The Bush administration released its fiscal year 2006 budget on
Monday, slashing the Bureau of Indian Affairs by nearly $110
million in order to pay for the increasing costs of trust reform.
At a press briefing, Interior Secretary Gale Norton unveiled
a $10.8 billion budget that reduces the BIA's funding to $2.2
billion. With trust reform a top priority of the administration,
the money taken from the BIA is being funneled into the Office of
Special Trustee.
"The 2006 continues to strengthen Indian trust programs by investing
$591 million into programs, an increase of $80 million over the
2005 appropriations," Norton said. "Most of this increase, $78 million, allows
us to continue implementing our plan for historical accounting
of individual Indian accounts and to continue our work
on tribal accounting."
The focus on trust means a wide range of programs are taking a hit in the
budget. Education, tribal colleges, new school construction and
tribal priority allocations are being reduced while OST's budget
is growing by 33 percent to a total of $303.9 million.
The only exception came in law enforcement. In response
to the controversy over the poor conditions of Indian Country jails
and high rates of violent crime on reservations, the budget seeks
an additional $19.2 million to expand law enforcement services,
maintain new detention centers, place some juvenile inmates
in more safe facilities and develop a national repair and improvement program.
There are a handful of other bright spots in the budget, including $2
million to develop a pilot program for leadership academies at four BIA schools.
The initiative was advanced by outgoing assistant secretary Dave
Anderson, who resigns on Friday after just a year on the job.
"The leadership academy is really a small part of an overall recognition
that Indian education is not where it should be," Anderson said
in an interview yesterday. He said he hoped the first pilot academy
could be up and running by the fall.
The budget also requests $500,000 to create an Economic Development
Commission that will look at ways to eliminate barriers to tribal
businesses. The idea was pushed by Anderson, an entrepreneur who
tried to bring a more business-friendly vision to the BIA.
But as far as numbers go, the cuts are more numerous and striking.
The most obvious is an $89.5 million reduction to the BIA school
construction account, leaving money for just two school projects --
replacement of the Porcupine Day School in South Dakota and the first phase of
replacement of the Crownpoint Community School in New Mexico --
in fiscal year 2006.
BIA officials said the reduction is needed to allow
for the completion of school projects that have already been funded.
Although the Bush administration has touted its pledge of nearly
$1 billion to school construction, only
nine new facilities have actually been built since 2001. The
remaining 25 are still in the design or construction phase.
"The schools aren't getting built as quickly so if we back off
a little bit, [we can] give them a little more time to get built,"
said Debbie Clark, the BIA's chief financial officer.
Another cut that stands out comes to tribal priority allocations (TPA),
the funds used by tribes to carry out day-to-day operations of their
governments. The budget
requests $760.1 million, which is $9.4 million less than the 2005 level
and $10.5 million below the 2004 level.
Coupled with the reduction is a proposal to overhaul the formula
used to distribute TPA funds. Clark said
tribes have complained that the current system, in place since
the 1970s, is not fair.
"It's not going to be an easy process to get through," Clark
admitted. She said discussions would begin at the BIA-tribal
budget advisory council meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, next month.
The entire consultation process could take as long as a year, she said.
The proposal now goes to Congress, where it is already being
greeted with skepticism from members of both parties.
In years past, lawmakers have restored President Bush's budget
cuts to Indian programs.
"Ironically, the budget document lists funding for Indian schools
under the heading 'Supporting a Compassionate Society'," noted
Rep. Nick Rahall (D-West Virginia), the ranking Democrat on
the House Resources Committee. "But
the level of dollars is anything but compassionate, looking
to the most vulnerable to pay the price for overspending on
its true priorities."
Budget Documents:
DOI Budget in Brief |
Trust Responsibilities |
Tribal Communities |
Bureau of Indian Affairs |
Departmental Offices [includes Office of Special Trustee] |
DOI [from White House]
Stay Connected
Contact Us
indianz@indianz.com202 630 8439 (THEZ)
Search
Top Stories
Trending in News
1 Tribes rush to respond to new coronavirus emergency created by Trump administration
2 'At this rate the entire tribe will be extinct': Zuni Pueblo sees COVID-19 cases double as first death is confirmed
3 Arne Vainio: 'A great sickness has been visited upon us as human beings'
4 Arne Vainio: Zoongide'iwin is the Ojibwe word for courage
5 Cayuga Nation's division leads to a 'human rights catastrophe'
2 'At this rate the entire tribe will be extinct': Zuni Pueblo sees COVID-19 cases double as first death is confirmed
3 Arne Vainio: 'A great sickness has been visited upon us as human beings'
4 Arne Vainio: Zoongide'iwin is the Ojibwe word for courage
5 Cayuga Nation's division leads to a 'human rights catastrophe'
More Stories
Oldest Washoe Tribe member remembered as strong Column: Churchill guilty of academic fraud
News Archive
2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000