Mike Simpson

As you know, I don't have to tell you anything you don't already know, but diabetes is a problem particularly among the Indian population.

Are you competent to make decisions of what is in the best interest of your tribe on your own lands?

You could fix this in your report language. You could fix this, and get us going in the right direction.

Congressman Simpson, we thank you for coming to Pine Ridge, and for coming to Lakota Country several summers ago.

It is time for us, the tribes, to decide how these language programs will operate.

The one other thing that you mentioned that is very important to me is maintaining the languages.

We requested that everything go back to the BIA. Nothing against the Department of Justice, but they are not into construction at all.

Every child deserves an education and in conditions that are safe.

I was very disappointed in the President's budget, not just this president, previous presidents also, that there was actually no request for any new schools construction in Indian country.

Well, that is good to hear, because one of the things I heard repeatedly when this debate was going on, when we first did this, from companies was that they are willing to pay more in fees and stuff.

I have got to tell you, you brought up a very important issue. I know it is important to me, it is important to Representative McCollum and I think every member on this committee, and that is invasive species.

We have to be more thoughtful in how we preserve that Mall because it would be a shame not to protect the investment.

There are no sacrifice zones on the National Mall.

We are putting hundreds of millions of dollars into fixing up America's front yard. That is the National Mall.

We are rapidly approaching the September 2015 deadline to determine whether it warrants listing or not.

It is a big problem around this country.

I am concerned about making things illegal or valueless that had value when they were originally purchased.

We are going to use the appropriated dollars to go after poachers, to work on demand reduction both here in the United States and in other countries.

Would it not be better to use the appropriated dollars to go after the poachers and stopping the illicit trade in ivory?

It is my understanding that the United States has banned commercial importation of ivory for decades, so what we are talking about here is not restricting illegal commerce and endangered species but banning anyone from selling an item that…

We need to work together to come up with a plan so that we know what we are doing to attack these invasive species.

Well, I need to thank you for the work that you did up around Ketchum this last summer.

Really what we are trying to do is change not the amount we spent on fires--I would like to reduce the amount we spend on fires by having less fires.

That is a good response. I like that.

So I look forward to working with you over the coming months as we put together this budget and try to address both the concerns that you have and the concerns that have been expressed here by members of this committee and try to address…