Rep. Cole charges 'blackmail' in Freedmen dispute
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Filed Under:
Politics
Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), the only Native American in Congress, is accusing colleagues of "legislative blackmail" as the dispute over the
Cherokee Freedmen heats up on Capitol Hill.
Cole, a member of the
Chickasaw Nation, responded to recent comments by
Rep. Barney Frank
(D-Massachusetts), the chairman of the
House Financial Services
Committee. Frank said he will oppose a bill to reauthorize the
Native American
Housing and Self-Determination Act if it doesn't address the citizenship of the Cherokee Freedmen.
"This is legislating with a gun to the head of the Cherokee Nation," Cole told The Tulsa World.
Cole said the courts should resolve the issue of whether the Freedmen, who are descendants of former African slaves, are entitled to Cherokee citizenship. Frank, along with the
Congressional
Black Caucus, believe a treaty protects the Freedmen.
Meanwhile, the National American Indian Housing Council is warning that the NAHSDA won't be passed this year due to the controversy. "This would be an unfortunate outcome for the hundreds of thousands of American Indian and Alaska Native low-income families that would be unwitting victims in a controversy involving one Indian tribe," Chairman Marty Shuravloff wrote in a letter.
Get the Story:
Cole charges 'blackmail' over Indian housing bill
(The Tulsa World 4/24)
Cherokee-Related Legislation:
H.R.2786
|
H.R.2895
|
H.R.2824
|
H.R.3002
BIA Letters:
August
9, 2007 |
July
11, 2007 |
June
22, 2007 |
May 21, 2007 |
March 28, 2007 |
August 30, 2006
Sovereign Immunity Court Decision:
Vann v. Kempthorne (December 19,
2006)
Cherokee Nation Judicial Appeals Tribunal Decision in Freedmen
Case:
Allen
v. Cherokee Nation (March 7, 2006)
Related Stories:
Opinion: The history of the Cherokee Freedmen
(4/23)
Rep. Frank backs Freedmen in
Cherokee funding fight (4/22)
Freedmen
issue weighs heavy on Capitol Hill (4/14)
Tim Giago: CBC goes after Cherokee Nation
(4/14)
Cherokee tribes denounce Freedmen
legislation (4/10)
Cherokee chief to
address Freedmen at conference (4/7)
Black lawmakers press Senate on Freedmen (4/4)
Cherokee Freedmen dispute up for hearing
(3/27)
Opinion: Being Cherokee more than
the blood (3/26)
Lawmakers press Artman
on Freedmen issues (3/19)
Freedmen
protest outside of Rep. Boren's office (3/3)
Black lawmakers to meet with Artman over Freedmen
(1/23)
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