OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

Stephanie Hanna (O) 202/208-6416
Rex Hackler (O) 202/208-6087

BABBITT, GOVER TO DISCUSS BIA MANAGEMENT REPORT
Budgetary Concerns and Tribal Priority Funds to be Highlighted at Thursday Briefing

Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Kevin Gover will hold a media briefing on Thursday, September 9. Their briefing will focus on a new report documenting the management of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and other issues affecting the BIA budget.

The briefing will be held in Room 7000 of the Main Interior Building, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC, beginning at 4:00 p.m. (eastern daylight time).

A phone bridge for use by out-of-town media will be available by prior arrangement with the BIA Office of Public Affairs at 202/219-4150 or either of the media contacts listed above.

"BIA is too often unfairly portrayed as a bloated bureaucracy, and in today's BIA that simply isn't true," Babbitt said. "This new report points out that a procession of Congressional budget cuts have inflicted serious damage to BIA's administrative structure. Clearly, it's a case of cutting the fat way into the bone. Now more funding is needed to create efficient management that can be responsive to the tribes."

Secretary Babbitt and Assistant Secretary Gover will also be discussing newly released figures on Tribal Priority Allocation funding.

Also on Thursday, Secretary Babbitt will be speaking about the takeover of subsistence fishing in Alaska at the end of this month by the federal government. His remarks will be to representatives of the Alaska Federation of Natives and others at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. His remarks are open to the media and are scheduled to begin about 9:30 a.m. in the Baird Auditorium.

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