President Barack Obama will visit a Native American reservation in North Dakota next week, making this his first trip to an Indian Country as president, the Associated Press reported.
Confirming an earlier report from the Washington Post, the visit of Obama and first lady Michelle Obama to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in Cannonball was verified Wednesday.
"The President and First Lady's visit is a milestone for Indian Country and I welcome them to my state," Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat, said in a press release announcing the visit. "This trip will enable North Dakota to show off the rich culture, history, and traditions of our tribes, while also raising awareness about the challenges too many Native American families face, such as extreme poverty and abuse."
The reservation holds a special place in U.S. history because Chief Sitting Bill lived at the location, according to the AP.
Justice, infrastructure and health care for Native Americans are areas he's planning to strengthen, Obama said. But he also laments high Indian poverty rates and said he wants to hear firsthand about their challenges.
Obama will "announce new initiatives during the visit to grow Indian economies."
Last year, Rep. Kevin Cramer, a Republican and North Dakota's only member of the U.S. House, invited Obama to visit the state, but the president declined, citing a busy schedule, North Dakota Watchdog reported.
On June 13, Obama will visit the town of Cannon, a community located south of Bismarck along the Missouri River and at the northernmost tip of the Standing Rock Reservation that straddles the border between North and South Dakota.
"Presidential visits to North Dakota are rare, and visits to Indian country even more so. The last sitting president to visit North Dakota was George W. Bush, who came to Fargo in 2005 to pitch Social Security reform," according to North Dakota Watchdog. "The last president to visit Indian country was Bill Clinton, who toured the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota in 1999."
