Nick Rahall: “Mr. Speaker, the Interior appropriations conference report contains language which represents nothing less than a gag…”

“Mr. Speaker, the Interior appropriations conference report contains language which represents nothing less than a gag order on some 500,000 American Indians who have waited over 100 years for an accounting of their trust funds accounts by the Federal Government. On two occasions, we have fought similar provisions. Last year, I offered an amendment on the House floor to strip language with a similar intent from the Interior appropriations bill and it prevailed overwhelmingly. This year, our chairman, the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) took the same action and he was also successful. Yet this language keeps rising from the dead in this conference report. In effect, it would destroy a Federal court's order to the Interior Department to fully account for amounts derived from royalties and other receipts from lands in Indian country. Going even further, this provision appears to shield officials of the Interior Department from judicial actions requiring compliance, such as contempt of court citations. This is, simply put, appalling. It is an affront to the American system of government, especially our judiciary system, and it undermines the long-standing trust responsibility we have for Indian Nations and individuals. It is, in my view, unconstitutional and will most assuredly cause more litigation and more mistrust of Congress throughout Indian country.”