Wild horses get more money than IHS hospital

Thursday, August 16, 2007  

A wild horse program receives more federal funds per year than the hospital on the Crow Reservation in Montana, the chairman of the Crow Tribe told the Senate Indian Affairs Committee on Wednesday.

"We are the poorest of the poorest in the United States of all ethnic groups," Chairman Carl Venne said, The Billings Gazette reported. "We're not begging the U.S. government; they made promises."

Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), the chairman of the committee, and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana), one of the members, agreed. They criticized the Indian Health Service for not seeking more money.

"Everybody in this room knows that over the past several hundred years, the government has failed to tell the truth to Indians, cheated Indians and failed to fulfill the promises it made many years ago," Tester said.

The committee held a field hearing in Crow Agency on the Crow Reservation.

Get the Story:
Senators to IHS: Ask for more money (The Billings Gazette 8/16)
Senator lashes out at state of Indian Health Service (AP 8/16)

Relevant Links:
Indian Health Service - http://www.ihs.gov

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