Political Quotes

“I so appreciate the passion and the advocacy of my colleague, the Senator from North Dakota, and working together on the Indian Affairs Committee on an issue in which I think both of us believe very strongly. Both of us believe in the commitment we have to the American Indians and the Alaska Natives, particularly insofar as providing them with a level of access to health care. That commitment is one that in far too many areas we have failed, and that is why it is so important that we are able to advance, as the first legislation of this new year, the Indian Health Care Improvement Act of 2007. We just celebrated the birthday of Martin Luther King, and as a nation we think about that time in our history when we were not proud of how we treated one another based on color of skin and ethnicity. We know that in many parts of this country, we still have far to go, but we are making progress. Yet, as we look to how the American Indians, the Alaska Natives, and so many in our Native communities have been treated when it comes to the basics in health care, that is an area where I think we need to look very critically and say we can and we must do more.”