Based in Washington, D.C., Rodgers is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana, where translated from the Siksiká language he is called "One who Rides his Horse East."
Emerging as a potent voice for Indigenous Americans in 2002, Rodgers played a key role in the investigation that led to the conviction of former lobbyist Jack Abramoff,[1] who bilked millions of dollars from tribal partners.
Rodgers is also considered one of the leading advocates in Washington and the indigenous communities for cannabis reform with a focus on opportunity and equity, and opening up legal access to plant medicines[3] with mindful respect for traditional Native American healing practices.
The federal action elevated the significance of the Wandering Medicine litigation in the Native Americans empowerment and enfranchisement movement, dating back to the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924.
Building off the voter project, in the fall of 2016 Rodgers joined a national legal advocacy effort on behalf of the Standing Rock Sioux, working to educate lawmakers and officials in Washington, D.C., and nationwide to the need to protect the water supply for the tribe and all downstream residents in the upper Missouri River region from the Dakota Access Pipeline.
[8] The purpose of the scholarship is to develop the legal and advocacy skills necessary to participate in the debate surrounding public policy and its creation, using ethics as their guiding value.
[10][11] After years of advocating for "Indian Country", Rodgers was approached in early 2002 by tribal leaders from The Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana and The Saginaw Chippewa of Michigan to discuss threats that had been made to them by their lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
They were instrumental in exposing Abramoff's criminal activities, which subsequently led to the arrest of former Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), helping to force then-Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) from office.
[9] Rodgers has been interviewed on the Abramoff case, as well as on Native American rights, for media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, USA Today, The Hill, The Huffington Post, BBC, The Nation, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, The Atlantic, Roll Call, Financial Times, Bloomberg News, Talking Points Memo, Washingtonian, Indian Country Today, Democracy NOW, and the National Press Club newsmakers series.