The Senate voted 75 to 17 against a rider offered by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) that would have added $121 million to diabetes and substance abuse programs.

Coburn offered the rider as part of the 2006 Interior appropriations bill. It would have shifted the money from federal land acquisition programs to Indian health.

"If we're going to spend the money anyway, shouldn't we be spending it on something that's going to increase the quality of life?" the Oklahoma physician said on the Senate floor, The Oklahoman reported.

Get the Story:
Coburn fails to get Indian health care funding (The Oklahoman 6/29)
pwpwd

Interior Appropriations:
H.R.2361 | H.Rept.109-80 | S.Report.109-80

Related Stories:
Senate hearing addresses Native youth suicide (06/16)
Senate hearing on youth suicide prevention (6/15)
Study finds high rates of trauma among two tribes (06/01)
Editorial: Hearing a first step in tackling suicide problem (05/09)
Field hearing set on suicide among Native youth (04/29)
Senate committee plans hearing on Indian suicides (04/26)
Two teens dead in murder-suicide fueled by drugs (04/25)
South Dakota tribe combats suicide among its youth (04/18)
BIA establishes partnership to tackle teen suicide (04/08)
New York Times: Indian children being left behind (04/05)
Deadly tragedy puts focus on Native youth problems (3/24)
Yellow Bird Series: Suicide on the reservation (03/16)
Yellow Bird Series: Suicide on the reservation (03/14)
Lawsuit filed over teen's suicide at BIA jail (12/02)
Native students subject to high rates of school violence (11/30)
Suicide rates explode among Colombia's Natives (11/23)
Native community in Manitoba hit by rash of suicides (11/02)
Anderson eyes changes in BIA school system (07/23)
Bill includes suicide prevention funds for tribes (07/16)
Tribe in Brazil sees high rate of youth suicide (04/14)
Report finds lax safety measures at BIA schools (04/08)
Friends, family shocked by INS agent's suicide (03/19)
Ariz. tribe sees alarming rate of suicide attempts (03/09)
Pueblo leaders forming suicide support group (02/18)
CDC calls attention to health disparities in U.S. (02/09)
Survey finds high-risk behaviors among BIA students (11/13)
Smoking rates among Natives highest in nation (10/10)
Study links childhood experience to alcohol abuse (09/19)
Indian Country tops drug report again (9/17)
Native youth top drug use survey again (09/06)
Report card shows Native students falling behind (06/23)
Native youth targeted in anti-drug ads (5/17)
Native youth heaviest smokers in nation (4/3)
Report: Native youth highest drug users (10/5)
Ad campaign targets youth drug use (9/7)
Drug use high among Native youth (9/1)