Proposed changes to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) met with criticism at a conference in Albuquerque on Tuesday from both BIA employees fearing layoffs and relocation as well as Native Americans frustrated by a lack of consultation and voicing fears that the bureau continues to lose touch with the people it is intended to serve. The Bush administration’s plan includes additional high-level bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., the placement of about 100 representatives in Indian Country, and a shifting of responsibilities between the BIA and other Interior divisions. A national conference of tribal leaders plans to meet in Arizona later this month to organize opposition.
