"The three bills before us today cover two issues of great importance to Indian Country, economic development and tribal water rights settlements."
"These three bills give Congress a chance to do the right thing by those tribal communities to whom we owe legal, financial and moral obligations."
"These settlement funds, which come on line in 2020, will go a long way towards paying for the $1.6 billion backlog to complete just five of the currently authorized Indian water rights settlements."
"Ultimately, the bill would secure the tribe's current and future access to water, the life blood of the community."
"The repeal of this law, which does not apply to State lands, would remove needless barriers to economic development in Indian Country and provide parity for tribes."
"I find it very difficult, knowing the current funding constraints we face in Congress, to fund these Indian water rights settlements solely through discretionary spending."
"water is for fighting"
"The Hualapai settlement will also end up somewhere in that range."
"water is life"
"The CSKT settlement from the last Congress will possibly cost more than $2 billion."
"The importance of these settlements to providing certainty to both Indian and non-Indian communities cannot be overstated, particularly when climate change and drought threaten water supplies througho..."