Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2021
Floor Speech
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Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in strong opposition to this amendment. This amendment would seek to ignore a U.S. Supreme Court federal standard and allow the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe to open an off-reservation casino right on the border of Rhode Island.
Under the Indian Reorganization Act, the U.S. Department of Interior is only allowed to take land into trust for tribes recognized before 1934. The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe became federally recognized in 2007. This amendment will set a dangerous precedent and undermine both a U.S. Supreme Court ruling and disregard the U.S. Department of Interior's most recent ruling.
An off-reservation casino would result in an overwhelming economic loss to my state's economy. The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a great blow to my state, hitting the travel and tourism industry particularly hard. Casinos in Rhode Island generated $300 million in annual revenue before closing due to the pandemic. An off-reservation casino would further devastate the financial loss to my state currently facing a 12.4 percent unemployment rate in June, higher than the national average. We as a Congress should not be circumventing the court's decision and allow a one-time carve out for the building of a casino that is bad for Rhode Island. Regardless of this amendment, the Mashpee Tribe will still be a federally recognized tribe and will continue to receive federal benefits.
Make no mistake, this amendment does not aim to help the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, but instead help lobbyists secure a win for their own interests. This amendment will do more than just greatly damage the Rhode Island economy, it will put Congress on a path of hand-picking winners and losers over the court's decision. This amendment would signal it's okay for lobbyists and hedge funds to be the decision makers in Congress, and not the representatives of the people. I urge my colleagues to join me in strongly opposing this amendment.
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