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16 

YELLEN v. CONFEDERATED TRIBES OF CHEHALIS 
RESERVATION 
Opinion of the Court 

status as Indians,” §5304(e), and thus fail ISDA’s recognized-
as-eligible clause.

Respondents’  cross-referencing  argument,  however,  re-
quires the Court to ignore the reason why ANCs are not on
the list.  True to its full name, the Federally Recognized In-
dian Tribe List Act tasks the Secretary with maintaining a
“ ‘list  of  federally  recognized  tribes’ ”  only.    Note  following
§5130, p. 678.  The List Act, moreover, lacks language like 
that in ISDA expressly “including” ANCs “established pur-
suant to” ANCSA.  §5304(e).  The obvious inference, then, 
is that ANCs are not on the Secretary’s list simply because 
they are not federally recognized.

History confirms as much.  In 1979, 15 years before the 
List Act was passed, the Secretary began publishing a list
of Indian tribes “that have a government-to-government re-
lationship with the United States.”  44 Fed. Reg. 7235.  In 
1988, ANCs were added to the Secretary’s list, which had 
been  retitled  “Indian  Entities  Recognized  and  Eligible  To
Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian 
Affairs,”  because  ANCs  are  “specifically  eligible  for  the 
funding  and  services  of  the  [Bureau  of  Indian  Affairs]  by
statute” and “should not have to undertake to obtain Fed-
eral Acknowledgement” (i.e., federal recognition).  53 Fed. 
Reg. 52829, 52832.  In 1993, the Secretary dropped ANCs
from  the  list,  concluding  that  “the  inclusion  of  ANC[s],
which lack tribal status in a political sense, called into ques-
tion the status” of the other entities on the list.  58 Fed. Reg.
54365.  In  so  doing,  the  Secretary  reaffirmed  that  ANCs
“are  not  governments,  but  they  have  been  designated  as 
‘tribes’  for  the  purposes  of  some  Federal  laws,”  including
ISDA.  Id.,  at  54364.  The  List  Act,  passed  the  following
year, “confirmed the Secretary’s authority and responsibil-
ity” to maintain a list of federally recognized tribes.  60 Fed. 
Reg. 9251.  Hence, ANCs remained off the list. 

To accept respondents’ argument, then, the Court would
need  to  cross-reference  ISDA’s  definition  of  an  “Indian