Leaders express concern over BIA budget reductions

GALLUP — With BIA budget funding dwindling each year, and proposed budgets and funding pleas being ignored, tribal leaders are expressing their frustration.

At the end of last week's Indian Affairs National Budget Meeting in Washington, D.C, council speaker Lawrence T. Morgan (Iyanbito/Pinedale) spoke of how the decreasing budget for BIA programs is causing disparities for Indian programs.

"This last decade we provided the federal government with budget requests, to no avail. We provided performance data, which saw no increase. We are now going through this process of providing priorities," said Morgan. "My question now is will this process see an increase in funding?"

The BIA budget went from $2.295 billion in 2005, to $2.274 billion in 2006, and now its dropped to $2.221. The total loss to tribes has been $74 million in the last two years. .........



http://www.gallupindependent.com/2007/march/032607nkj_biabdgtrdctns.html