On January 9, 2009, Committee leadership, together with 13 other U.S. Senators, issued a letter to President Obama urging the inclusion of billions of dollars in Indian tribal projects in the economic stimulus plan.

I applaud those 15 Senators, led by Chairman Dorgan and Vice Chairman Murkowski, who on January 9, 2009, issued a letter to President-elect Obama outlining the billions of dollars in 'shovel-ready' projects.

While I am happy to note that the January 9th letter proposed $4.4 million for energy development on Indian lands, I must say that this amount is woefully inadequate to meet the need for tribal energy project development.

We understand that America can never succeed in the war on terror as long as we fund both sides of the conflict.

The threats posed to the U.S. economy by our dangerous dependence on oil are equally as dire as those posed to our national security.

It is time to help facilitate the transformation to the next generation of transportation technology.

We need to be able to move forward with that process to provide some certainty to investors.

Our Nation's dependence on oil... still represents a grave threat to our economic and national security.

Our nation's dependence on oil...still represents a grave threat to our economic and national security.

The centerpiece of the Council's plan is the electrification of short haul ground transportation.

But this is not fair, in my judgment.

Enough is enough. It's time for Congress to step in, to accept what the Department itself found in its proposed finding--that the Little Shell Tribe is entitled to federal recognition.