Ed Markey: “Nothing in H.R. 2362 can't be accomplished by H.R. 205, the HEARTH Act, which passed the House unanimously in May and…”

“Nothing in H.R. 2362 can't be accomplished by H.R. 205, the HEARTH Act, which passed the House unanimously in May and was just last week passed by the Senate without change. The President is expected to sign H.R. 205 into law any day now. Unlike H.R. 2362, the HEARTH Act authorizes all tribes to engage in leasing activities with any nation--foreign or domestic--for economic development purposes on tribal lands. It does not discriminate based on world geography, or benefit a select few tribes who qualify under strict requirements for a time-limited demonstration project. In light of H.R. 205, there is simply no need for H.R. 2362. It is redundant and unnecessary and should be rejected by the House on this basis alone. But there are serious reasons to oppose H.R. 2362. By acknowledging Turkey's ``unique interest'' in developing tribal economies and in building ``robust'' relationships between it and tribal communities, this legislation rewards a country with a terrible history of human rights and religious freedom violations, threats to U.S. commercial interests in Cyprus, and--most importantly--its refusal to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide which resulted in the deaths of 1.5 million people. The manager's amendment to include WTO countries does not change the fact that Turkey is singled out for preferential treatment and will benefit through increased investment opportunities in Indian country.…”