Thomas Daschle: “A recent article in the January 26, 2004 edition of TIME Magazine entitled ``A Trust Betrayed'' has again reminded the…”

“A recent article in the January 26, 2004 edition of TIME Magazine entitled ``A Trust Betrayed'' has again reminded the Nation of the shameful and illegal manner in which the United States treats Native Americans. A pending class action lawsuit alleges that the United States owes over $100 billion to some 500,000 Native Americans. For over 100 years, the Department of Interior has served as the trustee for the proceeds from the leasing of oil, gas, land and mineral rights on Indian land, yet the Department cannot tell us how much is owed or to whom it is owed. This money is desperately needed to address basic human needs and stimulate economic development. There are important legal issues at stake. The concepts of sovereignty, treaty rights, and government-to-government relations all come into play. Indian trust reform is also a civil rights issue. We are becoming a much more diverse country. How can Hispanic Americans, or African Americans, or anyone else, trust the United States if we are still breaking our legal obligations to our first Americans? I commend this article to the attention of my colleagues, and once again urge the Department of Interior to provide the accounting required to all Native Americans.”