PAWHUSKA VILLAGE – Liberty Metcalf hosted a town hall event here on a Saturday afternoon sharing his work experience in running for Osage Nation Congress in the 2024 General Election.
Amid the day’s severe stormy weather across Oklahoma, Metcalf addressed about 20 attendees at his event on April 27 with food prepared by Osage-owned Ah-Tha-Tse Catering. Metcalf spent a decade working in federal government, with stints at the Department of Interior in Washington, D.C.
Metcalf shared his education and professional experience as he seeks office in the June 3 General Election. He attended the University of Oklahoma where he majored in political science with a minor in American history. While at OU, Metcalf applied for a Washington internship with the DOI Office of the Assistant Secretary and their Congressional and legislative affairs office.
“That opened up a lot of doors for me, so I went back to OU and I graduated and Indian Affairs had started a program to hire college educated people … And they got about 80 of us together and trained us over a couple of months and we all have gone our separate ways now, but I got a job in the same office I interned in. What that entailed was I would not only track legislation, which is part of my job working for (DOI), but I would also brief witnesses who are testifying before Congressional committees like the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs or the House’s Natural Resources Committee. In briefing, we would develop testimony that had to go through a vetting process through the White House, back to the Department and eventually through the Solicitor’s Office.”
Metcalf said the experience allowed him to work with tribal leaders, department officials from other agencies, political appointees, Congressional staff and members. “I was looking back on it and I think over the 10 years I was there, I think we probably did over 100 hearings, usually about 10 or 12 a year, and one thing we can count on is budget hearings because every department goes through the budgetary process,” he said.
“This is really great experience, really nice network and I thought maybe sometime, I could bring this home and help out my people,” Metcalf said. “And that’s why I’m running for Congress, I have a lot of things I would like to get done with the tribe. I think here lately in just the past couple of months, we’ve had another bad decision regarding our reservation status and that is something that is very worrisome … It’s definitely an attack on our sovereignty, which is another thing all tribes should enjoy and exercise.”
Metcalf referred to the volatile situation between Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and the tribes, which are seeking renegotiated compacts. “It doesn’t stop and it won’t stop and that is something that above all else whenever you think about voting for whoever you’re going to vote for, then please just keep that in mind – We need people in office who think that way and put Osages first.”
