U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., has requested increased funding for the Museum of the Plains Indian in Browning in the annual Interior Appropriations bill.

The Museum of the Plains Indian, one of three Indian Arts and Crafts Board museums, attracts more than 15,000 tourists annually and houses a collection of more than 1,500 local Blackfeet artifacts, most of which are stored because the museum has no room to display them.

"Time and again, the administration has threatened to shut this museum down," said Rehberg, who is a member of the House Appropriations Committee. "Well, I'm not going to let that happen — not on my watch. I'm striking first and requesting an increase in the IACB's funding, which will help ensure the Browning museum keeps running long into the future."

The Department of Interior's Indian Arts and Crafts Board operates the Museum of the Plains Indian in Browning; the Sioux Indian Museum in Rapid City, S.D.; and the Southern Plains Indian Museum in Anadarko, Okla.

However, in recent years, the Bush administration has tried to phase out funding for the Indian museums and have the museums' artifacts shipped to Washington, D.C. Rehberg and a bipartisan congressional coalition have fought to restore funding.

Rehberg's measure asks for $1.5 million for the IACB. The budget request currently is $1.227 million budget. The increase would ensure the Museum of the Plains Indian would have adequate staff and operating funds to keep the museum open year-round, officials said. Last year, Congress was successful in increasing funding for the program to $1.19 million.