Katie Hobbs addressed Navajo Nation leaders on Monday as part of an effort by the administration to grow relationships with indigenous tribes.
"Since taking office in January, I've made it a priority to engage with Indigenous communities, because for too long you have been left without a seat at the table," Hobbs said at the Navajo Nation Council Chambers in Window Rock.
Hobbs is the first sitting "governor" to address the tribal lawmaking body "while in session," and she touched on the issue of unlicensed mental health and rehabilitation facilities, rural broadband, and water.
"I believe in responsible water management for our state, which is why I've created a Water Policy Council that Tribal voices at the table to help develop policy solutions for our state," she said.
The Hobbs' remarks come as the Supreme Court ruled in Arizona v. Navajo Nation last month that the federal government did not need to guarantee the tribal water rights under an 1868 treaty. Roughly a third of the tribe does not have access to "clean reliable drinking water," according to its website.
"[W]hile the 1868 treaty "set apart" a reservation for the "use and occupation of the Navajo tribe," […] it contains no language imposing a duty on the United States to take affirmative steps to secure water for the Tribe," Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in the court's opinion.
However, Hobbs did not mention the Supreme Court's ruling directly.
