Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, my amendment is very simple. It just says that the provisions of the SCRUB Act will not apply to any rule or set of rules relating to any obligation of the Federal Government with respect to tribal government or supporting tribal sovereignty and self- determination. Mr. Chair, the United States has a unique legal and political relationship with Indian tribal governments, as outlined in the Constitution, treaties, statutes, executive orders, and judicial decisions. However, too often they have been overlooked when it comes to Federal policies that will have a direct impact on that relationship and that sovereignty. My concern is that, without explicit language, H.R. 998 would simply continue this mistake, which has had devastating consequences for our Native American brothers and sisters. It has been a decades-long policy of the Federal Government to engage Native American tribes in a government-to-government relationship that respects their right to self-government and self-determination, and my amendment seeks to ensure that nothing in this bill will undermine those efforts. My amendment would exempt rules that will have an impact on this government-to-government relationship from the bill's requirements. This will, of course, require agencies and this commission to examine the impact on this special relationship in each rule that they bring to the chopping block.…”