Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma), a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, blocked an attempt to pass the $3.4 billion settlement to the Indian trust fund lawsuit.

On Friday, Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nevada), the Senate majority leader, sought to add the settlement to a disaster-relief bill. But Coburn objected, saying the "racially-charged measure" came too late.

Reid's amendment included a settlement to the African-American farmers discrimination case. "There is no excuse for Republicans to continue to employ these partisan delay tactics – in this case, as in so many others, they are only hurting those who were wronged and are fighting for what is rightfully theirs," he said in a press release.

Get the Story:
Cobell, Pigford Settlements Stall Again in Senate (The Blog of Legal Times 5/7)
Coburn stops bill’s passage [see sidebar] (The Oklahoman 5/8)

Relevant Documents:
Agreement | Press Release | Q&A | Audio

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