phone: 202 630 8439

Home > News > Week in Review > Review Printer friendly version The Week in Review ending September 28 WEEK IN REVIEW: Senate hearing on trust fund debacle. File Photo © NSM. Missed the week's stories? Get a complete listing here. Want In The Hoop's list of the week's Winners and Losers? Wait no more. Trust fund ruling leads to major drama A federal judge's September 17 decision to hold Secretary of Interior Gale Norton and Indian affairs aide Neal McCaleb continues to impact the Bush administration and Indian Country. The ruling was immediately blasted as unfair to the Department of Interior. But prevailing opinion seems to weigh against the beleaguered agency. At a Senate hearing this week, a leading lawmaker, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), said the department lacks credibility on a debacle that has gone uncorrected for more than a century. A slew of newspaper editorials backs up the call for Norton to be stripped of her trust management duties. Tensions also boiled over at a meeting of the joint federal-tribal trust reform task force. Already fractured due to differences over legislative reforms, McCaleb came down hard on the lack of progress the panel has made during nine months of talks. Facing court-imposed deadlines, he told tribes the administration will move forward on a number of fronts without their consent. Tribal leaders were willing to accept the ultimatum and walked away feeling they would continue to share information in the coming months. The largest tribe in the country, however, wasn't as convinced. The Navajo Nation, which has a $600 million breach of trust ruling pending before the Supreme Court, walked away from the task force amid complaints that tribes were conceding too much to the administration. Get the Story: Norton chided on Cobell 'accounting' (9/23) TAAMS witness not 'credible' (9/23) Tiny praise for Norton on trust (9/23) Editorial: Norton's 'shameful' behavior (9/23) Editorial: Don't appeal trust fund ruling (9/23) Editorial: Lamberth throws 'temper tantrum' (9/23) Editorial: Probe Norton subordinates too (9/23) Editorial: Norton needs to settle trust (9/23) Slonaker to testify at Senate hearing (9/23) Editorial: Norton's failure is 'disgrace' (9/24) Indian trust 'a national disgrace' (9/25) DOI claims a partial accounting (9/25) Editorial: Strip Norton of trust (9/25) The Indian Enron and other editorials (9/25) Norton drafts Indian land grab (9/26) Report: DOI computer system 'crashed' (9/26) Editorial: Norton should be rid of trust (9/26) Editorial: Joining 'pantheon of the unfit' (9/26) Editorial: Norton deserved court slap (9/26) Editorial: Sanction Norton's deceit (9/26) Sparks fly at trust reform meeting (9/27) Here comes BITAM all over again (9/27) 100 years of incompetence you can trust (9/27) GOPs don't like Cobell legal fees (9/27) NCAI: 'Alarming' land grab proposal (9/27) McCain: DOI lacks 'credibility' on trust (9/27) more stories There's still more to read in the recap of the top stories. Home | Arts & Entertainment | Business | Canada | Cobell Lawsuit | Education | Environment | Federal Recognition | Federal Register | Forum | Health | Humor | Indian Gaming | Indian Trust | Jack Abramoff Scandal | Jobs & Notices | Law | National | News | Opinion | Politics | Sports | Technology | World Indianz.Com Terms of Service | Indianz.Com Privacy Policy About Indianz.Com | Advertise on Indianz.Com Indianz.Com is a product of Noble Savage Media, LLC and Ho-Chunk, Inc.