Puyallup Tribe of Indians Land Into Trust Confirmation Act of 2023

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the impact of President-elect Donald Trump's proposed 20 to 25 percent tariffs will have on raising costs for my constituents in North Carolina.

I want to be absolutely clear. I find it ridiculous, shortsighted, and irresponsible to impose price hikes on working North Carolinians, and that is exactly what the Trump plan will do.

To North Carolinians who are planning to build a home project with lumber and other materials: You can expect to pay a whole lot more. Remember to thank President-elect Donald Trump.

To North Carolinians who want to pay to pack healthy school lunches for their kids: You can expect to pay a whole lot more. Remember to thank President-elect Trump.

Congress has constitutional authority to raise and lower tariffs, but Trump's plan to circumvent Congress is what he would do, and he wants to do it himself.

Why is he doing that?

It is because he knows that if he asks Congress to pass a law, they would tell him that it was a terrible idea.

I am here to get bipartisan work done, Mr. Speaker, and a 25 percent hike on tariffs would never get enough Republicans or Democrats on board to pass this Chamber. Trump will abuse his power to get what he wants. That is why I cosponsored the Prevent Tariff Abuse Act. I am pushing for this legislation to prevent the President-elect from abusing emergency powers to impose reckless tariffs.

Mr. Speaker, 20 to 25 percent tariffs are little more than a national sales tax on working families across the country. North Carolina's working families can't afford that, and our country can't afford Trump's abuse of power.

civil nuclear exports

Mr. Speaker, this week I am proud to have introduced the Civil Nuclear Export Act along with my colleague, Congressman Jim Clyburn of South Carolina.

Our bill will boost U.S. competitiveness in the global civil nuclear exports market and bolster U.S. national security.

As Russia and China aim to corner the market and exert their influence around the world by financing nuclear projects, this legislation could not be more timely.

That situation is intensifying rapidly, and it is time for the U.S. to step up.

The Civil Nuclear Export Act would reduce other countries' dependence on Russia and China for technology and financing. This would be a win for our national security, a win for economic growth and more jobs, and a vital step toward a more sustainable energy future.

Hurricane Helene Relief

Mr. Speaker, I rise today because North Carolina working families deserve action from their elected leaders. They deserve action on needed relief for Hurricane Helene victims. They deserve action on lowered grocery costs, childcare costs, and healthcare costs. They deserve to have faith and trust in our government systems and to know that their leaders are acting in their best interest.

Unfortunately, North Carolina Republicans in the general assembly are not acting in the best interest of North Carolina's working families. They are acting to consolidate their own power for personal gain. Under the guise of providing relief for Hurricane Helene victims, Republican leaders in the North Carolina General Assembly are using disaster aid as a smokescreen to push a brazen power grab.

I am talking about North Carolina Senate Bill 382, a bill which weakens our democratic institutions and punishes voters for electing Democrats up and down the ballot in North Carolina.

Despite needing $3.9 billion in the State of North Carolina for recovery funds outlined by Governor Cooper earlier this year, Republicans are sending just a fraction, 6 percent, of what is needed for western North Carolina. What is worse, buried in this 131-page bill are provisions designed to strip Governor-elect Josh Stein's control over our elections, to restrict Attorney General-elect Jeff Jackson's ability to fight to protect consumers and to create judicial positions to be handpicked by the legislature instead of elected by the people.

They are rushing through this bill because North Carolinians just elected Democrats to those State offices. They are changing the rules to suit themselves, not the people of our State.

My constituents in North Carolina sent me to Congress because they believe in bipartisan work. They want

legislators who work across the aisle to get things done. Until my term ends, I am doing everything I can to restore their trust in our systems, to stand up for them against rogue politicians, and to fight back against bills like SB 382.

My constituents deserve better, and the American people deserve better.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Land Into Trust Confirmation Act, a critical piece of legislation that represents not only an act of justice, but a significant step toward economic revitalization and sustainable development in our region.

This bill, introduced by myself alongside my colleagues, Senator Maria Cantwell, Senator Patty Murray, and Representative Marilyn Strickland, seeks to transfer over 17 acres of land currently owned by Puyallup Tribe into Federal trust.

This action is not merely administrative, it is a restoration of the Tribe's ancestral homeland, a place that holds a deep cultural and historical significance for the Puyallup people.

As the Puyallup Tribe's lands, after recent congressional redistricting, fall within the region I am privileged to represent, I am aware of the profound impact this legislation can have.

Indeed, it is not just about land. It is about enabling the Puyallup Tribe to further diversify and expand economic opportunities, to spur job creation at the Port of Tacoma and along the Tacoma waterfront, a vision of prosperity that benefits not only the Tribe, but the entire South Puget Sound region.

When we introduced this bill, I pointed out that this legislation will help restore the Tribe's homelands, ensuring the Tribe can continue to diversify and grow economic opportunities and create jobs across our region. I stand by those words today, committed to ensuring that the Federal Government upholds its trust and treaty obligations.

Last year, I attended the State of the Union address with Puyallup Tribal Chairman Bill Sterud as my guest. Chairman Sterud joined the Puyallup Tribal Council in 1978 and has served as chairman and vice- chairman several times since his first election.

Chairman Sterud is a proud father and grandfather of a University of Washington Husky, who frequently gives welcomes to incoming students at the UW Tacoma and graduates at UW commencement, and someone who cares deeply about his people and those who live in the surrounding community.

In his own words, Chairman Sterud believes that the land into trust act will help the Tribe diversify its economy and bring critical infrastructure and business to the Tribe's port development and the entire region. In other words, this is a game changer for the Puyallup Tribe.

Our Federal Government has a solemn duty to ensure that Tribal communities are afforded the same opportunities that have spurred growth and prosperity across other communities in our State and Nation. Moreover, by putting this land into trust, Congress

can help unlock a host of Federal programs and services that can catalyze significant economic development and infrastructure investments for the Puyallup Tribe and surrounding communities.

In Washington State, this proposal has garnered widespread support not only from within the Tribe, but also from the city of Tacoma, from Pierce County, from Washington Governor Jay Inslee, and the team at the Port of Tacoma.

This broad base of community support underscores the mutual benefits anticipated from this action, benefits that will surely extend well beyond the boundaries of the land in question, fostering a more vibrant, healthy, and economically robust Puget Sound region.

In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Land Into Trust Confirmation Act. I thank the gentlewoman from across the aisle for her support of it. I thank my colleague for her support of it.

Let us take this step together as a forward-looking investment in the economic vitality and cultural richness of the Pacific northwest.

Moving forward, Congress can honor its commitments to Native nations, respect our shared history, and work hand in hand with Tribes like the Puyallup to build a future of prosperity and partnership.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 382, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Land Into Trust Confirmation Act of 2023, introduced by Senator Cantwell and led in the House by my incredibly brilliant colleague from Washington, Representative Kilmer.

We know that land is at the very essence of Tribal sovereignty, cultural survival, and economic sovereignty. That is why taking land into trust for Tribes, either through the BIA or congressional process, is essential if we are to honor our trust responsibilities to Tribes, if we are to honor our commitment to help reverse, if only by a few acres at a time, some of the worst of our Federal policies from the 19th and 20th centuries.

This bill would authorize the United States to take approximately 17.2 acres of land located in Pierce County, Washington, and owned by the Puyallup Tribe into trust for the benefit of the Tribe.

Typically, land is taken into trust under the Bureau of Indian Affairs administrative process. However, it is not uncommon for Tribes to take a legislative route depending on their circumstances.

In the case of the Puyallup Tribe, the Tribe identified legacy contamination from historical industrial sites when undergoing environmental site assessments.

When placing land into trust, the Federal Government does not take liability for environmental contamination that could have occurred prior to the transfer. As that is the case here, the BIA is unable to take the land into trust administratively, and congressional action through legislation is the most viable option for the Tribe in this case.

This legislation would move the Tribe's land-into-trust process forward and ultimately expand job and economic development opportunities. By adding these lands in the port area, the Tribe will be able to develop a 21st century shipping terminal that will help address the backlog facing our Nation's ports. Placing this land into trust will make this land the first international Tribal trade center in modern times. I say in modern times because we know there was much trade that was going on before European contact.

The Puyallup Tribe is a signatory to the Treaty of Medicine Creek of 1854, which designated 200,000 acres as permanent homeland for their people. However, the ink had barely dried on the treaty before efforts to take the Tribe's land began through acts of Congress, illegal sales of reservation land, and outright theft.

Given so much historical and cultural loss, it is appropriate to grant the restoration of these lands to the Tribe.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Kilmer).

Mr. Speaker, yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Kilmer and Senator Cantwell for bringing this legislation forward. I also thank Chairman Sterud and the people of the Puyallup Tribe because what they are doing here today is beneficial not only for the Tribe, but, as noted, for the entire region.

I think we will see this over and over again in the bills we are hearing today and that we will hear into the future with regards to taking land into trust. It benefits not just the Tribe and the local economy, but those who live around the Tribe. In this instance, because of the port, it will benefit the entire Nation. Therefore, we are grateful for the work that they have done in terms of pursuing this land-into-trust application.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 382) to take certain land in the State of Washington into trust for the benefit of the Puyallup Tribe of the Puyallup Reservation, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 382, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, S. 382, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Land Into Trust Confirmation Act, would place approximately 17 acres of land in Pierce County, Washington, into trust for the Tribe.

The land in question is currently owned by the Tribe in fee simple, and the Tribe intends to use the land for economic development purposes to benefit the Tribe and the surrounding area.

The parcels contain evidence of environmental contamination, which complicates the process by which the Bureau of Indian Affairs would take land into trust through the administrative fee-to-trust process. Under an administrative process, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, or BIA, would require full land remediation before the process even begins. This would be cost prohibitive for the Tribe and unnecessary given the Tribe's intended use of the land as a shipping terminal and transportation facility.

Additionally, S. 382 makes clear that the United States is not liable for any environmental contamination on the land and includes a prohibition on gaming pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation would take approximately 17 acres of fee land in Pierce County, Washington, into trust for the benefit of the Puyallup Tribe to support the development of a 21st century shipping and transportation facility.

I thank the sponsors of this legislation for their work on behalf of their constituents. I support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 273, S. 382.

I further ask consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.