Rep. Scott Fetgatter, R-Okmulgee, raised concerns about the governor's use of "escalating language" during the ongoing dispute over a tentative agreement between the City of Tulsa and the Muscogee Nation. The Oklahoma House stated that Fetgatter, who oversees Tribal and External Affairs and is a member of the Choctaw Nation, criticized the governor for calling Tulsa a "sanctuary city" in response to the still unresolved lawsuit, Muscogee Creek Nation v. City of Tulsa, according to the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Fetgatter said the governor’s comments could hurt the relationship between the state and Native citizens. “The governor claims to represent all four million Oklahomans, but his actions tell a different story,” he said. Some have raised concerns that the governor’s comparison of tribal citizens to illegal immigrants could be misleading. The details of the agreement involved have not yet been made public, as reported by the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
A traffic ticket given to a Muscogee citizen by the City of Tulsa led to a federal lawsuit involving tribal and municipal authority. The details of the agreement between Tulsa and the Muscogee Nation have not been publicly released. The governor’s remarks on the issue drew criticism from Representative Fetgatter, who said, “Our First American tribal nations contribute to the state’s economy every year. They deserve respect, not reckless mischaracterization,” as mentioned by the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
