Senate confirms EchoHawk as next Bureau of Indian Affairs leader

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Larry EchoHawk as the next head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Born in Wyoming, EchoHawk is a member of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma. He is a former state attorney general of Idaho. EchoHawk's nomination was confirmed by the Senate late Tuesday without a roll call vote. Last week, as his nomination moved out of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee on a voice vote, Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., sent word that he wanted to be recorded in opposition. Supporters had pushed for a quick confirmation of EchoHawk. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., chairman of the Senate committee, had noted the post has been empty for more than four of the last eight years. Citing the challenges facing the agency, Dorgan described that record as ""shameful.'' EchoHawk's title will be assistant Interior secretary of Indian Affairs...TulsaWorld