The House Interior Appropriations subcommittee holds a hearing this morning on the Bureau of Indian Affairs fiscal year 2006 budget request.

Jim Cason, assistant deputy secretary and acting assistant secretary for Indian affairs, is scheduled to testify about the BIA's $2.2 billion request. No one else is on the witness list.

The panel, headed by Rep. Charles Taylor (R-North Carolina) and Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Washington), has been responsible for several anti-Cobell riders in Interior's annual appropriations bill. Some House lawmakers are already considering another rider to stop U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth's recent historical accounting injunction.

The hearing is not scheduled to be broadcast online. More information can be found at http://appropriations.house.gov.

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]

Related Stories:
Bush budget test inconsistent on Indian programs (3/16)
Panel rejects President Bush's budget priorities (3/8)
McCain lays out Indian agenda for 109th Congress (3/7)
Senator angles for better 'defense' on Bush budget (02/24)
Senators blast budget cuts to Indian programs (2/17)
School construction fared poorly on White House test (02/14)
Indian education funds reduced by Bush budget (2/10)
BIA budget cut by $110M for fiscal year 2006 (2/8)
New Bush administration budget slashes programs (2/7)