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However, the Indian Health Care Bill and Housing Bill are Stuck in the House because of the Congressional Black Caucus


South Dakota Sen. John Thune, a Republican, pushed to add the money to the AIDS bill, saying that it would be an appropriate part of legislation designed to help poor communities.

''There are reservations in this country where conditions are as dire as any place in the world,'' Thune said.

North Dakota Sen. Byron Dorgan, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, worked with Thune on the amendment to the AIDS bill when it was on the Senate floor earlier in August. He pushed to add the health care money, saying that there is a health care crisis on reservations.

Wyoming Sen. Mike Enzi, the top Republican on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and a supporter of the AIDS bill, also praised the Indian money.

(some folks in Congress *get it*)

for the full story:
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096417952

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