Political Quotes

“We're back again. This is the second time with a different piece of legislation. And, quite honestly, H.R. 1410 is nothing more than special interest legislation designed to protect the Phoenix market from a few wealthy tribal gaming enterprises. The legislation not only upsets settled law, but potentially subjects the United States to new liabilities for breach of trust, breach of contract, and taking claims valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars, but it also creates a dangerous precedent for hundreds of tribal-State compacts and land and water rights settlements that are found nationwide. Let's talk about those promises. The Gila Bend Act, approved and enacted by this Congress 25 years ago, entitled the Tohono O'odham Nation to acquire nonreservation land anywhere within three Arizona counties in order to replace original reservation land rendered economically useless by the Painted Rock Dam, the San Lucy District in particular, which that community was totally destroyed. The settlement specifically promised that the nation could acquire new replacement land that could be used by the nation for economic development and as a ``Federal reservation for all purposes.'' H.R. 1410 would impose additional restrictions beyond those agreed upon by the United States and the Tohono O'odham Nation 25 years ago, breaking the solemn promise made between two sovereign nations.…”