Members of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs advance the nomination of Patrice Kunesh to lead the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) on November 20, 2024.
The action came after a rare recorded vote at a committee business meeting in the nation’s capital. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma), a citizen of the Cherokee Nation who has emerged in recent weeks as an outspoken supporter of Republican president-elect Donald Trump, appeared in person to request the roll call and to register his opposition to Kunesh.
Kunesh, who traces her ancestry to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, still must clear the full U.S. Senate before she can begin serving as chair of the NIGC, the federal agency that oversees the $41.9 billion tribal casino industry.
Kunesh was nominated to the position by President Joe Biden, a Democrat who will be leaving the White House on January 20, 2025, when Trump will be sworn into office.
YES votes for Patrice Kunesh to be Chair of @NIGCgov
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii)
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington)
Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana)
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada)
Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minnesota)
Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-New Mexico)
— indianz.com (@indianz) November 20, 2024
NO votes for Patrice Kunesh to be Chair of National Indian Gaming Commission, federal agency regulating $41 billion tribal casino industry:
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma)
Sen. John Hoeven (R-North Dakota)
Sen. Steve Daines (R-Montana)
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota)
— indianz.com (@indianz) November 20, 2024
