Facebook Twitter Email
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2001

He's still new on the job but Assistant Secretary Neal McCaleb will get a trial by fire of sorts today, as he makes his first appearance on national radio.

Scheduled for a one-hour stint on Native America Calling, McCaleb will be taking questions from host Harlan McKosato on a number of potentially controversial subjects. From the trust fund debacle to blood quantum to federal recognition to gaming, the 65-year-old member of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma will be pushing his views and agenda as head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

He'll also be fielding questions from listeners in Indian Country, who can be tough on guests -- especially high-profile ones. In recent programs, Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.), who cut his appearance short, and New Mexico gubernatorial candidate Russell Means, who showed up to the program late, faced a demanding and critical audience.

So McCaleb, who has enjoyed praise from Congress and his peers in Washington, DC, might find himself in the hot seat for the first time. He's had some practice though, having made his first public appearance last month on a call-in program on C-SPAN.

Many of the questions he received then, however, were a bit quirky. Callers wanted to know if the BIA could help their part-Indian grandchildren and what could be done about Canadian aboriginals.

During the program, McCaleb did defend the Bush administration's record on the trust fund, saying a recent court monitor's report criticized his predecessors. And when a caller claimed President Bush failed to live up to his campaign promise to fund tribal schools, he told the listener she was "misinformed."

At least McCaleb hasn't made too many decisions for which he could be criticized. In his first major action since taking office, he denied preliminary recognition to Muwekma Tribe of California last week, stepping into an area of Indian policy being closely watched by Congress and outsiders.

In the coming months, he'll be accepting or overturning decisions made by his predecessor Kevin Gover and other former members of the Clinton administration. Gover, who has made several appearances on the show, defended his actions on two Pequot tribes in Connecticut during a broadcast in June 2000.

Native America Calling airs at 1pm Eastern Standard Time.

Indianz.Com Profile:
Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs: Neal McCaleb (4/18)

Relevant Links:
Native America Calling - http://www.nativecalling.org
Bureau of Indian Affairs - http://www.doi.gov/bureau-indian-affairs.html

Related Stories:
At BIA, McCaleb takes on the system (7/20)
McCaleb pushes role as evangelist (7/19)
McCaleb defends Norton on trust fund (7/16)
Senate confirms McCaleb to head BIA (7/2)
McCaleb nomination hangs in limbo (6/28)
McCaleb opposes changes in trust management (6/18)
McCaleb breezes through confirmation hearing (6/14)
McCaleb endorses BIA on recognition (6/14)
Gover fields questions (June 2000)
Gover in the Spotlight (June 2000)

Related Shows:
Government to Government Relationships (November 11, 2000)
BIA Access with Kevin Gover (June 13, 2000)
Bureau of Indian Affairs for 2000 (February 22, 2000)
BIA Update with Kevin Gover (September 13, 1999)
Kevin Gover on Indian Education (May 13, 1999)
Open Lines with Kevin Gover (February 23, 1999)
Bureau of Indian Affairs (May 13, 1998)