"Congratulations to President Tex Hall of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) for giving the State of Indian Nations address today.

     It is appropriate that President Hall’s address follows on the heels of President Bush’s State of the Union for our Union is only sound when we are addressing the needs of all its citizens and respecting our Indian Nations.

     I am always amazed by the limitless patriotism of Native Americans – for a people who have been shamefully mistreated throughout our Nation’s history, it always surprises me that American Indians have, per capita, the highest percentage of military service of any ethnic group. Never balking at the defense of our country, it is a bitter irony that Native Americans continually fight so that others might enjoy the freedoms and liberties that have eluded them on their own soil.

     To echo Tex Hall’s words, tribal governments are ‘playing a critical role in the network of governments that protects and supports every American,’ providing crucial services to citizens while shaping community value systems. As the oldest sovereign governments in our country, strong tribal governments are not only good for the economy of tribal nations, but are good for the economy of the Nation. 

     Bordering on the ridiculous is the fact that Congress has yet to reauthorize the Indian Health Care Improvement Act–an act that expired in 1996. The Indian Health Service spends approximately $1900 per Indian annually–a paltry amount, given that twice as much funding is devoted to each federal prisoner.

     Indians continue to receive far less than any other group receiving public health care. When the President releases his budget on Monday, I hope to see that he has added at least an additional $300 million to Indian Health Services.

    I support NCAI’s recommendation of funding for all Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) schools to be at least at the level of U.S. military base schools–a four-fold increase from current funding allocations for Native children.

     While positive strides have been made toward controlling the nightmare of land fractionation, the FY 2005 Consolidated Appropriations Act provides only $34.5 million for Indian Land Consolidation–nowhere near the $95 million authorized by Congress and approved by the Administration in last year’s Indian Land Consolidation Act amendments. Again, I trust that President Bush will invest in reducing the overwhelming cost of trust administration."