Buu Nygren

Some Republican members of Congress are criticizing the Biden administration's recent move to withdraw hundreds of square miles of federal land in New Mexico from oil and gas development.

The court found that the federal government isn't responsible for securing that water for the 170,000 tribal members who live there.

States that draw water from the river — Arizona, Nevada and Colorado — and water districts in California had urged the court to decide for them, and that's what the justices did in a 5-4 ruling.

Zah served as the tribal chairman in the 1980s and later was elected as its first president in 1990 after the government was restructured into three branches to prevent power from being concentrated in the chairman's office.

The Biden administration on Thursday said 15 Native American tribes will get a total of $580 million this year to fund settlements that ensure access to water that's legally theirs.

New tribal President Buu Nygren, who was sworn in earlier in January, had pledged to roll back the requirement during his campaign.

Nygren beat out incumbent President Jonathan Nez in the tribe's general election by about 3,500 votes. At 36, he will be the youngest to hold the tribal presidency and has never held political office.

Nygren ousted incumbent President Jonathan Nez in the tribe's election Tuesday. Nez had guided the tribe during the pandemic and signed off on a plan for much-needed infrastructure using federal virus relief funding.