Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren on Jan. 9 presented the first People’s State of the Navajo Nation address to more than 2,000 Navajos and guests in Nakai Hall at the Navajo Nation Fairgrounds here and to more than 500 viewers watching online.

 The president spoke for just over an hour in both Navajo and English. The speech summarized a long list of his administration’s accomplishments of his first year in office. Jan. 10 marked the first anniversary of his administration.

After the speech, Nygren gathered dozens of children on stage for his signing of Executive Order 01-2024. The order will streamline the application process for a tribal job and calls for the Division of Human Resources, Department of Personnel Management, the Office of Background Investigations, the Office of the Controller and all divisions to reduce the number of documents needed for an applicant to apply for a position.

“At a minimum, DPM shall not require transcripts or diplomas from educational institutions as a pre-requisite to accepting the application,” the order states. “DPM shall develop a process for applicants to submit one application packet, which then may be applied to multiple positions the applicant is interested in applying for, instead of requiring a full application packet for each position number.”

After his salutation to Vice President Richelle Montoya, the 25th Navajo Nation Council, Navajo Supreme Court Chief Justice JoAnn Jayne and division directors, the president acknowledged his wife, former Arizona State Representative and Navajo Nation First Lady Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren.

“She has continuously supported me through my first year as president,” he said. “To her I want to say, ‘Thank you.’” 

Nygren began by thanking Navajo public safety officers and county, state and Navajo transportation departments for clearing highways and roads, deploying resources, and addressing the emergency needs of remote Navajo communities affected by last week’s snowstorms. 

After his address, Nygren departed for the high-elevation community of Wheatfields to meet with residents and to distribute food and supplies they need.

The president began his address with a review of his first 100 days. 

“My staff worked to reopen 15 childcare centers and expanded hours to run from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m.,” he said. “I lifted the COVID mask restrictions. I worked to reopen the almost 110 Chapter Houses that closed during the pandemic. I ended remote work so programs can better serve you face-to-face. Today, I am here to say that we are bouncing back, and we have a bright path for the future.”

Among his accomplishments, he said his team contributed to getting updates and amendments for the Navajo Business Opportunity Act and the Navajo Nation Procurement Act passed, which increase government efficiency. He signed those amendments into law. He said the Division of Economic Development completed amendments to the Nation’s 2008 Business Site Lease Administrative and Management Plan in November. That will go before the Navajo Nation Council for approval. 

“We all have a responsibility to ensure we leave things better than we found them,” Nygren said in closing. “I look forward to continuing to work with the Navajo Nation Council to improve the lives of our people.

“I recall the words I spoke on January 10, 2023, to ‘faithfully execute the Office of the President, and to do so to the best of my ability to preserve, protect, and defend the laws and government of the Navajo Nation, and to advance the interests of the Navajo people,’” he said. 

“In the spirit of these words,” he said, “I call upon our branch chiefs to help develop a solution to reform our justice system. An effective justice system is dependent on exercising our respective powers to the fullest extent.”              

With respect to revenue generation, he said the Nation entered a business site lease with ZenniHome to convert former NGS buildings into warehouse space for the manufacture of high-tech modular homes. As of last week, the company employs about 140 Navajo workers. The President said he wants to see the company restore the 800 jobs lost with the NGS closure.

Among other notable accomplishments include:

• The purchase of Goulding’s Monument Valley Lodge, which is expected to bring in $7.3 million in revenue and preserve 280 local jobs. 

• Participation in the California Air Resources Board Cap-and-Trade Program which will generate revenue millions of dollars in revenue annually.

• Encumbered nearly $100 million for the planning, design and construction of water projects. 

• Saw the introduction of a bipartisan bill in Congress to complete the Navajo Gallup Water Supply Project as an estimated cost of $2.1 billion. 

• Moved the Arizona Water Rights Settlement the closest to a settlement than it’s been in years with an expectation that proposed legislation will go to the Navajo Nation Council in February before U.S. Congressional authorization. 

• Lining up 80 New Mexico projects that total $47 million for water, powerlines, maintenance of water wells, heavy equipment purchases, maintenance to educational and veterans’ buildings, and improvements to warehouses. 

• Launching his “1,000 Home Initiative,” which brings together school districts, hospitals, elderly care providers, private citizens, tribal programs, and tribal enterprises like NTUA and NHA, will build: 

– 200 homes for families by DCD. 

– 100 housing units for low-income families by DCD. 

– A 60-unit apartment-style complex by NHA.

– A 25-unit multi-family apartment complex by the Navajo Townsite Community Development Corporation.

– 30 employee housing units by NTUA.

– 26 employee housing units by DGS.

– 16 transitional living homes by the DOH.

– 56 home improvement projects by the NHLC. 

– 30 employee housing units for Window Rock Unified School District, and 

– 35 employee housing units for Chinle Unified School District.

• Signed a $150 million contract to have Navajo Engineering and Construction Authority build more than 1,500 bathroom additions with water, sewer a project spearheaded by DCD using ARPA funds; 54 of which are under construction.

• Formed the $55.4 million Navajo Homeowner Assistance Fund that has to date, saved 17 Navajo families from losing their homes to foreclosure.

• Through communication with the State of New Mexico, was able to have U.S. 264 repaved and move forward the Highway 491 bridge repairs. The road between Tse Bonito and Ya-Ta-Hey is now almost fully repaved. 

• Signed a $6.2 million contract in partnership with the Navajo Nation Division of Public Safety to begin to bring E9-1-1 digital communication to the Nation. 

• Saw the opening of the first Sober Living Center on the Navajo Nation in Chinle to offer substance abuse treatment.

• Allocated $50 million from the ARPA funds so veterans and their families can receive homes. The Navajo Veterans Administration has responded to 151 housing requests from veterans. The Veterans Trust Funds has funded the construction of 114 homes with a total investment of $26.5 million. An additional 80 homes will be financed through the $50 million provided ARPA. We are prepared to start the construction of 30 homes, funded by $4 million from NAHASDA. 

• Allocated $5 million to refurbish senior centers across Navajo Nation and provided 13 new vehicles for New Mexico senior centers. 

• Through the Navajo Nation Washington Office, saw that the Nation was awarded $5.55 million from the USDA Local Food Purchase Assistance Plus Program. This will fund food packages prepared by NAPI and include traditional foods such as potatoes, beans, and flour.

• The NNWO also prevented reversion of $9 million from 2019, 202 and 2021 that now funds trade school programs for our Navajo students.