On January 31, Tex Hall, head of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), asked President Bush to help tribes around the country improve their standard of living, health and education on reservations. Chairman Hall gave the first “State of Indian Nations” speech, in which he cited high poverty rates and poor health facilities. He explained that almost a quarter of American Indian homes have no telephone service, over 14 percent of reservation houses have no electricity, and 8 percent have no running water. American Indian life expectancy is also five years less than any other race, with a higher risk for developing diabetes. Schools are in disrepair and only about half of American Indian students finish high school, and 17 percent go on to college. Hall called on Bush and Congress to endorse an economic stimulus package that would create 100,000 new jobs in Indian Country and give support for reservation infrastructure and health plans. While the budget is tight and federal aid will probably be minimal, the NCAI is determined to fight for every little bit of financial aid they can to improve suffering reservation economies.
