The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Cherokee Nation last Thursday, awarding them $8 million from the federal government. According to the judges, the Department of Health and Human Services failed to provide the tribal government with adequate funds when it attempted to run its own healthcare program from 1994 to 1996. The judges cited the Indian Self-determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975, which states that if tribes choose to take over a federal program, the respective agency must supply them with the funds to do it. The Navajo Nation is currently involved in a similar case concerning welfare.
