Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, let me first thank Congresswoman Leger Fernandez for her friendship and leadership, and thank her for yielding time to me this afternoon. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1619, the Catawba Indian Nation Lands Act. A few moments ago, Congressman Clyburn made reference to the fact that 1619 was a very significant number. What he was referring to, Madam Speaker, was that it was the year 1619 that the first slaves arrived in America--the first African slaves, I might say, arrived in America. {time} 1615 It is very interesting that this bill bears that number, but I am in full support of this legislation. Madam Speaker, this is good, bipartisan legislation. You can see that it has support on both sides of the aisle. It will ratify actions taken by the Department of the Interior that placed 17 acres of land in North Carolina that are within the Catawba's service area, as defined by Congress in 1993, that land was placed into trust for the benefit of the Tribe. This bill would enable the Catawba Indian Nation to secure economic self-sufficiency as envisioned by Congress in passing the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1987. It will generate millions of dollars in economic development and create thousands of jobs in North Carolina, where few jobs currently exist. That, Madam Speaker, is why I have such a deep interest in this legislation, because of the economic impact. The Catawba Nation has already signed an agreement.…”