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Tribes gathering for trust reform discussion
THURSDAY, MAY 29, 2003

The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is holding a meeting today to focus on trust reform and the ongoing reorganization of the Department of Interior.

Tribes are opposed to changes being made at the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Office of Special Trustee (OST). They have asked the Bush administration to restart government-to-government consultation talks but have received little feedback, according to tribal leaders.

"If it's by ourselves, then it's by ourselves," said NCAI president Tex Hall at a May 21 Senate hearing.

In a conference call with reporters the day before, special trustee Ross Swimmer and Aurene Martin, the acting assistant for Indian affairs, were asked about their tribal consultation efforts. Both said they were unaware of NCAI's upcoming meeting.

Today's meeting takes place all day at the Barcelo Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Relevant Links:
Trust Reform, NCAI - http://www.ncai.org/main/pages/
issues/other_issues/trust_reform.asp
Office of Special Trustee - http://www.ost.doi.gov
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com

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