Political Quotes

“As a fellow Representative of the West, I join my colleagues from Utah and South Dakota in support of this bill. Whenever we need to make an alteration to Federal land, whether it is the U.S. Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management, it frequently requires an actual bill to go through this entire process--the House, the Senate, and the President's signature. I have had to do that a number of times and worked with our chairman on a number of bills important to my district. Now we have one that is not only of importance to South Dakotans, but important to veterans nationally. This bill provides the Veterans Administration with 200 acres of Federal land that is managed by the BLM to expand the Black Hills National Cemetery. As we know, national cemeteries are reserved for brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the military, and it is important that we have space to meet those interment requests. Our veterans have served their country, and they deserve to permanently rest in a cemetery that honors their sacrifice and commitment to the ideals that hold us together as a nation. It so happens that the BLM land that this bill would transfer abuts the current cemetery. The BLM and the VA determined that only Congress can provide the permanent jurisdiction transfer necessary for this expansion.…”