Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge support for my amendment, including in the En Bloc Amendment, that would provide the Office of Tribal Affairs created in this bill with the responsibility of ensuring that the Department of Transportation has in place and enforces federal government wide requirement for regular and meaningful consultation and collaboration with Tribes and Tribal officials as outlined in Executive Order 13175 issued by President Clinton in 2000. I thank the chairman for its inclusion in En Bloc Amendment No. 1. The reality is while Executive Order 13175 was groundbreaking, it has never quite lived up to its promise. Too many federal agencies have failed (and still fall short today) to executive its directive to ensure that tribes have a say in federal activities that impact them. Why was this Order needed? Because, unfortunately, history has shown that failure by the federal government to consider the impact on tribal communities or to include their voices in federal decision making has all too often led to undesirable and, at times, devastating policy. Consultation and engagement is a basic must for maintaining a strong and productive Federal-tribal relationship. A key part of protecting sovereignty and self-determination is to make sure that federal agencies actively gather, listen, and heed the input of tribes relating to federal projects and activities that will impact them.…”