A special thanks and appreciation is extended to New Mexico Senator Udall for his continued support regarding these issues.

I agree with my colleague, Senator Udall, that we have a national emergency on our hands. We must act before it is too late.

I want to thank you for holding this hearing. It is a very important hearing both for the Country and native students.

When the United States Government has a school, it is their school. We have a trust responsibility to run this school for Indian children.

I have been calling for a Marshall Plan to eliminate the backlog in construction and maintenance of BIA facilities.

I joined Senators Dorgan and Franken in asking the Senate Budget Committee to increase funding for BIA Education Construction.

if a school is going to fall down and kill 20 kids or 100 kids or something like that tomorrow, that is the one I would want you to be on top of

The taxpayers and Native communities deserve assurance that these monies will be spent accountably and that they would be spent in a cost-effective way.

we should be able to fix a lot of the things that are going on.

It seems to me the key, I mean both of these witnesses here and the previous witnesses were focusing on education, but the real key is in healthy families in these native communities.

Before I close the hearing, I want to just make two comments. As Chairman Dorgan said, the reporting on these issues out in New Mexico and in other places I think has been very helpful in terms of moving us forward, exposing the problems…

And clearly you want to give the top academic experience to your students, but because of these safety issues you are having to pull money away from that academic side. And that is obviously unacceptable.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the NIST GREEN JOBS Act, to provide NIST Grants for green jobs, improved energy efficiency, and small business growth. It has never been easy to be an entrepreneur or small business owner, and this…

Which isn't much, right?

I hope that she is watching today and seeing that you are doing a good job here, Sheldon, on this front.

I think they would concern other members of the committee as well.

It certainly left, I think, in many people's mouths a sour taste and questions about what the intent was of Transocean.

So what you all are urging is that we ratify these treaties and move forward with the countries around the world, and that we are slow to do that at this point.