This week, Wisconsin Rep. Tom Tiffany submitted a request to the House Appropriations Committee to prevent the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa from ever holding Wisconsinites hostage again. The appropriations request will pull any Indian tribe’s Tribal Transportation Program funds if it closes public access to roads registered in the program.
“Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any Indian Tribe that closes or otherwise restricts public access to any roadway that was listed on the Indian Reservation Roads / Tribal Transportation Facility Inventory as of January 1, 2022, shall be ineligible for Tribal Transportation Program funds,” reads the letter.
2023.03.24 Interior Approps LDF by The Federalist on Scribd
From late January to mid-March, some 65 non-tribal Wisconsin families were held hostage by the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The tribe had erected illegal barricades on the four roads, cutting off vehicle access and effectively preventing residents from entering and leaving their homes.
The barricades were erected in response to a road dispute between two title companies and the town of Lac Du Flambeau. The innocent, barricaded residents were essentially being held for ransom while the tribes demanded $20 million to reopen the roads for only 15 years.
After receiving negative press attention from The Federalist and Fox News, the tribe agreed to give the town a 30-day permit for the roads to temporarily open while negotiations ensue, with the possibility of two more available 30-permits if the tribe wishes to grant them. The tribe is charging the
