Political Quotes

“Madam President, the National Congress of American Indians' letter states that the changes in my amendment address legitimate concerns that have been raised by tribal leaders and Indian people. The NCAI letter references resolutions passed by the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians and the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen's Association supporting my amendment. So what does my amendment do? It addresses five significant weaknesses in the settlement. The first issue is attorneys fees. This settlement was signed by the Department of Justice and two of the plaintiffs on December 7, 2009. Originally, the settlement said that Congress had to approve it in 24 days--by New Year's Eve. Well, supporters said there was no time for a hearing; Congress had to act immediately. I disagreed. Any $3.4 billion settlement paid for by taxpayers that affects the lives of hundreds of thousands of people should have a hearing before Congress. I requested that the Committee on Indian Affairs hold a hearing on the settlement. Chairman Dorgan scheduled one nearly 6 months ago and that hearing was December 17, 2009. During the hearing, it was disclosed that the parties had entered into a separate agreement covering attorneys fees. In the side agreement, the plaintiffs' lawyers agreed not to ask the court for more than $99.9 million in presettlement attorneys' fees and costs, and the administration agreed not to argue that the attorneys should get anything less than $50 million.…”