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Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs

WASHINGTON – Today, President Donald J. Trump signed the Great American Outdoors Act into law, which will significantly help address the historically underfunded, multi-billion-dollar deferred maintenance backlog at our national parks and public lands. In celebration of this historic achievement, U.S. Secretary of the Interior David L. Bernhardt announced that entrance fees paid by visitors coming to lands managed by the Department will be waived on August 5, 2020. Secretary Bernhardt also announced that August 4th will be designated “Great American Outdoors Day,” a fee-free day each year moving forward to commemorate the signing of the Act.

“President Trump has just enacted the most consequential dedicated funding for national parks, wildlife refuges, public recreation facilities and American Indian school infrastructure in U.S. history,” said Secretary Bernhardt. “I’ve designated August 4th as Great American Outdoors Day and waived entrance fees to celebrate the passage of this historic conservation law.”

Entrance fees will be waived at all fee collecting public lands at the National Park Service (NPS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). The Department holds fee-free days throughout the year to encourage visitation and appreciation for America’s public lands. On fee-free days, site-specific standard amenity and day-use fees at recreation sites and areas will be waived for the specified dates. Other fees, such as overnight camping, cabin rentals, group day use, and use of special areas, will remain in effect.

The remaining fee-free days in 2020 are:

NPS:

August 5: Great American Outdoors Act Commemoration
August 25: National Park Service Birthday
September 26: National Public Lands Day
November 11: Veterans Day

BLM:

August 5: Great American Outdoors Act Commemoration
September 26: National Public Lands Day
November 11: Veterans Day

FWS:

August 5: Great American Outdoors Act Commemoration
September 26: National Public Lands Day
October 11: First Sunday of National Wildlife Refuge Week
November 11: Veterans Day

Background

On March 3, President Trump called on Congress to send him a bill that fully and permanently funded the Land and Water Conservation Fund and restored our National Parks. The President noted that it would be historic for America’s beautiful public lands when he signed such a bill into law.

The Trump Administration worked with Congress to secure the passage of this landmark conservation legislation, which will use revenues from energy development to provide up to $1.9 billion a year for five years in the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund to provide needed maintenance for critical facilities and infrastructure in our national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, recreation areas and American Indian schools. It will also use royalties from offshore oil and natural gas to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund to the tune of $900 million a year to invest in conservation and recreation opportunities across the country.

Last year, the NPS welcomed 327 million visitors who generated an economic impact of more than $41 billion and supported more than 340,000 jobs. Increasing popularity of our public lands has resulted in our national parks needing upgrades and improvements for more than 5,500 miles of paved roads, 17,000 miles of trails and 24,000 buildings. This legislation finally provides a long-term solution to this significant issue for the benefit of the American people and the betterment of our public lands.

Approximately 67 million visitors annually come to BLM-managed lands, supporting approximately 48,000 jobs nationwide and contributing almost $7 billion to the U.S. economy. BLM-managed public lands offer a wide array of recreational opportunities, including hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, mountain biking, horseback riding, boating, rafting, off-highway vehicle driving, rock climbing and more.

The Service welcomes approximately 54 million people to refuges each year. Their spending generates $3.2 billion in sales to local economies, employing more than 41,000 people and providing $1.1 billion in employment income.

The Department continues to urge visitors to do their part when visiting their public lands and follow guidance provided by the CDC, state and local public health officials to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The proclamation can be found online.

For Immediate Release: August 15, 2020

President Donald J. Trump signs H.R. 1957- The Great American Outdoors Act Tuesday, August 4, 2020, in the East Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen)

https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/president-trump-signed-great-american-outdoors-act-law

Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary -- Indian Affairs Tara Katuk Sweeney announced today that the U.S. Department of Interior’s Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED) has approved $1.55 million in Tribal Energy Development Capacity (TEDC) grants to equip federally recognized American Indian tribes, federally recognized Alaska Native entities, and tribal energy resource development organizations with the managerial and institutional capacity to develop energy resources and account for the resulting energy production and revenues.

The grants will enable tribes to enact energy regulations, conduct feasibility studies to form tribal utility authorities, and develop other kinds of legal infrastructure needed to regulate and manage energy resources.

According to the U.S. Department of the Interior Economic Report, Fiscal Year 2019, energy resources generated over $6.63 billion in revenues for tribes in 2019, far outpacing all other sources of tribal revenue outside of gaming.

“Tribal Energy Development Capacity grants support a tribe’s ‘energy sovereignty,’ that is, to use its resources for its needs, to have the ability to do so effectively, and to ensure such resources will be maintained into the future,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs for Policy and Economic Development Mark Cruz. “IEED supports tribal governments in developing the legal infrastructure for managing their energy assets, and I encourage other energy resource tribes to look at the TEDC grant program as a tool in their planning.”

TEDC is a competitive, discretionary program. Applications were evaluated on their clarity and completeness, the expected contribution to the applicant’s capacity to regulate and manage energy resources, and the extent to which the anticipated outcome of a proposal met the applicant’s stated goals.

IEED is administering this program through its Division of Energy and Mineral Development (DEMD).

The TEDC grantees and funding amounts are:

Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians, CA: $99,500
Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria, CA: $98,188
Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana: $96,600
Bristol Bay Native Corporation, AK: $99,000
Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, MN: $50,000
Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California: $80,000
Mesa Grande Business Development Corporation, CA: $80,000
Southern Ute Indian Tribe, CO: $100,000
Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, CA: $80,000
Hughes Village, AK: $121,500
San Pasqual Band of Diegueno Mission Indians, CA: $100,000
Seminole Tribe of Florida, FL: $100,100
Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, MN: $80,000
Hopi Tribe of Arizona: $95,000
Lower Brule Corporation, SD: $100,000
Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, KS: $100,000
Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), MA: $80,000

IEED administers the TEDC grants program through its Division of Energy and Mineral Development (DEMD). Please visit the IEED website for more information about this and other IEED programs and services.

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs advises the Secretary of the Interior on Indian Affairs policy issues, communicates policy to and oversees the programs of the BIA and the BIE, provides leadership in consultations with tribes, and serves as the DOI official for intra- and inter-departmental coordination and liaison within the Executive Branch on Indian matters.

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For Immediate Release: December 5, 2020

9 decorated turkey feathers. The base of feathers are decorated with white, yellow, orange, red and black thread.

https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/trump-administration-invests-155-million-help-tribes-manage-their-0

Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs

Effort will update 40-year old regulations to comport with HEARTH Act and TERAs, supports tribal self-governance and self-determination

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Tara Katuk Sweeney today announced that tribal consultation will be held to give federally recognized tribes the opportunity to comment on proposed updates to 40-year old regulations that will modernize how the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) maintains title to federal Indian trust lands.

Indian Affairs will be hosting two virtual tribal consultation sessions on the proposed rule and invites tribal representatives to participate. Information on dates and how to participate will be posted on the Office of Regulatory Affairs and Collaborative Action (RACA) website.

“BIA Director Darryl LaCounte and I are committed to modernizing the business processes at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and these updates to BIA’s Indian land records management regulations will greatly promote tribal self-governance and self-determination,” said Assistant Secretary Sweeney. “In addition, with the Bureau of Trust Funds Administration joining the Indian Affairs family, updating these 40-year old regulations will bring widespread efficiencies to Indian land transactions, thus allowing us to better serve Indian trust beneficiaries.”

The BIA’s Land Title and Records Offices (LTROs) maintain title documents for land that the United States holds in trust or restricted fee status for American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and individuals, which is roughly similar to how counties and other local governments maintain title documents for fee land within their jurisdictions.

The proposed rule will allow for more efficient operation of the LTROs in multiple ways, such as accounting for the continued and future maintenance of most title documents electronically, and by allowing workloads to be shifted among LTRO offices to promptly address requests and to prevent the risk of backlogs.

The proposed rule also addresses the increased recognition of tribal self-governance and self-determination over the past 40 years. For example, the rule accounts for the recording of title documents where Secretarial approval of the transaction is no longer required.

This change ensures that individual leases under approved Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership (HEARTH) Act regulations and title documents under Tribal Energy Resource Agreements (TERAs) are recorded, thereby also ensuring there is documentation of who is authorized to use Indian trust land at any given time.

The Indian Affairs Office of Regulatory Affairs and Collaborative Action (RACA), formerly known as the Office of Regulatory Management (ORM), is responsible for a broad range of regulatory functions that involve collaboration with all Indian Affairs (IA) bureaus, offices, tribal partners and other stakeholders, including: facilitating IA’s compliance with the Administrative Procedures Act, Privacy Act, and Paperwork Reduction Act; developing and revising regulations to address statutory requirements and IA program issues; serving as the Department’s regulatory contact for IA; and managing the Federal Register notice process for IA. RACA is also responsible for managing IA's Directives System, including providing templates, guidance, and assistance to programs developing and/or updating policies and procedures. Additionally, RACA provides oversight, assistance, and implementation of the CORE PLUS dispute resolution program within Indian Affairs.

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For Immediate Release: December 11, 2020

River rocks with timelapse water over it, creating a beautiful white foggy stream of water through a bed of river rock. Green trees in the background.

https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/sweeney-announces-tribal-consultation-proposed-modernization-bia

Assistant Secretary Sweeney Announces Appointments of Charles Addington as Senior Advisor for Law Enforcement, Security and School Safety, Jason O’Neal as OJS Deputy Bureau Director

For Immediate Release:

January 15, 2021

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney today announced the appointment of Charles Addington as the Senior Advisor – Law Enforcement, Security and School Safety in the Office of the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs and the appointment of Jason O’Neal as the Deputy Bureau Director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Office of Justice Services (BIA-OJS). The appointments become effective January 17, 2021.

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Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today issued the following statement regarding the $40 million in additional Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)-related funding in the recently enacted Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015.

“It’s heartening that Congress and the Obama Administration are working together to ensure American Indian students attending BIE-funded schools receive a world-class education delivered by tribal nations,” said Assistant Secretary Washburn. “The Consolidated Appropriations Act takes a step in the right direction by addressing critical educational needs identified in the BIE Blueprint for Reform developed by the White House Council on Native American Affairs.”

“This additional funding will help us to implement reforms, ensure tribal communities receive sufficient funding to operate their schools, and enable us to begin the longer process of replacing many of our dilapidated schools,” added Bureau of Indian Education Director Charles “Monty” Roessel. “We have much work to do, but we are more determined than ever to work with Congress and tribal communities to reach our shared goal of improving educational outcomes for American Indian children.”

The Consolidated Appropriations Act includes an additional $19,211,000 for school replacement over fiscal year 2014 funding levels. The school replacement funding completes the requirements for the school construction project started in fiscal year 2014 and covers design costs for the final two schools on the 2004 priority list. The agreement also includes an increase of $14,142,000 for Tribal Grant Support Costs for tribally controlled schools, $2,000,000 for the development and operation of tribal departments of education, and an increase of $1.7 million for Science Post Graduate Scholarships.

Under an initiative of the White House Council on Native American Affairs, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, who chairs the Council, and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, after consultation with tribal leaders, issued a Blueprint for Reform in June 2014 to redesign the BIE. Building on the Blueprint’s recommendations, Jewell issued a Secretarial Order to begin restructuring BIE from solely a provider of education to a capacity-builder and education service-provider to tribes. The goal of this transformation is to give tribes the ability themselves to provide an academically rigorous and culturally appropriate education to their students, according to their needs.

The Blueprint also made several recommendations regarding the BIE’s budget, including that Interior invest in the school system’s infrastructure, including funding to support new school construction, and align its budget to support tribal self-determination by requesting and increasing tribal grant and Tribal Grant Support Costs for tribally controlled grant schools.

The BIE oversees 183 elementary and secondary schools, located on 64 reservations in 23 states, serving more than 48,000 students. Of these, 59 are BIE-operated and 124 are tribally operated under Indian Self Determination and Education Assistance Act contracts or Tribally Controlled Schools Act grants. BIE also funds or operates off-reservation boarding schools and peripheral dormitories near reservations for students attending public schools.

https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/statement-assistant-secretary-washburn-fy15-omnibus-bill-increased

Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs

Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Public Land Management Harrison Loesch today called for accelerated road construction on Indian reservations; stepped-up assistance to improve public land development roads and trails, improvement of national park roads, roadways, and trails; and highway development in the Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa. He testified before the Senate Public Works Subcommittee on Roads.

Pointing out that the Federal Government was obligated by treaties and agreements to construct and maintain roads on Indian lands, Loesch said it failed to do so between 1900 to 1935. Since that time, he failed, construction of roads 0n Indian lands has fallen far short of construction of roads in the rest of the United States.

He asked for contract authority for Indian road construction of $75 million the United States in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1974 and $100 million ending June 30, 1975.

"Public use and demands each year continue to outstrip the installation of vitally needed resource management facilities on public lands,” Loesch said. He asked for authorization of $10 million in fiscal years 1973l and 1974 for construction and improvement of public land development roads and trails.

These authorizations, he said, will allow completion of approximately 950 miles of road work and about 180 miles of trail work, plus some survey and design of roads and acquisition of easements for existing roads.

The National Park Service currently has a backlog of developments estimated at $2 billion, of which approximately $1 billion represents roads and trails funding, Loesch said. He asked for authorizations of $40 million for park roads and trails in fiscal years ending June 30, 1974 and 1975 and $20 million for parkways in the same periods.

To provide for the territorial highway development program, Loesch asked for $2 million each for the Virgin Islands and Guam and $500,000 for American Samoa in fiscal years ending June 30, 1974 and 1975.

https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/interior-urges-road-aid-indian-lands-national-parks-public-lands-and

Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs

Secretary of the Interior Cecil D. Andrus today announced the Justice Department will not seek offsets against future monetary awards in Indian claims cases f or federal monies paid out under the Indian Self-Determination Act

"I was concerned that the tribes not be made reluctant to take over the responsibilities for many of the programs in operation on their land," said Andrus. "The provisions of the Indian Self-Determination Act easily could be frustrated if the trade-off for self-determination is a cloud over pending tribal claims."

In a letter dated February 1, 1980, Secretary Andrus urged the Department of Justice to exercise its discretion by not claiming self-determination funds as offsets under the 1946 Indian Claims Commission Act. This act allows the United States to offset "funds expended gratuitously" by the federal government for the benefit of Indian tribes against any monetary award made in a claim against the United States.

The question arose in connection with a recent Turtle Mountain Chippewa claim award against which millions of dollars given to the tribe might have been offset as grants under the Indian Self-Determination Act. Justice has decided not to offset claims for self-determination money in this case and has stated that it will not claim such offsets in future cases.

Under the 1975 Indian Self-Determination Act, Indian tribes could contract with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to take over programs in operation on their reservation land. Such programs range from health services, schools and welfare programs to law enforcement, fish hatcheries and forestry. If a tribe is not ready to assume operation, grants are available to train and otherwise prepare the tribe for eventual take over.

Massive repudiation of the self-determination program by Indian, tribes as a result of offsets in claims awards could cause serious manpower and monetary repercussions for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, as w ell as deny the tribes these management opportunities, BIA officials said.

https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/indian-self-determination-funding-not-be-offset-against-monetary

Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs

Thomas W. Fredericks, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior Department for Indian Affairs, today announced that the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Office of Indian Education Programs has signed an interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of the agreement is

1) to increase communications between the Bureau's Education Office and the Education Department, and

2) to procure specific Education Department services for education and vocational programs serving Indians, funded through the Bureau of Indian Affairs

"This is one of the first joint agreements between the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Education Office and the Office of Indian Education", Fredericks said. I am happy to see this interagency expression of intent to involve Indians specifically where Indians have not been involved before."

To date, education programs that serve Indians have not taken advantage of Education Department services, delivered by the National Diffusion. Network (NDN), that reward exemplary education programs across the country.

The interagency memorandum of agreement establishes goals tha.t will encourage schools serving Indians to apply for NDN services. The agencies have agreed to identify Indian education programs with potential for receiving NDN services, and then to assist them in making a strong application for assistance.

The agreement also proposes to establish a formal relationship between agencies, and outlines the objectives for that relationship.

The Education Department officials signing the agreement along with Fredericks, were Dr. Gerald Gipp, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Education; Dr. Percy Bates, Director, Office of Special Education; Dr. Howard F. Hjelm, " Director, Division of Research and Demonstration for Vocational and Dr. Lee Wickline, Director, of Educational Replication for the National Diffusion Network. For further information contact Lavonna Weller, Education Specialist, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, 18th and E Streets N.W Washington, D. c. 20240 (202/343-7387).

https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/fredericks-signs-interagency-agreement-bolster-indian-education

Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs

Bison and the American Indian people have a symbiotic relationship that needs to be honored and respected. After a visit to the Ft. Belknap Indian reservation in Montana, Assistant Secretary Kevin Gover is encouraging American Indians everywhere to let their voices be heard in determining the outcome of the current controversy over the management of the bison herd in Yellowstone National Park.

At the request of the Inter-Tribal Bison Cooperative, a BIA-sponsored program working to restore buffalo to Tribal lands, and the Assiniboine and Gros Ventre Tribes of the Ft. Belknap reservation, Gover toured the Tribes' bison-restoration and prairie-conservation project and came away impressed. "It is amazing how the restoration of the buffalo to native lands has impacted this Tribe and the other Tribes that have undertaken similar efforts," said Gover. The restoration of the buffalo to American Indian lands has been a great success for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Inter-Tribal Bison Cooperative. Many American Indians believe that when the buffalo is returned to its rightful healthy place among the Tribes, that the Tribes will also rise again to health: spiritually, economically and physically. "Most people do not fully understand that the spiritual connection between the Tribes and this majestic animal is more than symbolic," stated Gover, "We are seeing a rebirth of spirit and pride among the Tribes and it is not coincidental that this is coming with the return of the bison to Tribal lands."

The ITBC has been engaged with the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, and the State of Montana in the current crisis over the bison herd at Yellowstone National Park. Two winters ago, the State of Montana killed nearly one-third of the Yellowstone bison herd when they left the park in search of winter forage. This slaughter was extremely offensive to American Indians, and ITBC has been working to ensure a slaughter like this can never happen again. So far, the Tribes have not been allowed a place at the table while this issue is being decided. The Departments of the Interior and Agriculture, and the State of Montana recently released an Environmental Impact Statement concerning the management of the Yellowstone herd, and the period for public comment allows American Indians the opportunity for their voices to be heard. Gover encouraged all Tribal members to raise their voices during the public comment period. "The Tribes deserve a place at the table when this issue is decided," stated Gover, "I will do everything I can to protect our brothers the buffalo, but it will take all of our voices to make a difference." Gover stated that the bison need to be treated like wild animals and allowed to roam, but if the parties involved will not agree to natural ranging of the bison, that the Tribes should be involved in the solution. "For centuries, the bison provided for our people, now it is our tum. The American Indian is the natural guardian of the bison."

https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/assistant-secretary-kevin-gover-asks-tribes-raise-their-voices-over

Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Bush has proposed a $2.31 billion budget for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for Fiscal Year 2004, an increase of $62.0 million over the FY2003 request, to improve the Interior Department’s management of individual Indian and tribal trust assets, to operate new tribally-operated detention centers and to develop tribal economies. The request also maintains the President’s commitment to eliminate the school maintenance backlog and provide tribes with greater opportunities to directly operate BIA schools. Payments for Indian water and land claims settlements also continue.

“With this budget request, the President makes clear his firm commitment to improving the lives of Indian people through trust reform, education and economic development,” said acting Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Aurene M. Martin. “The Bureau will be prepared to meet these goals with Congress’ support.”

The FY2004 budget request provides new funding to support the Department’s plan to reform management of its fiduciary obligations to the Federally recognized tribes and individual Indians. The request includes increases of $32.0 million to modernize information technology systems and security to support trust and non-trust programs; $13.0 million to expand a pilot program to reduce the fractionalization of individual Indian land ownership interests into a nationwide effort and $7.6 million for enhanced resource management programs related to trust assets.

The BIA oversees a 185-school system comprised of elementary and secondary day and boarding schools serving almost 48,000 students. The FY2004 budget request for school construction and repair is $292.6 million, including $131.4 million to replace at least seven BIA funded schools including Enemy Swim Day School, Waubay, S.D.; Isleta Elementary School, Isleta, N.M.; Mescalero Apache School, Mescalero, N.M.; Navajo Preparatory School, Farmington, N.M.; Pueblo Pintado Community School, Cuba, N.M.; Turtle Mountain High School, Belcourt, N.D., and Wingate High School, Ft. Wingate, N.M.

Under the Bureau’s FY2004 $528.5 million school operations budget request, an increase of $3.0 million in administrative cost grants is sought to encourage more tribes to exercise their authority to operate BIA-funded schools by providing full funding for start-up costs for the first year of tribal operation of a BIA school. In the School Year 2001-2002, the BIA directly operated one-third of elementary and secondary schools, including four of seven off-reservation boarding schools. The remaining two-thirds of the schools are operated by tribes under BIA contract or grant.

To enhance economic development in Indian Country, the FY2004 budget request seeks $1.0 million in increased funding to expand the BIA’s Indian Loan Guaranty Program to assist tribes with financing for business operations. The increased funding will leverage $20 million in additional guaranteed and insured loans.

To meet Federal requirements for authorized settlements resolving long-standing tribal claims in New Mexico and Oklahoma, the FY2004 budget request includes funding increases to complete the Santo Domingo Pueblo settlement ($6.7 million) and for the first payment on the recent Cherokee, Choctaw and Chickasaw settlement ($10.0 million). The budget also maintains funding at current levels for five additional settlements and reflects decreases due to the completion of two settlements.

Furthermore, funding is requested to continue support for the BIA’s Law Enforcement Program to improve public safety and justice in Indian Country. The FY2004 budget request seeks an increase of $10.0 million for the operation of new detention centers.

BIA continues to make progress in the President’s management agenda for improving management and performance of the Federal government by practicing the Secretary’s vision for citizen-centered management excellence. The 2004 budget for BIA supports the Department’s outcome goals to fulfill Indian trust responsibilities and advance quality communities for Tribes. BIA has worked extensively to integrate the budget with the performance goals in the Department’s new unified strategic plan.

The School Operations, School Construction and Indian Land Consolidation programs were assessed using the Administration’s Program Assessment Rating Tool. The PART process identified actions needed to clarify program purpose and design, and provided recommendations to improve strategic planning, program management and program results. BIA has begun to work on improvements recommended as a result of the assessment.

The Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs has responsibility for fulfilling the Department’s trust responsibility to American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and individuals, as well as promoting tribal self-determination, education and economic development. The Assistant Secretary also oversees the BIA, which is responsible for providing services to approximately 1.5 million American Indians and Alaska Natives from the nation’s 562 Federally recognized tribes.

-DOI-

https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/trust-reform-and-economic-development-see-funding-increases-under

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OPA

Assistant Secretary Sweeney Announces Appointments of Charles Addington as Senior Advisor for Law Enforcement, Security and School Safety, Jason O’Neal as OJS Deputy Bureau Director

Funding Helps Advance President Obama’s Commitment to Improve Indian Education

Additional funding sought for trust improvements and tribal economies.