Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 548, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Historic Lands Reacquisition Act, introduced by my friend from Tennessee, Congressman Fleischmann. H.R. 548 places approximately 96 acres of Tennessee Valley Authority land and permanent easements into trust along the shores of the Little Tennessee River and Tellico Reservoir in Monroe County, Tennessee, for the benefit of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. These areas include the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, the Chota Memorial, the Tanasi Memorial, and land to support these properties and cultural programs. The parcels placed into trust under the bill will primarily be used to memorialize and interpret the history of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is one of three federally recognized Cherokee Tribes and is the only federally recognized Tribe in North Carolina. Their ancestral homeland includes substantial parts of seven eastern States, including Tennessee. The 57,000-acre Qualla Boundary is the name of the Cherokee Indian Reservation in North Carolina. In 1979, after the completion of the Tellico Dam by the Tennessee Valley Authority, or TVA, the Tribe approached the TVA about lands that are of historical significance to the Tribe that were impacted by the dam.…”