Native American Affairs Program

Consultation With Indian Tribes and the Government-to-Government Relationship (Policies, Procedures, and Guidance)

Featured Resources:
Executive Orders
Presidential Memoranda
U.S. Department of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation
Interagency Working Group on Indian Affairs


  • Consultation and Coordination With Indian Tribal Governments
    Executive Order 13175 of November 6, 2000 (Adobe PDF)

    Note:  Revokes and supersedes Executive Order No. 13084 of May 14, 1998, which also addressed Consultation and Coordination With Indian Tribal Governments.


  • Tribal Consultation and Strengthening Nation-to-Nation Relationships (Reaffirming the Policy Announced in the Presidential Memorandum of November 5, 2009, "Tribal Consultation")
    Presidential Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies
    Biden Administration, January 26, 2021 (Adobe PDF)

  • Tribal Consultation (Regarding Implementation of Executive Order 13175 of November 6, 2000)
    Presidential Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies
    Obama Administration, November 5, 2009 (Adobe PDF)

  • Government-to-Government Relationship with Tribal Governments
    Presidential Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies
    Bush Administration, September 23, 2004 (Adobe PDF)

  • Government-to-Government Relations With Native American Tribal Governments
    Presidential Memorandum for the Heads Executive Departments and Agencies
    Clinton Administration, April 29, 1994 (Adobe PDF)

    • Note:  Other Presidential statements of Indian Policy from previous administrations may be found on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) website:  (EPA's Environmental Protection in Indian Country Website).


  • A Detailed Plan for Improving Interior’s Implementation of E.O. 13175
    Message to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget from the Secretary of the Interior
    May 2021 (Adobe PDF)

  • Reaffirmation of the Federal Trust Responsibility to Federally Recognized Indian Tribes and Individual Indian Beneficiaries
    Secretarial Order 3335, August 20, 2014 (Adobe PDF)

  • Department of the Interior Policy on Consultation with Indian Tribes

  • Working With Indian Tribal Governments – Consultation, Cultural Awareness, and Protocol Guidelines
    Bureau of Reclamation, July 2020 (Adobe PDF)

  • Reclamation Action Plan for Implementing Government-to-Government Relationship With Indian Tribes
    Memorandum from Eluid L. Martinez, Commissioner, June 14, 1996 (Adobe PDF)

  • Bureau of Reclamation Implementation Plan for Federal-Tribal Government-to-Government Policy
    Bureau of Reclamation, June 4, 1996 (Adobe PDF)


  • Tribal Consultation Principles
    Interagency Working Group on Indian Affairs, March 2010 (Adobe PDF)

  • Holding Regional Consultation Meetings with Tribal Leaders
    Interagency Working Group on Indian Affairs, November 2009 (Adobe PDF)

    Note:  The Interagency Working Group on Indian Affairs (IWGIA) is an informal working group that includes representatives from a number of departments and bureaus throughout the Government, including Reclamation.  The products generated by this group, which have been listed here, include useful information.  However, it should also be noted that the products vary in the amount of legal review and input, so it may be appropriate to exercise caution before relying on these for any legally sensitive information.

    Note:  Other documents, including those generated by IWGIA, may be found in the digital library on the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) website:  (ACHP's Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiians Digital Library).

 

Last Updated: 10/26/21