"A decade has passed since Elouise Cobell sued the U.S. Departments of the Interior and Treasury on behalf of 500,000 Indians nationwide whose trust funds she claimed were criminally mishandled by the federal government.

Cobell, a banker and member of Montana's Blackfeet tribe, has prevailed at nearly every turn in court. But Interior and Treasury officials under the Clinton and Bush administrations have frustrated efforts to resolve the latest chapter in this country's shameful mistreatment of its native population.

Congress should correct this wrong by approving a reasonable settlement, one that a 2002 study warned could total anywhere between $10 billion and $40 billion."

Get the Story:
Settle trust fund dispute (The Eugene Register-Guard 3/17)

Trust Reform Legislation:
S.1439 | H.R.4322

Elouise Cobell Letter:
Dear Lawmakers (February 23, 2006)

Jim Cason Letter:
Dear Tribal Leader (January 26, 2006)

Cobell Court Fees:
Memorandum and Order (December 19, 2005)

Relevant Links:
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Interior Department - http://www.doi.gov

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