In Midst Of Sequestration Cuts To Tribal Funds, IRS Audits Tribal Expenditures Such As Education Benefits And Funerals

A recently published article contrasts the New York Times op-ed piece by former senator Byron L. Dorgan with the response from tribal leadership concerning actions against Native Indians by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Senator Dorgan served as chairman for the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and wrote the recent New York Times op-ed piece to bring attention to what he calls the "one set of issues I knew I could not leave behind". The article citing Senator Dorgan's editorial describes the poor state of health, education and housing among many Native Americans. The senator recalls his personal experiences on the sovereign Indian reservation of Pine Ridge, where he encountered discontinued youth programs, closed youth shelters and "an abysmal housing situation".

The article points out the at the very same time that one sector of the Federal government is failing to meet it's obligations to Native Indian tribes, another sector of the government is actively attacking tribal nations. According to the article, IRS agents have been conducting unannounced audits and compliancy checks of tribal governments. Native Indian leaders call these audits and compliancy checks discriminatory and harassing. The former president of the Pine Ride reservation claims that IRS auditors have pried into expenditures for health care, education benefits, utility assistance, housing assistance, powwow prizes and funeral expense, expenditures that he says should never be subject to taxation.

The article mentions that the conflict caused by funding cuts and IRS pressure will likely come to some sort of resolution with the presentation of the Senate's tax code overhaul bill that is currently being written. Tribal leaders say that they will continue doing everything in their power to make sure that the new tax bill protects the sovereignty and interests of tribal nations. The article expresses doubt over whether or not the U.S. Senate will faithfully consider the Federal government's obligation to sovereign tribal nations while writing the new legislation.