Daniel Akaka

I am proud of the work we have accomplished on this Committee through both legislation, such as the Dodd-Frank and the Credit CARD Acts.

That is why I have worked hard during my time in Congress to educate, protect, and empower consumers.

Thank you, Chairman Brown. Thank you very much for holding this hearing today and for all of your work on consumer protection issues.

Well, thank you very much for that.

Financial literacy and consumer protection issues are very close to my heart.

Thank you for all of your work in all of that.

When Americans make wise economic decisions and are protected from bad actors, our economy and Nation are stronger for it.

I fought to include a report on remittance transfers in the Dodd-Frank provisions.

We must also reaffirm and acknowledge the Department of Education's Federal trust responsibility for American Indian and Alaska Native students.

The month of November provides Native peoples opportunity to educate by sharing their history and culture with a larger audience.

I want to say aloha and thank you so much for being here today for the Committee's oversight hearing on Reclaiming Our Image and Identity for the Next Seven Generations.

But for Native peoples, every day is Native heritage day.

I would like to announce that the Committee on Indian Affairs will meet during the session of the Senate on November 29, 2012, in room SD-628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``Reclaiming…

We look forward to continuing to help in our own ways to keep our country great and our people just.

Ours is a great country, and for us to take time off to give thanks is important to our spirit.

I want to say a special thank you or mahalo to your family and friends who are with us today.

You have been a great partner in our work to improve the District and have been, what else can I say, a zealous advocate for its residents for 22 years, and I am still counting.

I believe you will do the best you can, once confirmed.

I would like to announce that the Committee on Indian Affairs will meet during the session of the Senate on September 20, 2012, in room SD-628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, at 2:15 p.m., to conduct a hearing entitled ``Advancing…

To me culture is like a tree. If you cut the tree from the roots, which is a culture, you know, there is a huge loss of something.

So, that is my question and you can feel free to expound on this because I have always felt that culture should be playing a huge part in what happens to the groups.

A government-to-government relationship would make things much more effective and would allow us to manage our resources in a way that better meets the needs of our people.

The broad terms Indian and Tribes represented a diversity of people with unique cultures, languages and traditions indigenous to the United States.

A Native Hawaiian government would improve efficiency through coordination of resources and services.