Oklahoma Republican senator blocks settlements for black farmers and American Indians

Funding for black farmers and Indians stalls again

WASHINGTON — A conservative Republican is holding up a broadly supported bill in the Senate aimed at paying off settlements with black farmers and American Indians.

The legislation would remedy discrimination by the Agriculture Department against black farmers and settle claims that the Interior Department mismanaged Indian trust funds. It would allocate more than $4 billion.

Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma is throwing up a roadblock to the bill. An aide to Coburn says the senator is dissatisfied with the way the bill would be paid for.

Democrats and Republicans alike thought the measure likely to pass, in part because several bills backed by western Republicans to resolve Indian water claims have been added to it.