I want to make a point about Senator Franken's comments. We began this process in our caucus because our frustration is, we hear the concerns and we hear the problems.

What is the average adverse childhood experience of Native American children? We do not know, do we?

It is really hard to get a level of accountability on this side because to us it seems to be unfair to put this back on you.

Thank you Chairman Hoeven for holding this hearing on my bill and others today.

An accurate student count is critical for JOM program administration, budget justification, and the delivery of student services.

We cannot get a count, so we need to fix this problem.

The JOM program has proven to be an effective and essential program for Navajo students attending public school.

I look forward to working with Senator Merkley to mark up these bills and move them forward for our consideration.

Thank you to Senator John Hoeven, and the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs for scheduling a field hearing on the topic of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act.

Mr. President, Congress and our country desperately need to have an honest, meaningful, transparent, and bipartisan conversation about improving our healthcare system. It shouldn't be a tall order, but around here things that seem common…

As you know, we sent a letter requesting that grazing, emergency grazing be allowed on CRP acres. That was granted.

If that is the position of the Department of Justice, that when we actually engage in a friendly discussion, we lose our rights, I would suggest to every State government, they sue you immediately.

Mr. President, one of the things that the healthcare law changes here have demonstrated is that partisanship in Congress has reached a new high--or I would say a new low. I am tired of reading about who is to blame for what, and I know…

Mr. President, I wish to make some concluding remarks. No. 1, I share the concerns that Senator Barrasso expressed. I hear from ranch families and I hear from farm families about the unaffordability of their healthcare premiums. I hear…

We have been begging you guys for a decision to allow haying, because people have to make decisions right now about what they are going to do with their herd.

I would urge you to do everything. Go to the limit in what you can do in providing relief to these ranchers and access to CRP.

I do not know how things can get worse for our ranchers out there. If they are making it, they are making it day to day right now, and they do not know how they are going to carry this over into the winter.

I am concerned about the rental market, which, Mr. DeMarco, in your testimony you made a critical point that one of our greatest challenges is actually in the rental market.