I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding. Madam Speaker, long before New York City's first responders rushed to save their fellow Americans in the fire and the horror of 9/11, they came to help the people of Oklahoma City deal with…

We chatted for a minute, and the gentleman immediately said, Well, actually, I just wanted to get to know you because I'd heard a couple of nice things about you. Since that time, he has been nothing but kind and generous to me. Frankly…

You know, this is not, frankly, a very good time to be a Member of Congress. None of us are held in high esteem by the American public. I think it is an even more difficult time, quite frankly, to be a member of the Appropriations…

I actually proposed the amendment on the floor. It was passed unanimously on a bipartisan vote by our subcommittee of Interior. And the bill, frankly, the measure has absolutely nothing to do with gaming. As a matter of fact, the Supreme…

And I'm all for saying let's just not have any earmarks.

Mr. Speaker, America is a great and a good country, but sometimes in its past it's made great and lamentable mistakes. H.R. 4783 offers this Congress the opportunity to correct some of the worst mistakes that we made in the course of our…

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 725, the Senate amendments to the Indian Arts and Crafts Amendment Act. This bill was originally passed in this body by a voice vote. In the Senate, however, the bill was amended to include the…

This bill not only reauthorizes existing programs at existing or last appropriated levels--in other words, there's no new spending in this bill--it provides enhanced sentencing authority so the tribes may impose longer sentences on Native…

In 2006 our distinguished majority leader said enacting a budget was ``the most basic responsibility of governing.'' Representative Spratt, from South Carolina, our distinguished Budget chairman, said in the same year, If you can't budget…

Wilma Mankiller led a remarkable life. As my friend Congressman Boren so eloquently stated, her beginnings were awfully humble. Frankly, they didn't get much better for a long time. She traveled to California, and unlike a lot of…

I share my colleagues' concerns about what's in the bill, but I'm also concerned by what's not in the bill and, frankly, that's money to fund the settlement of the so-called Cobell lawsuit. As my colleagues on both sides of the aisle know…

We cannot solve these problems in a single year.

I would just like to echo the point that Mr. Simpson said.

It does amaze me when the BIA loses a legal case. That ought to kind of tell them, you know, why do we want to come back down this road again?

I do not know what the dropout rate is in your tribe, but I know nationwide, you are talking only 49 percent of native kids finish high school compared to 75 percent national average, and about 10, 11, percent go to college compared to…

I am certainly doing everything on my end to help.

You made a pretty strong pitch for Johnson-O'Malley money, which I could not agree with you more since about 90 percent of native kids are actually not in reservation schools, they are someplace else, and that is something honestly we have…

if 53 is the good number, I do not think anybody on this panel will regard that as a good result.

If the United States Government had its way, I would not be chief, and there would not be a Cherokee Nation.

I just wanted to thank you for two things. First in your testimony, I really appreciate the fact you mentioned the roles of President Nixon, Ford, and Reagan played in reestablishing self-determination.

Once we were able to take over those services ourselves and contract for ourselves... healthcare got a whole lot better.

I look forward to working with you on it, and as you know, it is a great program. We need to restore it.

Congratulations on not waiting around for us to solve your problems.

It is a huge problem. Our colleagues, Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin and Senator Dorgan, actually have a pretty good piece of legislation to try to enhance the authority of tribal courts.

When tribes do this, they almost always turn right around and invest all the money right back where you are investing your money.