Jay Daniels: Only at BIA - special assistant for the assistant

One of the BIA director's buddies has been on a three-year detail as a special assistant to the director. Usually, a special assistant has skill and experience that will benefit the director. But in this case, the special assistant had to detail another individual from the Midwest Regional Office to act as his special assistant. Whoever heard of a special assistant needing a special assistant?

This has been going on for almost three years. The cost to have these two special assistants has taken funds which could have helped out Indian country. The Midwest Regional "special assistant" spent more than $45,000 just in travel last year. There is no telling how much the "special assistant" to the director of the BIA spent on travel, as he lives in Billings, Montana, and regularly visits home while traveling throughout the country. All the while we have tribal communities that are hurting and suffering for lack of funding.

The Office of Personnel Management has a policy that an individual can't be in a detail for more than 120 days, but BIA leaders continuously detail friends into positions for long periods of time while those who should have a chance to learn and gain experience are denied. This has happened throughout the history of the BIA. It's who you know and who is in control.