Debbie Wasserman Schultz: “Mr. Speaker, it is disappointing that I must rise to support this veto override of the Miccosukee Reserved Area…”

“Mr. Speaker, it is disappointing that I must rise to support this veto override of the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act. It is a very commonsense bill, as our unanimous vote in both houses of Congress clearly demonstrated. It is simple. This act would absorb the Osceola Camp into the Miccosukee Reservation and directs the Tribe and Department of the Interior to jointly protect the camp from flooding. This work is already underway, as we speak, but let's address the erroneous reasons that it was vetoed. First, it does not appropriate or authorize any new spending. The Congressional Budget Office verified that. This bill in no way bestows special treatment, as it was alleged in the veto message, because the site wasn't authorized when it was inhabited. On these points, it appears the President's staff gave him bad advice, bad facts, or both. The reality is, the Tribe came to the Everglades after being driven from their homes in the early 1800s.”