Army specialist Gerald Dupris, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, just returned from Iraq. He says conditions are better there than on his own reservation.

Staff Sgt. Julius Tulley, a member of the Navajo Nation, said fellow soldiers in Iraq complained that they didn't have running water, television or Internet access. "We were used to it," he said. What they missed, it was nothing to us."

The two veterans were in Washington, D.C., yesterday for the National American Indian Housing Council's legislative summit and a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on the fiscal year 2005 budget. They called on members of Congress to ensure adequate funding for Indian Country.

NAIHC Chester Carl, head of the Navajo Housing Authority, testified about the budget before the committee yesterday morning.

Get the Story:
Native Americans Back From Iraq Decry Cutback (The Washington Post 2/17)
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Relevant Documents:
HUD Budget | OMB Overview | OMB Ratings

Relevant Links:
Office of Public and Indian Housing, HUD - http://www.hud.gov/offices/pih
National American Indian Housing Council - http://naihc.net

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