Montana tribes urge lawmakers to keep human service funds

Thursday, February 17, 2011  

Tribal and urban Indian representatives urged Montana lawmakers not to cut the budget for human service programs.

The Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services is considering the budget for the next two years. Tribes are worried that cuts in programs for low-income heating assistance, Medicaid, children's health care and welfare will hurt their people.

"A majority of our people live below the poverty line," Blackfeet Nation Willie Sharp Jr. told lawmakers, The Billings Gazette reported. "They're not thinking about the Democratic or Republican agenda. They're thinking about survival."

Get the Story:
Tribal officials urge panel to fund programs vital for struggling Native American citizens (The Billings Gazette 2/17)