The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs has advanced Patrice Kunesh’s nomination as the next commissioner of the National Indian Gaming Commission, but a full chamber Senate vote awaits.
Bipartisan Support
Patrice Kunesh is a popular choice to head the National Indian Gaming Commission, whose predecessor, E. Sequoyah Simermeyer, exited the agency in February. The Standing Rock Sioux descendant was nominated by President Biden in July and testified before the Senate Committee for Indian Affairs before a vote of 7-4 advanced her candidacy to the full Senate.
Kunesh’s nomination was approved by all six Democrats and one Republican, Vice-Chair Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). However, four Republicans, including Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma), Sen. John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), Sen. Steve Daines (R-Montana), and Sen. Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota), voted against her.
Although those four committee members opposed her nomination, it is speculated their opposition is predicated more along party lines than the worthiness of the nominee herself. She has previously enjoyed bipartisan support in other confirmation hearings in which she was nominated, including last year when she was confirmed for her current role as the commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans.
During her confirmation hearings, Kunesh stressed the need to focus on technology within the tribal gaming industry, saying, “There’s an urgent need for the NIGC to stay ahead of current technology with its regulations. I see the need to really look at what risks are occurring around the safety and security of gaming… tribes are holding vast amounts of data on their customers. I think it would be one of my top priorities to do an assessment of NIGC to evaluate their technology to identify any weaknesses.”
Outgoing Chair Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) called Kunesh, “a dedicated public servant who works hard on behalf of Indian Tribes and Native communities.”
“For the record, Ms. Kunesh’s nomination is supported by the National Congress of American Indians, the Coalition of Large Tribes, the Native American Finance Officers Associations, and individual tribes,” Schatz added. “The committee has received no letters opposed to her nomination.”
Tribal Gaming Is Big Business
Associate Commissioner Sharon M. Avery has been keeping the chairman’s seat warm since the departure of E. Sequoyah Simermeyer in February, but it will likely see the arrival of Patrice Kunesh unless the Senate votes her nomination down. It is far from a ceremonial title, as the NIGC chair is tasked with regulating the nation’s tribal gaming in the United States, maintaining the integrity of the operations, and overseeing that the profits are earmarked for the tribes operating these gaming venues.
Speaking of profits, a new gross gaming tribal revenue record of $41.9 billion was set in 2023. It is a big job that impacts tens of thousands of people, but Kunesh’s supporters are emphatic that she is worthy of the office. Kunesh also mentioned an array of social issues that she would address if nominated, like human trafficking at tribal gaming facilities as well as poverty and homelessness in the tribal community.
Senator Murkowski said, “Ms. Kunesh committed that, if confirmed, she would review NIGC initiatives on trafficking and report back to the committee on the successes, challenges, and the needs facing anti-trafficking initiatives. I will be supporting her nomination as she moves out of committee, as I believe she is a qualified nominee for the position of chair.”
