The Nation - News from Jan. 31, 1989

The head of a special Senate committee charged that “corruption and fraud” in federal programs to help American Indians are making things worse for “one of our nation’s poorest minority groups.” The committee, chaired by Sen. Dennis DeConcini (D-Ariz.) opened hearings with general statements about its findings and testimony from Indian leaders. Those leaders were unanimous in their criticism of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Interior Department agency that administers many of the federal programs aimed at helping the nation’s 1.4 million Indians. DeConcini said the hearings would focus on evidence of corruption in contracting programs, mob infiltration of Indian gambling operations, child sexual abuse in Indian schools, and inadequate legal representation of Indians by the government.