Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. delivered his seventh State of the Nation address Aug. 30, as part of the 73rd annual Cherokee National Holiday, calling for massive investments into health and wellness programs and other priorities.

In what Chief Hoskin described as a “season of American division,” he praised the tribe’s unity and strength and called for investments in a range of areas including health and wellness programs, housing and job training.

Hoskin called on the Council to increase funding to the Public Health and Wellness Fund, part of the landmark 2021 Public Health and Wellness Fund Act that steered record investment into wellness centers, outdoor recreation as well as behavioral health and drug treatment facilities.

He pledged to use the PHWFA increase and the existing surplus to invest $30 million in more affordable housing, community buildings, outdoor recreation spaces and public safety measures over the next three years.

The PHWFA uses an earmark of 7% of the tribe’s third-party health care revenue to fund programs and projects to support wellness and behavioral health programs. Chief Hoskin and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner proposed an increase to 10%.

Hoskin acknowledged that many rural and remote tribal communities are struggling, but pledged a long-term investment.

“If our communities fade away in this century it will be our failure,” Hoskin said. “We do not intend to fail. We intend to take action.”

Hoskin praised the tribe’s health system, which increased patient load, staffing and facilities as well as a 330% increase in behavioral health, which Hoskin called an area where the tribe “had the most work to do” when he and Warner took office in 2019.

Hoskin announced a range of new capital projects in health care and law and justice, all while the tribe is in the middle of more than a billion dollars in existing capital projects.

“On October 1, a new era begins with the Cherokee Nation Claremore Emergency and Outpatient Center,” Hoskin said. “We will immediately invest $11 million into the current facility and sign an agreement with a local provider for seamless obstetric care.”

He unveiled a $244 million outpatient and emergency center in Claremore, which he said will be completed before he leaves office in 2027.

On the subject of drug treatment, the Chief said the tribe’s first-ever drug treatment facility for adults will open in Tahlequah in 2026 and that in the coming year, he and Warner will propose an outpatient drug treatment center in Vinita and unveil designs for residential recovery centers across the reservation.

He also spoke about the tribe’s Cherokee Heritage Center, closed since 2020 and now owned by the tribe, and said it will get new life.

“Deputy Chief Warner and I will send to the Council a plan crafted by the Cherokee National Historical society to construct a new $50 million Cherokee Heritage Center,” Hoskin said.

Hoskin noted a milestone of over 4,000 housing rehabilitation and construction projects and new housing additions in five communities since he and Warner took office in 2019 and signed the Housing, Jobs and Sustainable Communities Act, with more projects on the horizon, including five new housing additions.

During the State of the Nation address, Chief Hoskin proposed a range of other initiatives, including a Cherokee Nation historic cemeteries act, the establishment of a Cherokee National Trail System over the next decade and a commission to oversee the repatriation of tribal historic artifacts, human remains, property and records.

He also spoke about the expansion of the tribe’s public safety and criminal justice leadership team with the additional of former Speaker of the Council Mike Shambaugh as Special Envoy to the U.S. Department of Justice and Senior Advisor for Public Safety.

Hoskin also announced that he will nominate Acting Marshal Daniel Mead for confirmation to the post as full Marshal.

He noted that the tribe lost $26 million in federal funds, could face a loss of $20 million more, and could be impacted by proposed federal budget cuts. In the face of these federal cuts, Hoskin said the tribe has two choices.

“We can throw up our hands or we can roll up our sleeves,” he said. “The Cherokee people expect the leaders of this government to roll up our sleeves, maintain our priorities and hold the federal government accountable.”

Hoskin said that the tribe’s progress earned the respect in from federal leaders on a bipartisan basis, including members of Oklahoma’s Congressional delegation.

“We are counting on their friendship,” Hoskin said.

Saturday’s State of the Nation ceremony also featured an address from Deputy Chief Bryan Warner and remarks by Attorney General Chad Harsha, Deputy Secretary of State Canaan Duncan, and Acting Speaker of the Council Kevin Easley Jr.

“At the heart of Gadugi lies a profound understanding: in a healthy family, community, and tribal nation, every person brings unique gifts to share, and every person has needs that others can fulfill,” Deputy Chief Warner said. “When we serve others, we cultivate dignity. We discover our purpose and place within a caring and interconnected family. This balance has sustained our people through triumph and adversity, keeping the Cherokee spirit alive through generations. Remember that our Cherokee community values are a blessing from the creator, and we have all been blessed to be a blessing. These values are gifts not just by Cherokees for Cherokees but rather a gift from Cherokees to be shared around the world with everyone.”

Prior to the address, leaders and community members gathered in downtown Tahlequah for a parade and other activities. A two-night intertribal powwow is also a traditional feature of the Cherokee National Holiday, with this year’s Holiday activities celebrated Aug 29-31.

A full transcript of Chief Hoskin’s State of the Nation Address is available here.

More photos and video are available on the Cherokee Nation You-Tube and Facebook page.

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. delivered his seventh State of the Nation address Saturday, Aug. 30, as part of the 73rd annual Cherokee National Holiday, calling for massive investments into health and wellness programs and other priorities.

prior to the State of the Nation Address.