Tribes in the Pacific Northwest say the Bush administration's expansion of the Office of Special Trustee is infringing on their sovereignty.

Meeting in Portland for the annual Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians conference, tribal leaders said OST is taking away resources from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. "We don't know where it will end," Mel Tonasket of the Confederated Colville Tribes told the Associated Press.

Ernie Stensgar, president of ATNI, said OST is being staffed with people who don't know how to deal with Indian Country.

Get the Story:
Indian tribes feel government creep (AP 2/9)

Relevant Links:
Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians - http://www.atnitribes.org

Related Stories:
BIA budget cut by $110M for fiscal year 2006 (2/9)
Pacific Northwest tribes gathering in Portland (2/7)
Tribes oppose OST expansion into Indian County (5/22)