In its 21st Special Session this Osage Congress made it clear they were going to un-necessarily suspend the progress of the Nation, by only passing a continuing resolution in lieu of fulfilling their duty to pass the required appropriations acts. A continuing resolution may work when our funding comes entirely from revenues derived from our own sources, but it wreaks havoc on the Nation’s accounting, and ultimately on our audits, when it applies to spending our federal grants, which have also been placed in this state of suspended animation. A continuing resolution is even more damaging to our programs which provide services and have demonstrated additional needs for services and thus have received new or additional federal funds which are just sitting in our Treasury. These programs are not just severely hampered by being forced to operate at FY09 levels, they are not able to operate at all and in turn Osage citizens are being deprived of services.
Additionally, this Congress has further curtailed Executive Branch spending to one twelfth of the 2009 budget to be spent within each month, making it impossible to anticipate or plan for activities except those occurring immediately within each month.
This Osage Congress obviously needs to be reminded over and over again (and unfortunately to no avail) that governments and large institutions do not, and can not, operate effectively in this manner. When will this Osage Congress learn that professionals running programs need to be allowed to run the programs without interference from politicians who seemingly do not even understand how important the program services are to the people being served? Legislators are elected to pass laws, not press the “pause button” on all activities of their governments.
In other willfully irresponsible behavior Congress is using the specious argument that they are not passing appropriations because the Executive Branch did not submit our budgets when they were requested, and further can’t make a revenue projection to determine the appropriate level of total appropriations because the Gaming Board’s Plan of Operations was not submitted until September. Every other so called “budget projection” has been made in the spring prior to the fall appropriations for the next fiscal year and Congress has never waited for the submission or approval of the Gaming Annual Plan of Operations to complete the task of a budget projection. In the past the budget projection has been achieved by adding the numbers provided by the Treasury of retained revenues or so called money in the bank, with the numbers provided by Gaming of revenues minus expenses expected for the next year plus the numbers provided by the Tax Commission of anticipated tax revenues for the upcoming fiscal year. Why did Congress fail to fulfill this responsibility when the information was available to them in the spring? And why are they stating they needed the Gaming Plan of Operations to make a budget projection when they have never waited for the submission of the Plan before to make a budget projection? Could it be to justify an irresponsible manipulation of the tribal revenues to create a false ceiling for funds available for the next fiscal year which, by the way, was conveniently only arrived at after Congress passed their own inflated budget? Their own dereliction of duty to make a budget projection within a responsible timeframe and in a responsible manner is being blamed on everyone else, but Congress has yet to take responsibility for their own inaction and misconduct.
Additionally, Congress was certainly capable of passing appropriations in the past years within the constitutionally mandated timeframe even when budgets arrived during that 24 day period of the regular session. So what is different this year? Could it be perhaps that the majority of the Nation’s leadership is up for election in June of 2010? But even if this weren’t a political move aimed at my Administration, which it undoubtedly is, I can not see how this helps any member of Congress win re-election. Can’t the other members of Congress facing re-election see this kamikaze move for what it is? And why are they not willing to stop the scuttling of their ship?
So, while the Osage Nation’s reputation may be suffering damage, and our programs may be hobbled by the quiet misguided political agreements occurring inside the dim chambers of Congress, the Nation shall strive to continue to move forward. We will continue forward with the business of strengthening the Osage Nation in the image of the People’s 25-year strategic vision, albeit at a much slower pace; but make no mistake we will also continue to call out this Congress for its continued bad faith legislation and willful neglect of its duty to pass annual appropriations in a timely manner.
In upcoming messages I hope to report more fully on the impacts of the proposed cuts this Congress is unnecessarily imposing. I also hope to discuss our progress in other areas more fully. Until then, please urge this Osage Congress to regain their rational perspective, show restraint in exercising their powers, and get behind the progress we are making as a Nation, which is recognized throughout the world, and stop undermining our future by withholding the appropriations bills.