U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany are demanding the Lac du Flambeau tribe repay the town $600,000 paid for road access. Tiffany called the tribe’s 2023 road barricades over expired easements and the subsequent federal trespassing lawsuit “extortion.” Tribal President John Johnson Sr. rejected Tiffany’s claims as “false and inflammatory,” asserting the town trespassed on tribal trust land and that access payments were “voluntary and lawful”. A U.S. District Court Judge ordered the roads to stay open in August, and the Department of Justice withdrew its appeal. The tribe remains focused on resolving the road issues while upholding its sovereignty.