Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman from Virginia for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I want to also say to my friend from Tennessee (Mr. Roe), he and I are good friends and have done a lot of work together, but on this we disagree. I want to say, Mr. Speaker, that if the National Labor Relations Act were at issue on this floor today, my belief is--I may be wrong--that many of the people who will vote for this bill would be for repealing the National Labor Relations Act. That is a fair place to be, I suppose, but that is essentially what we are talking about here. I can't think of anyone in this House who does not believe strongly in the principle of protecting the sovereignty of American tribes and their governments. I know surely that is where I am. I presume all 434 of my colleagues are there. It is the least we can do, having treated the Native Americans so badly when we got here and thereafter. We agree that when tribal governments are carrying out inherently government functions--that is the key. It is the key for the courts; it ought to be the key for us--their sovereignty is fully, and should be, secure under current law. But this bill goes a lot further than reinforcing that understanding.…”