THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Statesboro, Georgia)
October 30, 2006
NATIONAL AMERICAN INDIAN HERITAGE MONTH,
2006
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
During National American Indian Heritage
Month, we honor the generations of American Indians and
Alaska Natives who have added to the character of our Nation.
This month is an opportunity to celebrate their many accomplishments
and their rich ancestry and traditions.
America is blessed by the character and
strength of American Indians and Alaska Natives, and our
citizens are grateful for the countless ways Native Americans
have enriched our country and lifted the spirit of our Nation.
We are especially grateful for the Native Americans who
have served and continue to serve in our Nation's military.
These brave individuals have risked their lives to protect
our citizens, defend our democracy, and spread the blessings
of liberty to people around the world.
My Administration is working to ensure that
American Indians and Alaska Natives have access to all the
opportunities of this great land. My fiscal year 2007 budget
proposes more than $12.7 billion for government programs
for Native Americans. Education is vital to ensuring all
citizens reach their full potential, and my budget includes
funding to help Native-American schools succeed and meet
the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. The Bureau
of Indian Affairs is providing education for approximately
46,000 American-Indian and Alaska-Native children. To help
keep Native Americans safe, I have also proposed to increase
law enforcement personnel and improve law enforcement facilities
in American-Indian communities. My Administration will continue
to work on agovernment-to-government basis with tribal governments,
honor the principles of tribal sovereignty and the right
to self-determination, and help ensure America remains a
land of promise for American Indians, Alaska Natives, and
all our citizens.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President
of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim November 2006 as National American
Indian Heritage Month. I call upon all Americans to commemorate
this month with appropriate programs and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set
my handthis thirtieth day of October, in the year of our
Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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