July 6, 2021 

Dear Tribal Leader:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC/ATSDR)

is seeking your recommendations and feedback on how we can improve the agency’s policies and practices to

better engage with Indian Country through meaningful consultation. To gather this feedback, CDC/ATSDR is

hosting a tribal consultation session on Thursday, August 5, from 3:15–4:45 pm (EDT). You can register to attend

this consultation session here:

https://cdc.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsfu-gqDgsGD1rTre7HPjbXyIF3v5jSp4

The consultation will be held on the implementation of Executive Order 13175 of November 6, 2000, consistent

with the Presidential Memorandum of January 26, 2021 on Tribal Consultation and Strengthening the Nation-toNation Relationships. The Presidential Memorandum requires CDC/ATSDR to submit a detailed plan for

implementing Executive Order 13175, which charges agencies to engage in regular, meaningful, and robust

consultation with tribal officials in the development of federal policies that have implications for tribal 

governments and entities. CDC/ATSDR is committed to working with federally recognized tribal governments on

a government-to-government basis and strongly supports and respects tribal sovereignty and self-determination

for tribal governments in the United States. The current CDC/ATSDR tribal consultation policy is available at:

https://www.cdc.gov/tribal/consultation-support/tribal-consultation/policy.html. 

CDC/ATSDR is also committed to working in partnership with tribal nations and the Tribal Advisory Committee

(TAC) that advises CDC/ATSDR in the planning and coordination of tribal consultation sessions and ensures that

CDC/ATSDR activities or policies that impact Indian Country are brought to the attention of all tribal leaders. As

the President’s memorandum states, “History demonstrates that we best serve Native American people when

tribal governments are empowered to lead their communities, and when federal officials speak with and listen

to tribal leaders in formulating federal policy that affects tribal nations.”

Specific questions on which we invite your feedback are listed below.

1. How do we strengthen our tribal consultation policy and process to ensure CDC/ATSDR is responsive and

engaging with Indian Country in a meaningful way?

2. How do we improve communication and outreach regarding agency policy or program changes that

impact tribal nations?

3. Are there specific areas where tribal officials would like more information or feel they are not getting

adequate outreach to engage in a meaningful way?

4. How do we improve tribal consultations? Should we have sessions every year?

These topics will be open for discussion at the consultation session on August 5, 2021. For those who would also 

like to send in written remarks, please send us your initial comments and recommendations no later than 5:00

pm (EDT) on September 7, 2021, to tribalsupport@cdc.gov. This initial feedback will help guide us in next steps 

for further consultation. 
Sincerely,

 

José T. Montero, MD, MHCDS

Designated Federal Official, CDC/ATSDR Tribal Advisory Committee 

Director, Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support