Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, since the Supreme Court's decision in 2009, the Carcieri decision, the status of Indian lands across the country have been undermined, and there has been an uptick in frivolous suits against tribal lands. One such lawsuit, the Patchak case, has put a Michigan tribe's trust land, upon which its casino supports approximately 1,000 much-needed jobs was constructed, very much in jeopardy. S. 1603, the Gun Lake Trust Land Reaffirmation Act, simply affirms that the land taken into trust for the Gun Lake Tribe in Michigan is Indian land and is rightfully held in trust by the United States for the tribe's benefit. The bill passed the Senate by unanimous consent, and it passed House committee markup without event. Mr. Speaker, I fully support this legislation, as does the tribe, the entire Michigan delegation, and the administration, and I look forward to its passing the House and being signed into law. I am glad this bill has passed through the legislative process so quickly. That said, I think unless and until we have a Carcieri-fix legislation enacted, these types of piecemeal bills will become routinely needed to protect tribal lands that are rightfully held in trust. I call upon all of my colleagues in this body and in the Senate to work together to obtain that fix. With that, Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.”