Golden Fleece Award

WASHINGTON – Congressman French Hill (R-AR) named the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Bureau of Indian Education as the latest winner of the Golden Fleece award for failing to maintain the facilities at Pine Hill Schools in New Mexico despite being given $7.5 million taxpayer dollars for school upkeep.

“I am astounded at the lack of concern demonstrated by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE),” said Hill. “For over five years, the BIE shirked their responsibility to protect students from possible harm. They neglected these students by not using the money given to them to maintain the school’s damaged facilities, including the broken fire alarm and suppression systems. This kind of performance from the BIE is unacceptable and must be rectified immediately.”

In the letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs Director Tony L. Dearman, Congressman Hill wrote:

Mr. Tony L. Dearman

Director

Bureau of Indian Affairs

U.S. Department of the Interior

1849 C St NW

MS-3609-MIB

Washington, DC 20240-0001

Dear Mr. Dearman:

I write to inform you that your agency is this month’s recipient of my Golden Fleece Award. I am awarding this to U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI) Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) for what appears to be mismanagement of taxpayer funds in its response to reports of severe safety concerns at school facilities overseen by BIE.

As Congress recently noted in its passage of the Indian Trust Asset Reform Act, "through treaties, statutes, and historical relations with Indian tribes, the United States has undertaken a unique trust responsibility to protect and support Indian tribes and Indians."

First, a June 1, 2018, report from the DOI Office of Inspector General (OIG), found that BIE had failed to maintain the facilities at Pine Hill Schools in Pine Hill, New Mexico, since 2005. Further, an earlier OIG report from 2016 provided twelve recommendations to address the maintenance deficiencies that “exist despite the fact that Pine Hill has received more than $7.5 million in facility-related funding over the last 5 years.” The report also found that “several of these issues could be classified as routine maintenance activities and likely should have been resolved with a cost less than $2,500.” The 2018 OIG report found that significant progress had not been made in rectifying the issues identified in the 2016 report. I find it disturbing that despite two DOI OIG reports highlighting the need for routine maintenance, and after receiving more than $7.5 million to address said maintenance, BIE failed to do so.

Second, since 2014, GAO, in three separate reports, made thirteen recommendations to increase efficient management of BIE schools, and has included BIE and BIA on its High-Risk List since 2017. On June 13, 2018, GAO issued an update to their 2017 High-Risk assessment, expressing concern that BIA “has not provided [GAO] with evidence that it has developed and put in place action plans” for proper allocation and management of funds for school construction and repair per GAO’s 2017 recommendation.

Our federal agencies must be good stewards of our federal taxpayer dollars, and I am committed to ensuring effective practices at our Nation’s federal agencies. Should you require any additional authority from Congress to address these concerns, I urge you to notify us as soon as possible. I thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to working with you to address this important issue.

                Sincerely,

                French Hill

                Member of Congress

CC:

The Honorable Ryan Zinke

Secretary

U.S. Department of the Interior

1849 C St NW

Washington, DC 20240