Matthew Russell: “I thank the gentleman from Tennessee. Really this whole matter and discussion is pretty simple: Article I, section 8…”

“I thank the gentleman from Tennessee. Really this whole matter and discussion is pretty simple: Article I, section 8, Congress shall have the power ``to regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the several States and with the Indian tribes''--explicit language in the Constitution that we all defend and that I have defended since I was 18. It is the purview of this Congress, not the rulemakers of the National Labor Relations Board, to regulate commerce. This Nation must continue to recognize the rights of Indian tribal sovereignty, and this Congress must uphold the Constitution and sovereign treaties with those tribes. Those opposed to this bill, Mr. Speaker, say that it will take away the rights of workers. As a Representative from Oklahoma, whose Fifth District has more than 13 percent Native American, our largest minority, our constituents know that the actions of the rulemakers will take away the rights of sovereign tribes. Congress must restore these rights with the passage of this bill.”