Mike Black, a citizen of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, is serving as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. Photo: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

National | Politics

Bureau of Indian Affairs opens listening sessions on reorganization

Thursday, May 25, 2017

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is asking tribes about an unprecedented reorganization of the Department of the Interior.

A series of listening sessions kicked off in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday. They will continue throughout the following month, ending on June 27 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In a May 16 letter to tribal leaders, Mike Black, the "acting" leader of the BIA, said the Trump administration "would like your input on how the department and the federal government, as a whole, if appropriate, could be reorganized to help streamline services to tribes and better fulfill the federal government's trust and treaty obligations."

Secretary Ryan Zinke promised potentially "bold" changes after taking office in early March. He noted at the time that Interior hasn't undergone a department-wide reorganization in about 100 years.

The BIA, though, hasn't been as fortunate. The agency has undergone numerous restructurings since originating in the War Department in 1824 -- it's even older than Interior itself.

Some of the more recent controversial changes included the establishment of the Bureau of Indian Education during the Bush administration. Tribes in the Great Plains, a region that includes Nebraska and South Dakota, managed to secure a hold on the effort in their area, citing a lack of consultation by Interior.

Tribes also objected when the Bush administration began transferring programs from the BIA to the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians, which grew dramatically in size and scope between 2001 and 2009. The expansion came at the cost of funding and employees at the BIA.

The Obama administration wasn't immune from criticism either. In an attempt to address concerns about the way the BIE was created, a new Blueprint for Reform called for more tribal inclusion but the Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association went back to court to prevent closures of education offices on their reservations.

President Donald Trump isn't just looking at Interior, though. His March 13 executive order calls for a reorganization across the entire federal government.