Interior Secretary Gale Norton is scheduled to testify about her department's fiscal year 2005 budget.

Norton is the only scheduled witness before the Senate Appropriations Committee. The hearing starts at 9:30 a.m. in Dirksen Room 124. An audio-only link can be accessed via http://video.c-span.org:8080/ramgen/encoder/dirksen124.rm.

In fiscal year 2005, the Bureau of Indian Affairs budget will be cut by 2.3 percent, with education, social services, Indian child welfare and housing improvement taking cuts. The Office of Special Trustee is being increased by 54 percent.

Tribal leaders say the budget is proof that trust reform is being financed on the backs of Indian children and reservation communities. Next year, BIA faces a 3.6 percent cut.

Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. called the figures shocking. He said the Bush administration is putting rocks, forests and animals ahead of Indian people.

Get the Story:
Tribal leaders criticize proposed budget cuts (Gannett News Service 3/25)
Tribe, BIA shocked by Bush's $55M cut of 2006 budget (The Gallup Independent 3/24)

Relevant Documents:
Lynn Scarlett Memo (March 12, 2004) | Tribal Leaders Letter to President Bush (March 23, 2004)

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Senate panel shares criticism of Bush budget (02/12)
Tribal leaders pressing Congress on funding (02/11)
BIA programs barely survive White House test (02/10)
Fate of Indian preference in hands of Swimmer (02/04)
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