"If it is a law, it ought to get done and it ought to get followed."
"It is very clearly a trust responsibility to provide water on a reservation."
"It is a huge problem. Our colleagues, Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin and Senator Dorgan, actually have a pretty good piece of legislation to try to enhance the authority of tribal courts."
"When tribes do this, they almost always turn right around and invest all the money right back where you are investing your money."
"You will find full Indian health care reauthorizations in there."
"I do not know what the dropout rate is in your tribe, but I know nationwide, you are talking only 49 percent of native kids finish high school compared to 75 percent national average, and about 10, 11..."
"Congratulations on not waiting around for us to solve your problems."
"I am pretty stunned at the differential between how we fund the U.S. Forestry Service and how you are funded."
"It does amaze me when the BIA loses a legal case. That ought to kind of tell them, you know, why do we want to come back down this road again?"
"Once we were able to take over those services ourselves and contract for ourselves... healthcare got a whole lot better."
"Would the gentleman yield for just a question on point?"
"if 53 is the good number, I do not think anybody on this panel will regard that as a good result."
"It is so critical that tribes have a direct say-so in the education of their kids."
"I do not know much about trees, so this has been very educational for me."
"all states may be equal but all tribes are not, and we have dispensed recognition in many cases and stripped tribes of the ability to pursue their own economic interests."
"I look forward to working with you on it, and as you know, it is a great program. We need to restore it."
"We cannot solve these problems in a single year."
"I am certainly doing everything on my end to help."
