White Earth Leader Worries About Shutdown Fallout

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The leader of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe says a federal government shutdown could have ramifications on the northwestern Minnesota tribe's health services and its fishery.

Tribal chairwoman Erma Vizenor said Wednesday that slowdowns in the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be sorely felt. She says the tribe is concerned it won't receive normal reimbursement for health services. And she says next Tuesday's lake stocking of sturgeon and other fingerling species might have to be postponed.

The fish restocking involves a Canadian tribe's hatchery and is usually done in partnership with federal wildlife regulators. Vizenor says there is a limited window to do the traditional autumn lake stocking.

Vizenor says 57 percent of the tribe's budget comes from federal funds.

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