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DECEMBER 20, 2000

The following is text of a letter, dated December 19, 2000, sent to David Walker, Comptroller of the General Accounting Office.

Mr. David M. Walker
GAO Comptroller
General 441 G Street NW Rm 7100
Washington DC 20548

Dear Mr. Walker:

As the General Accounting Office continues its investigation into the current federal tribal recognition process at the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), we write today to ask that you include in your review the enclosed series of articles recently published in the Boston Globe about Indian gambling and its effects on the recognition process.

These articles reveal serious problems in the BIA's recognition process as a result of the influence of gambling interests. Most serious is evidence of the disproportionate influence that money has had on recognition decisions. The Globe series reported:

The story of Indian gaming is now one of congressional intentions gone awry. The gaming act has failed to broadly improve the living conditions of most Indians. A Globe analysis revealed that just 2 percent of the country's Native Americans earn 50 percent of the country's $10 billion in Indian gaming revenues, and two-thirds of Indians get nothing at all….The gaming successes of Indian casinos in Connecticut, California, and New York –where combined revenues are already over $4 billion annually–has prompted a dizzying number of groups to step forward as new 'tribes,' including one group that the Bureau of Indian Affairs says has submitted altered documents creating Indian ancestors and two tribes with only one adult member each.

We request that the GAO include in its examination the allegations of potential criminal wrongdoing surrounding the recognition process mentioned in the Globe articles. Also of importance is the serious lack of resources for the BIA to properly evaluate the credibility of recognition petitions. Finally, we find alarming what appears to be a severe lack of regulation of Indian gaming at the BIA.

Thank you for your attention to this request. Please contact either of our offices if you have questions. Best wishes.

Sincerely,

Frank R. Wolf
Member of Congress

Christopher Shays
Member of Congress

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