Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise today regarding the Claims Resolution Act of 2010. It is a rare day in the Congress that we have an opportunity like this to end, once and for all, decades-old injustices and water related claims against the government so that we can move forward together. I am proud that the House of Representatives passed the Claims Resolution Act, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent on Friday, November 19. The Claims Resolution Act of 2010 includes the Cobell settlement, which settles claims resulting from mismanagement of trust accounts of close to 300,000 American Indians. It includes the Pigford settlement, which settles discrimination claims by black farmers against the USDA. It settles water related claims of tribes in Arizona, New Mexico, and Montana. The bill is fully offset. Each settlement in this package has its own history--each compelling in its own regard--that has brought us to this day of resolution. I want to focus in particular on the Cobell settlement and the Crow Water Compact, which are both so important to Montana. Tribal members comprise over 6 percent of Montana'spopulation. American Indians live in every county in Montana, and our State has several counties where more than half of the population is comprised of tribal members. Nine percent of Montana's land base is located within the boundaries of our State's seven Indian Reservations.…”