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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2001

As the United States enters what President Bush says will be a sustained war against terrorism, Indian Country issues will be falling off the national agenda, congressional aides and government watchers said.

A set of legislative priorities key lawmakers had hoped to act upon during the fall session are now being reshuffled, legislative aides noted. The strong sense of bipartisanship that has emerged in response to the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon will be directed towards more pressing concerns of defense, national security and the economy, they added.

Bills addressing education and energy development are among those that will be delayed, said a spokesperson for Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.), the chief architect of Indian legislation and vice chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee.

"In candor, a lot of things are going to come down to a priority list," said Paul Moorehead. "Trust reform, Indian energy development, education -- for obvious reasons they are not going to get the attention."

"This is where we are."

The September 11 attacks had an almost immediate impact on Congress' schedule. The Indian Affairs committee has delayed a joint hearing on energy, which has been a top priority of Assistant Secretary Neal McCaleb, with no word on when it will be rescheduled.

An oversight hearing on the trust fund debacle was also being arranged by members of the House. It was soon canceled as lawmakers moved to rally by the President's side.

Elouise Cobell, a Blackfeet Nation of Montana banker who is the lead plaintiff in the five-year-old trust fund lawsuit, had been invited to attend, said her lawyer. Dennis Gingold acknowledged that further delays to justice his clients have been seeking for decades was unfortunate but entirely understandable.

"No matter how strongly we feel about other issues," said Gingold, "clearly, [America's response to the attacks] has to take priority."

For Indian Country, being ignored is nothing new. In hearings the Indian Affairs Committee began holding earlier this year, tribal leaders repeatedly told lawmakers of the historic neglect that has negatively impacted their communities.

But as the budget for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service, along with programs at other federal agencies, increased during the Clinton administration, many expressed hope for continued support. And with the Democratic take-over of the Senate, environmental, educational and funding, benefits to Indian Country were expected.

Along with a slipping economy and forecasts predicting tighter federal budgets, the terrorist attacks appear to have worsened the outlook for Indian issues. Still, tribal leaders have responded with an outpouring of support, including nearly $2 million in money, goods and services, to help the nation recover.

Relevant Links:
Senate Indian Affairs Committee - http://indian.senate.gov

Related Stories:
Indian Country reaches out to aid victims (9/17)
McCaleb walks own trail of tears (9/14)
'Quiet' at Interior after attacks (9/12)
Tighter than expected budget forecasted (8/23)