Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I would like to start by noting how much I respect the sincerity and good intentions of my friends from Texas and their desire to settle this issue of landownership along the Red River. I want to particularly thank Chairman Thornberry and Chairman Bishop, who have been extremely cooperative and helpful in trying to resolve some of these thorny issues. I do, however, still have serious concerns about the unintended consequences that the suggested message for resolving this issue will most certainly have on Indian tribes in my district, specifically the Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache. All three tribes oppose the bill and support this amendment. This bill gives Texas and Oklahoma the power to conduct a survey, the goal of which is to ascertain the exact location of the portion of the Red River currently owned by the Bureau of Land Management. The BLM land would be sold off in a three-step process. The first step provides for adverse possessors to apply for a patent to the BLM land. The second is a sale based on a right-of-first-refusal structure. The third provides for any remaining BLM land to be sold via a competitive sale process. The goal is to remove the Federal control that the BLM has over a 116-mile stretch of the river and, by the CBO's estimate, of roughly 30,000 acres. My amendment seeks to accomplish the following: Ensure that tribes receive fair notice of their right to appeal any survey conducted pursuant to this legislation.…”