Byron Dorgan: “It is more than a little frustrating. We have been here for 3 hours this morning. We have amendments on this bill…”

“It is more than a little frustrating. We have been here for 3 hours this morning. We have amendments on this bill dealing with Indian health care. We have nongermane amendments that have been offered: Medicare, LIHEAP, earmarks for Berkeley, abortion. This is a very serious issue. We have people dying in this country with respect to this health care question about American Indians. I spoke earlier this morning that the U.S. Government has a responsibility for health care for Indians. If you ask the question: Why? Because we signed up for it. We signed the treaties. We said: We promise, and we have a trust responsibility for it. So we spend twice as much money to provide health care to Federal prisoners as we do for American Indians. We are not meeting the needs. We have people dying. So it takes 10 years to get a bill to the floor of the Senate--10 years to get a bill to the floor--to try to improve health care for Indians, and we get here, and we have unending appetites for amendments that have nothing to do with Indian health.”