Navajos slam Obama for inaction

The president of the Navajo Nation slammed President Obama and Democrats for deserting the tribe's 300,000 people after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accidentally polluted a river the tribe depends on, leaving one-third of the reserve's drinking water unsafe. In an exclusive interview with The Hill, Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye again called on Obama and administration officials to declare the San Juan River a disaster zone. EPA officials have insisted the toxins have been diluted. But Begaye said he “doesn't buy it.” He argues toxins are seeping into ranchers' soil and threatening livestock and crops. “There's no way we can guarantee that the drinking water is safe,” he said. “We are asking the Democratic Party to have President Obama declare the river a disaster area — and we haven't gotten anything. Nothing,” he said. “The Democrats? I don't know what happened. We basically are Democrats. We always vote Democrat. But it seems like they've just walked away. And we're not hearing anything that's of value to us from the Democrats.” Begaye's interview comes as a series of hearings are set to begin on Capitol Hill examining the EPA’s response to the accident. “With Obama, we've been asking for him to at least give us a call and tell us you are there to help us and walk with us. But we have heard not a word. It seems like they've just closed the doors and walked away,” Begaye said. “We were the swing vote for them for years and they haven't done a thing.”...more