Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education, and Indian Health Service Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014

Floor Speech

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Mr. BEN RAY LUJÁN of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this piecemeal approach to fund the government that fails to meet our trust responsibility to our Native American brothers and sisters.

I wonder if they bothered to consult with tribes before bringing up a bill that cuts tribal programs even more than they have already been cut and locks in sequester cuts that are hurting tribes in my district and across the country.

Mr. Speaker, it seems clear to me that Republicans are not listening to anyone these days, because if they were, they would know that tribes do not support this piecemeal course of action.

Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly called this approach ``insulting'' and said Tribal Nations want a comprehensive resolution as well as an end to sequestration.

By taking a piecemeal approach to fund our government, this bill fails to restore many critical services that are important to tribal communities.

In fact, it makes the problems facing Indian Country worse, not better.

Rather than vote on this piecemeal bill that is opposed by Native American communities, we should vote on a clean funding bill that opens the entire government, get to work ending sequestration, and fully fund tribal programs to meet our trust responsibilities.

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