the overreach now of the EPA has become so absurd that I do not think anybody in this room can deny that there is some political motivation behind this

I had the farmer that had moved upstream where they have denied us the ability to even fertilize their own ground.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of legislation that aims to help out one of my local tribes, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. I was approached by Chief Lankford, and at his request, I crafted this bill to remove…

If the only thing you want to do is oppose, you are not helping the situation. You are hindering it.

If we were treated like private land, we could get it a lot farther and a lot faster.

But I am just trying to figure out why you guys feel like you have to come out with clarification when it is pretty clear itself.

I find it almost laughable when you guys are going to have these comments out, which really isn't going to have that much impact.

You guys came in on my property and said we couldn't spread chicken litter anymore, effectively killing the chicken industry around for the small business owners.

So I don't want to hear the normal. What I want to know is how are we going to protect generational farms.

I think what the biggest fight is here, though, is that we see, as business owners, as farmers--as I sit in front of you, I am farming the same land that now is the fourth generation.

Because I can tell you I have read it and the way I read it is that every time we lose a generation and a farm changes hands--which you know farms are generational--we are going to lose farms as they happen.

For Oklahoma our water navigational system is an essential part of our economy, allowing our local farmers and manufactures to ship goods all over the world. This legislation with zero earmarks takes a historical step in supporting our…

It is absolutely ridiculous that you guys are having to be here to explain what the hindrances are to abide by a contract that you are required by law to uphold.

Common sense in Washington doesn't exist. I have looked for it, and I haven't found it yet.

The biggest challenge that I have had in my personal business was having to fight the Federal Government to provide common-sense jobs.

I would like to thank my colleague from Arkansas for bringing this to the people's attention. Madam Speaker, it is almost funny. The President wants to take something that is the heartbeat of America--and that is our work ethic--and…

I cannot imagine that anyone will invest the time and effort to craft a multi-State Range Wide conservation program now that they clearly see that FWS does not properly credit them by not listing the species while the conservation program…

I believe--if I'm not mistaken--that the 10th Amendment, that is what gave the States the rights, the right to understand and even have first shot at regulating their State.

Time and time again, we have been reassured by this administration that ObamaCare is working, but when I talk to my constituents in Oklahoma's Second District, this is not the case. When I read the news headlines and discover yet another…

Protecting the rights of the sovereign tribes is a top priority of mine, and I am proud to work with Congressman Tipton in supporting the Water Rights Protection Act and offering this amendment to clarify protections for the water rights…

I have an amendment at the table. The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 3, line 18, insert ``(including any federally recognized Indian tribe)'' after ``water user''. Page 4, line…

I thank Mr. James Lankford from Oklahoma. What a wonderful colleague you are. You are absolutely correct, and the only reason I stand in front of you today is truly the biggest threat I had as a business owner, from a gentleman who…

In Indian country, we have learned that we can never just take something that the Federal Government says and take it as truth. We have to always verify. This is simply trying to clarify that the Federal Government has no rights to come…

But we are doing a one-size-fits-all approach.

We make a lot of rules here that have unintended consequences. And when we have a one-size-fit-all approach, it has unintended consequences.