Political Quotes

“Today I rise in strong support of a brilliantly written manager's amendment to H.R. 2130. In short, this bill, introduced by my friend, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Mr. Thornberry of Texas, prevents the Federal Government from claiming thousands of acres of private land legally owned by American citizens and tribes along the 116-mile stretch of the Red River between Texas and Oklahoma. My manager's amendment will do the following: It will ensure that nothing in this bill will create or reinstate a tribal reservation. It ensures that nothing in this bill alters the valid existing mineral rights of the Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache Nations. It allows affected federally recognized Indian tribes to be part of the survey process in addition to the States of Oklahoma and Texas. It allows landowners access to judicial review beyond the Bureau of Land Management's administrative appeals process. This manager's amendment reflects concerns that have been brought to us by Chairman Thornberry, by Congressman Cole of Oklahoma, by Oklahoma Governor Fallin, by private landowners, and by the other stakeholders who have an interest in this particular area. I strongly urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the manager's amendment. I yield back the balance of my time. The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop). The amendment was agreed to. Amendment No. 2 Offered by Mr. Cole The CHAIR.…”