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Congressional Indulgence of Tribal Government?
In 2002, Senator Max Baucus wrote in reference to a bill concerning federal recognition of tribes, “I am forced to disagree…this amendment…requires the implementation of…adversarial hearings at the request of any interested party.”
In other words, Senator Baucus, a top recipient of Indian Gaming funds at the time, wasn’t interested in hearing any point of view other than that of the tribal government.
Two of former Senator Conrad Burns’ aides (R-MT) also stated in meetings a year apart that Senator Burn’s will not change any Indian law unless all 500+ tribes agree to it.
Since that time, it has been discovered that Senator Burns was deeply involved with lobbyist Jack Abramoff and funds coming from tribal entities.
Several other Senators have been linked to Abramoff and/or tribal funds.
Unfortunately, many families affected by ICWA can’t afford to buy themselves a Senator.
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