25 U.S.C. § 4101 : US Code - Section 4101: Congressional findings

Search 25 U.S.C. § 4101 : US Code - Section 4101: Congressional findings

The Congress finds that -
(1) the Federal Government has a responsibility to promote the
general welfare of the Nation -
(A) by using Federal resources to aid families and
individuals seeking affordable homes in safe and healthy
environments and, in particular, assisting responsible,
deserving citizens who cannot provide fully for themselves
because of temporary circumstances or factors beyond their
control;
(B) by working to ensure a thriving national economy and a
strong private housing market; and
(C) by developing effective partnerships among the Federal
Government, State, tribal, and local governments, and private
entities that allow government to accept responsibility for
fostering the development of a healthy marketplace and allow
families to prosper without government involvement in their day-
to-day activities;
(2) there exists a unique relationship between the Government
of the United States and the governments of Indian tribes and a
unique Federal responsibility to Indian people;
(3) the Constitution of the United States invests the Congress
with plenary power over the field of Indian affairs, and through
treaties, statutes, and historical relations with Indian tribes,
the United States has undertaken a unique trust responsibility to
protect and support Indian tribes and Indian people;
(4) the Congress, through treaties, statutes, and the general
course of dealing with Indian tribes, has assumed a trust
responsibility for the protection and preservation of Indian
tribes and for working with tribes and their members to improve
their housing conditions and socioeconomic status so that they
are able to take greater responsibility for their own economic
condition;
(5) providing affordable homes in safe and healthy environments
is an essential element in the special role of the United States
in helping tribes and their members to improve their housing
conditions and socioeconomic status;
(6) the need for affordable homes in safe and healthy
environments on Indian reservations, in Indian communities, and
in Native Alaskan villages is acute and the Federal Government
should work not only to provide housing assistance, but also, to
the extent practicable, to assist in the development of private
housing finance mechanisms on Indian lands to achieve the goals
of economic self-sufficiency and self-determination for tribes
and their members; and
(7) Federal assistance to meet these responsibilities should be
provided in a manner that recognizes the right of Indian self-
determination and tribal self-governance by making such
assistance available directly to the Indian tribes or tribally
designated entities under authorities similar to those accorded
Indian tribes in Public Law 93-638 (25 U.S.C. 450 et seq.).