seen what it means for the Cherokee people to have that choice.” Later Hoskin noted that he and his predecessor have for years spoken in front of the House and Senate on how legislative initiatives affect the Cherokee Nation. “I’m disappointed, mostly because this doesn’t need to be a personal issue, which it oddly has become,” he said. “It really needs to focus on the 250,000 Oklahomans who get their health insurance through Medicaid expansion.” A day after Hoskin’s legislative speech, the Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes passed a resolution supporting the preservation of Medicaid expansion. The council is composed of some of the nation’s largest tribes, including the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek) and Seminole nations.

The Cherokee tribe said Medicaid expansion has had a $162 million direct impact on its health care system and a $222 million impact on northeastern Oklahoma’s economy.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin speaks to the press Feb. 2 after the State of the State address at the Oklahoma Capitol in Oklahoma City.

NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN

Oklahoma, like every state in the nation except Vermont, has to balance its budget every year. It can’t just ratchet up its debt limit as the federal government has been doing. This enforced discipline often makes it uncomfortable for legislators who have to juggle the different priorities of voters in their districts. Covering their ears and banning people from telling them things they’d rather not hear, isn’t the answer.

A strong step to improve education in Oklahoma

For months we have urged the governor and the Oklahoma Legislature to take bold action to fix the state’s dismal education performance. We commend the Oklahoma House and Senate for passing and Gov. Kevin Stitt for signing legislation to strengthen early childhood reading policies and programs in our public schools.

State schools Superintendent Lindel Fields has praised the action as one of the most significant literacy reforms in the country and says implementation will begin immediately.

As Fields noted, “implementation is everything,” but we applaud the Legislature for setting aside politics and giving bipartisan approval to this initiative.

It is also encouraging that the Legislature continued last year’s robust financial support for educational improvement, including $100 million to raise all teachers’ minimum salaries by $2,000.

These editorials were written by William C. Wertz, and represent the position of The Oklahoman’s editorial board, which includes Opinion Editor Wertz, Executive Editor Ray Rivera, and retired opinion editor Clytie Bunyan.