Past News Items

“The Department of the Interior has a zero tolerance policy regarding drinking and driving by its employees. In March 2004, the Bureau of Indian Affairs strengthened its policies and procedures that govern its employees’ use of government-owned vehicles and is committed to taking additional measures to ensure that this will not happen again. The Bureau of Indian Affairs extends its deepest condolences to the families of Larry and Rita Beller and Edward and Alice Ramaekers.”

The Department of the Interior has asked Congress for legislation declaring the Colorado River Indian Reservation, which lies mainly in Arizona and partly in California, to be the property of the Mohave and Chemehuevi Indians now occupying the reservation.

Enactment of a bill proposed by the Department would settle a long-standing controversy which has seriously retarded effective development of the 1,300,000- acre reservation, the Department said.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs David W. Anderson will speak on March 18 at 10:00 a.m. (PST) at the Chemawa Indian School, a Bureau of Indian Affairs operated off-reservation boarding school for grades 9-12 in Salem, Ore., bringing his message about the benefits of healthy life choices and positive thinking to an assembly of students, parents, faculty and staff. This is the second in a series of visits the new assistant secretary will make to BIA field offices and education facilities during his administration.

WASHINGTON, DC – Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney announced the appointment of Tammie Poitra to the position of the Midwest BIA Regional Director. The appointment is effective June 23, 2019.

“It is with great pride that I name Tammie Poitra as the Midwest BIA Regional Director,” said Assistant Secretary Sweeney. “I have the upmost confidence in her leadership capabilities to work with the 36 Tribes and the staff that comprises the regional office and the four BIA agencies. Congratulations, Ms. Poitra.”

WASHINGTON - In an official proclamation issued by the White House, President George W. Bush has declared November “National American Indian Heritage Month.” President Bush praised American Indian heritage and Indian role models who serve as a central part of America’s history, including Sacagawea and the Navajo Code-talkers of World War II.

WASHINGTON – The CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund for Tribal Governments provides payments to state, local, and tribal governments navigating the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. Payments to tribal governments are to be determined by the Secretary of the Treasury in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior and American Indian and Alaska Native tribes.

WASHINGTON - The National Summit on Emerging Tribal Economies, which is scheduled for September 16-19,2002, in Phoenix, Ariz., supports President Bush's goal for creating economic security for all Americans. "The President will not be satisfied until every American who wants a job can find a job, and all Americans have economic security," said Ruben Barrales, the president's deputy assistant and director of Intergovernmental Affairs, in a letter to tribal leaders on August 15, 2002.

WASHINGTON – In a speech before tribal leaders this week on improving economic conditions in Indian Country, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb called on tribes to choose prosperity over poverty. “We can choose between poverty and prosperity,” McCaleb said. “Most of us would choose prosperity, so why has Indian America remained mired in poverty?” The Assistant Secretary spoke on June 18 at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) 2002 Mid-Year Conference in Bismarck, N.D.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb today announced his decision to acknowledge that the historical Eastern Pequot Tribe, of the Lantern Hill Reservation, North Stonington, Connecticut exists as an Indian tribe within the meaning of Federal law. The historical Eastern Pequot Tribe meets all of the mandatory criteria under 25 CFR Part 83, the Federal acknowledgment regulations, for a government-to-government relationship with the United States.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs will celebrate its 175th Anniversary tomorrow, Friday, September 8, 2000, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT) at the U.S. Department of the Interior headquarters, 1849 ‘C’ Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., in the Sydney R. Yates Auditorium with the theme “Reconciling the Past, Trusting the Future: A Renewed Commitment to Indian Tribes for the 21st Century.” The program will include a discussion on the BIA’s past, present, and future.