WASHINGTON — The indictment of U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens — whose decadeslong relationship with U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye has yielded billions for their respective states — won't affect the senior Hawai'i senator's ability to bring home federal dollars, observers say.

Inouye, D-Hawai'i, and Stevens, an Alaska Republican, have been close friends for almost four decades as they fought to gain acceptance for their then-new states and later direct spending projects to them.

"In our legal system, a man is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law," Inouye said in a statement. "That is fundamental in our democracy."

Stevens was indicted yesterday for allegedly concealing receipt of more than $250,000 in benefits from an oil services company and its chief executive.

But even if Stevens leaves the Senate, political observers don't see a long-term impact on Inouye's ability to send federal funds to Hawai'i.

Sue Tolchin, a public policy professor at George Mason University, said Stevens' departure might have a temporary effect but not long term.

"Inouye is a very skillful politician and has been very skillful in terms of bringing home the bacon for his own state," Tolchin said. "I don't imagine that his style is going to be crimped all that much by the loss of one friend, however powerful."

But Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, said the process might become more difficult for Inouye if Stevens is gone.

"They are certainly able to help each other help themselves," Ellis said. "By having one of that relationship removed, it is going to become trickier maneuvering."

The two frequently help each other with legislation. Inouye is one of the few Democrats to support drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and Stevens is among the handful of Republicans supporting the Native Hawaiian federal recognition bill.

7 FELONY COUNTS

Stevens was indicted on seven counts of making false statements on his annual financial disclosure forms to conceal benefits he received from VECO Corp. and its executives from 1999 to 2006. The benefits included home improvements, furniture and tools, the indictment said.

Stevens is up for re-election in the fall, and news of a brewing scandal involving Alaska's senior senator has made the race closer than any since his coming to the Senate in 1968.

Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawai'i, author of the Native Hawaiian bill, said he was "sorry to hear about" Stevens' indictment.

Both Inouye, 83, and Stevens, 84, wield a lot of clout in the Senate. Both are senior members of the Senate Appropriations Committee as well as senior members of the Senate Commerce Committee, which Inouye chairs and Stevens is vice-chairman.

An immediate effect of the indictment is that Stevens has relinquished his position as ranking Republican member of the Commerce Committee, as well as the Subcommittee on Defense, which Inouye also chairs.

For years, the two senators have swapped chairmanships of the committees depending on which political party was in control of the Senate, but they continued to work closely together regardless of who sat at the head of the table.

Stevens' departure as ranking minority member of each committee, either temporarily or permanently, "is a concern," said Neil Milner, University of Hawai'i professor of political science.

"It has never hurt that our senior senator is one of the best earmarkers in Washington and is a very good friend of a powerful earmarker on the other side of the aisle," Milner said.

Another UH political science professor, Ira Rohter, said the Stevens indictment and the change in his committee standings "doesn't matter very much" for the time being.

"If it were a couple of years ago, it would matter more" because Republicans were in the majority, Rohter said.

And it will matter again if Republicans once again win control of the senate but Stevens is not in office to assume control of the committees, he said.

MONEY CRITICISM

While the two excel at coming up with federal money for their states, they are frequently criticized for it.

For example, Citizens Against Government Waste, a taxpayer watchdog group, has ranked Alaska and Hawai'i in seven of the past eight years as the top two states per capita for special-projects money, also known as earmarks. In 2008, for example, Alaska received $380 million, or $555.54 per person, and Hawai'i received $283 million, or $220.63 per person.

Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, said the two senators have a system going where they support each other's projects and spending, and he doesn't see any change in Inouye's ability to bring federal money to Hawai'i.

"Unless there are more limits or less money available (for earmarks) or the elimination of earmarks altogether, Senator Inouye will still be able to, some would say, work the system, and we would say, abuse the process," Schatz said.

After such a close friendship for so long, the indictment hasn't changed how Inouye feels about Stevens.

"As far as I am concerned, Ted Stevens remains my friend," Inouye said. "I believe in him."

Staff writer Jim Dooley contributed to this report.