Charge cards abused by Indian Affairs employees

Bureau of Indian Affairs officials acknowledged Tuesday a "department-wide problem" of employees misusing their government charge cards, the Associated Press reported. BIA managers say they have fired some employees, disciplined others and sought criminal charges against a few. "There is a problem, and it's one that we will not tolerate from the employees," BIA head Kevin Gover told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee.

He said he did not know how many of the BIA's more than 9,000 employees were issued cards and who misused them.

The Billings Gazette reported Monday that 13 BIA employees in Montana and Wyoming have been disciplined, and one indicted, for misusing the cards. It also quoted the second ranking official in the Montana-Wyoming office as saying "virtually everyone" got a card.

BIA has been plagued by management lapses and has acknowledged mishandling $3 billion in Indian trust funds. "It seems to me it is not a good policy to issue a [charge] card" to nearly every BIA worker, said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D.