On the recordNovember 30, 2010
I rise in strong support of this legislation. This legislation is years late in passing. The injustices that it addresses are long term in being. Today the House has an opportunity to bring an end to two historic injustices. We can do so by approving the settlement in the Pigford and Cobell class action lawsuits, helping to make amends to African American farmers and more than 300,000 Native Americans. Few people in this Nation have been treated as poorly by their Nation as have African Americans and Native Americans. This was a continuing injustice that should have been addressed decades ago and, indeed, of course, should not have happened. The Pigford settlement concerns a decades-old pattern of racial discrimination in Department of Agriculture loans to black farmers. For too long, farmers were denied loans because of their race. Even black farmers who received loans were paid significantly less than their white counterparts. The Cobell settlement concerns mismanagement of Federal trust funds in which billions of dollars, billions of dollars in fees and royalties on reservation land were unaccounted for.
