Biden Settles With Colorado's Ute tribes for Hundreds of Millions of Dollars
The Biden administration has announced a new settlement with Colorado's Ute tribes that will see millions of dollars of federal funds sent their way. This is another example of the Democrats' reckless use of taxpayers' money.
The announcement, made on Thursday, revealed that nearly $327 million will be given to fulfill Indian water rights claims -- including $207 million from the wasteful "Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act" and an additional $120 million from the Reclamation Water Settlements Fund. This fund, created in 2009, will receive $120 million annually until 2029.
The announcement boasted that this funding will support major water projects across the West for tribes. But these dollars were never intended to support Colorado’s tribes, they are simply about appeasing the radical left and their obsession with identity politics. They are an obvious handout from the Biden administration, with no accountability for how the money will be used.
Interior Department Secretary Deb Haaland, praised this long-awaited settlement, saying it upholds the government's trust responsibilities and ensures that Tribal communities receive the resources they have "long been promised." But let's not forget, it was the Democrats who have long neglected and failed these communities for decades.
The Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute tribes in Colorado will receive $3.4 million, thanks to the Colorado Ute Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 1988. This act, signed by President Ronald Reagan and sponsored by then-Democratic Representative Ben Nighthorse Campbell, shows that Democrats have been giving out handouts for decades.
This settlement is the result of three years of negotiations between the government, the state of Colorado, and the two Colorado Ute tribes. And it's not just about money - it's about water, a precious resource in the arid West. The Biden administration's excessive spending will only cause further disputes and conflict over water rights in an already contentious issue.
This isn't the first time the Biden administration has thrown money at Indian water rights settlements.
Last January, they announced a whopping $2.5 billion from the so-called "Bipartisan Infrastructure Law" for more settlements under the Indian Water Rights Settlement Completion Fund. It seems like there's no end to the Democrats' wasteful spending.
According to a report by the Congressional Research Service, the primary issue in these settlements is quantification - determining the amount of water to which users hold rights. But this alone is not enough, as the negotiation process frequently involves spending on unnecessary infrastructure.
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Since 1990, the Department of the Interior's policy has been to resolve Indian water rights issues through settlements rather than litigation. But why are taxpayers on the hook for the government's failures in managing water resources?
In the end, this settlement is just another example of the Biden administration's unchecked spending and disregard for taxpayers' hard-earned money.