Special Trustee Ross Swimmer says a settlement to the Cobell trust fund lawsuit is not a "repayment" to Indian beneficiaries but "reparations" for them.
"Just pick a number," he tells the Associated Press.
According to Swimmer and his subordinates, however, the number should be rather low. "It's a number in the m's, not the b's," Fritz Scheuren, a statistician in charge of the Bush administration's statistical sampling of the Indian trust, tells the AP.
The Cobell plaintiffs, tribal leaders and independent experts agree a settlement is in the billions. A bill pending in Congress would authorize payments to account holders but a figure hasn't been reached.
Get the Story:
Counting up what American Indians are owed
(AP 5/7)
pwpwd
Judge Lamberth Rulings
Trust
Fund Notices (July 12, 2005) | Internet
Shutdown (October 20, 2005)
Indian Trust Reform Act:
S.1439
| H.R.4322
Relevant Documents:
Trust
Reform and Cobell Settlement Workgroup Principles for Legislation (June
2005)
Relevant Links:
National Congress of American Indians - http://www.ncai.org
Intertribal
Trust Fund Monitoring Association - http://www.itmatrustfunds.org
Indian
Land Working Group - http://www.ilwg.net
Indian Trust:
Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Cobell
v. Norton, Department of Justice - http://www.usdoj.gov/civil/cases/cobell/index.htm
Senate
Indian Affairs Committee - http://indian.senate.gov
Related Stories:
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Cobell to appear on
C-SPAN Washington Journal (4/12)
Cobell
renews call for receiver as court hears case (4/12)
Cobell vows fight to resolve trust fund lawsuit
(4/10)
Cobell plans big showing on day
of court hearing (4/4)
Jodi Rave: Tribes
alarmed at trust reform initiative (4/3)
Cobell addresses trust fund mismanagement
(3/30)
Ross Swimmer: Indian trust not
about mismanagement (3/29)
Norton denies
fraud or major problem with trust (3/29)
GAO report warns of billions in lost oil, gas
royalties (3/29)
Witness list for
hearing on Indian Trust Reform Act (3/28)
DOI trust reform meeting set for Portland, Oregon
(3/24)
Kempthorne faces hot issues at
Interior Department (3/21)
DOI pressed
for more clarity on trust initiative (3/3)
Congress urged to settle Cobell lawsuit for
billions (03/02)
Listening Lounge: Joint
hearing on Cobell v. Norton (03/01)
Interior hits the road with new trust reform
initiative (02/08)
Jodi Rave: Garcia
calls for settlement of Cobell (2/3)
Cason slashes BIA budget and blames it on Cobell
(2/3)
Tribes discuss trust reform bill,
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Commentary:
Swimmer still not telling the truth on trust (1/26)
Opinion: Indians want $12B of 'YOUR' money
(01/10)
Cobell: Appeals court ruling a
favorable one (12/21)
Cobell team
awarded fees for lengthy court fight (12/21)
Ross Swimmer: No 'lump sum' settlement for Cobell
(12/19)
Attorney: Interior still not
living up to trust duties (12/19)
Report: Cason says termination of trust on the
table (12/16)
Still no agreement on
settlement to Cobell (12/9)
Audio: House
Resources hearing on Cobell (12/8)
House
Resources to hold hearing on Cobell (12/5)
Elouise Cobell: Lamberth frustrated with DOI
(11/28)
Judge Lamberth, the cowboy,
sides with Indians (11/28)
Editorial:
Settle Cobell trust fund lawsuit (11/25)
Cobell to press Interior on accounting mess
(11/22)
Cobell says government not off
the hook on trust fund (11/21)
Broad
accounting of Indian trust fund blocked (11/16)
Battle over Cobell trust fund case heats up
(10/24)
Interior ordered to protect
Indian trust fund systems(10/21)
Lamberth
issues new IT shutdown injunction (10/20)
Interior warned of computer security risks
again (09/30)
Bush calls for new judge
in Cobell v. Norton case (08/16)
BLM CIO
threatened with demotion in Cobell case (08/02)
Appeals court stays Lamberth order on notices
(7/29)
DOI mum on settlement figure for
Cobell v. Norton (7/27)
Indian leaders
to pledge support on trust reform (7/26)
Listening Lounge: Senate hearing on Cobell
(7/26)
Cobell calls trust reform bill a
win for Interior (7/22)
McCain and
Dorgan introduce trust reform legislation (7/22)
Opinion: Keep open mind on Cobell settlement
(7/19)
McCain plans hearing on Cobell
settlement, reform (7/14)
Judge blasts
Interior on handling of trust (7/13)
Elouise Cobell: Principles put trust back into
trust fund (07/07)
Cobell and Cason to
appear on C-SPAN program (7/6)
Cobell
calls for settlement of trust fund lawsuit (7/5)
Editorial: Resolution of trust fund debacle needed
(7/5)
Editorial: Abramoff scandal can't
compare to trust (6/30)
Opinion:
Downfall of Indians traced to Army, BIA (6/28)
Pombo supports settlement of Cobell trust fund case
(6/27)
Harjo: Tribes lobby to fleece
their own people (6/24)
Editorial:
Congress should settle trust fund (6/24)
Editorial: Trust fund a 'national embarassment'
(6/22)
Indian Country united on trust
reform solutions (6/21)
Trust workgroup
to outline Cobell settlement goals (6/17)
Trust reform costs put at $3B, thanks to Bush
(6/13)
Echohawk optimistic on settlement of
Cobell case (06/03)
Final trust reform
meeting held in North Dakota (6/3)
UTTC
hosts meeting on trust reform legislation (6/1)
House panel acts to restore Bush budget cuts
(05/05)
NCAI and ITMA hold second trust
reform meeting (05/04)
Bush
administration won't give up fight on Cobell (03/18)
McCain weighs GAO probe of Indian trust debacle
(03/10)
McCain lays out Indian agenda for
109th Congress (3/7)
Norton won't testify
on trust fund retaliation (2/28)
Bush
official won't accept claims of trust mismanagement (02/17)
Appeals court won't hold back Lamberth on trust
reform (12/13)
Appeals court supports
Lamberth's authority on IT (12/06)
Lamberth critical of Norton's 'bad faith' on trust
fund (10/25)
Interior denies attempt to
halt trust fund payments (10/05)
Bush
administration challenges trust fund ruling (09/16)
Appeals court takes on Cobell trust fund case
(9/15)
Lamberth exchanges harsh words
with Cobell critic (08/02)
Bush
administration calls for end to Cobell case (04/09)
Cobell trust fund suit mediators announced
(4/6)
DOI's Internet connection shut
down for third time (03/16)
Lamberth
defends special master against attack (03/16)
Anderson praises Cobell suit in NCAI speech
(2/25)
Tribes still frustrated on
trust reform (11/20)
Bush officials
blasted by tribal leaders (11/19)
Cobell plaintiffs disputing trust fund rider
(11/17)
Daschle criticizes
'shameful' rider in DOI budget bill (11/04)
Norton welcomes time-out in Cobell trust fund
case (11/4)
Bush official
balks at large settlement for Cobell (7/10)
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