Coburn: Congress should force Cherokees’ decision
BY JIM MYERS World Washington Bureau
Friday, August 10, 2007
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen.
Tom Coburn said Congress should
step into the Cherokee Nation’s ongoing
freedmen controversy to
force the tribe “to honor their commitment”
to descendants of slaves.
The Oklahoma Republican’s
stance could be a major setback for
efforts by others to have lawmakers
back off and give the legal process
more time.
One of the tribe’s more vocal
congressional critics, Rep. Diane
Watson, D-Calif., has scheduled a
trip next week to Oklahoma, where
she may meet with Cherokee Nation
Principal Chief Chad Smith.
Watson also is expected to meet with the NAACP and members of
the Oklahoma Legislative Black
Caucus.
Coburn made his comments several
days after a House committee
approved a provision to block the
tribe from participating in a loan
program as a way to force it to drop
efforts to strip certain freedmen descendants
from its rolls.
A bill with that provision could
be on the House floor next month.
“I’m supportive of the freedmen,”
Coburn said.
“It is part of their deal, and it is
breaking a contract. I think they
(the tribe) are wrong.”
In response to a question specifically
about the approach taken by the House panel, Coburn said
he believes Congress should
become involved.
“Yes. If that is the only way
to get them to honor their
commitment,” he said.
Coburn serves on the Senate
Indian Affairs Committee.
His endorsement of the approach
pushed by Watson and
others seemed to catch some
off-guard, and it is different
than the approach taken by
Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla., who
serves on the House panel
that took the action against
the Cherokees recently and
another committee with jurisdiction
over tribal affairs.
Boren continues to urge fellow
lawmakers to take a waitand-
see approach to the freedmen
issue.
He had declined to pick a
side publicly and said he believes
Congress should stay
out of the controversy for now
and allow the legal process to
continue.
Boren declined to comment
further.
Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla.,
has indicated he will allow
Coburn to take the lead on the issue in the Senate.
Chief Smith expressed interest
in meeting with Watson.
“In our meeting, I look forward
to explaining that the
Cherokee Nation favors finding
a path to citizenship for all
2,867 disenrolled freedmen
descendants who can trace
Cherokee heritage,” he said.
“The congressional legislation
that has been introduced
would ignore our unilateral
and voluntary commitment.”
In June, Watson, a member
of the Congressional Black
Caucus, introduced a bill to
strip the tribe of its estimated
$300 million in annual federal
funds in an attempt to force
the tribe to restore full citizenship
rights to its freedmen descendants.
Her bill, which is viewed by
some as more symbolic than a
serious legislative threat, also
would suspend the tribe’s
rights to conduct its gaming
operations and sever all ties
between the tribe and the U.S.
government.
She and other members of the caucus view the tribe’s effort
to expel certain freedmen
descendants as discrimination.
Smith said the tribe’s membership
remains inclusive.
“We have always said that
this issue has never been
about race but instead about
who has Indian lineage and
who is a documented Cherokee,”
he said.
“We are a truly diverse nation,
including thousands of
Cherokee citizens who are African
Americans and who also
have an Indian ancestor on the
Dawes Cherokee Blood Roll,
including 1,500 freedmen descendants
who are citizens of
the nation.”
Smith expressed hope he
could continue a dialogue with
two other Congressional
Black Caucus members, Reps.
Mel Watt, D-N.C., and Maxine
Waters, D-Calif.
Watt introduced the amendment
on the bill now awaiting
floor action.
Jim Myers (202) 484-1424
jim.myers@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
FREEDMEN
Tom Coburn: The
U.S. senator, who
serves on the
Senate Indian Affairs
Committee, says
Congress should
step in if necessary
to force the
Cherokees to
recognize the
Freedmen.
|
