It was the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe that was the sole plaintiff in the litigation whose settlement gives rise to this legislation.

The 20 million legal settlement on behalf of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe entered into the 1999 agreement has been sitting in a Department of the Interior trust fund ever since.

I hope to move this bill forward because, as you mentioned, that is about--if I got the numbers right--the 13 years that they have been waiting.

This issue is vital to the continued health and vitality of our fellow citizens and economy, and needs to be addressed immediately.

I have to believe that it is probably one of the most cost-effective programs in the United States Government.

I will tell you, ma'am, speaking from the position that I have flown as a pilot and also as a Federal Flight Deck Officer, you may think that the flight deck door is the last line of defense, but it is that armed pilot in the cockpit that…

I also fully believe a $15 Federal Flight Deck Officer as a last line of defense on an aircraft is absolutely essential.

What kind of message do you think it sends to pilots who are willing to join this program on their own dime, take personal vacation days off of work, pay for their own lodging to train for the privilege and the honor of protecting their…

We have a $3.5 trillion budget and $1.6 trillion of that is borrowed money.

This is not a Republican issue, it is not a Democrat issue, it is an American issue.

H.R. 2947 does not seek an appropriation of Federal funds. It is only a purpose to remove a clause placed in the deed.