Floor Statements

Mr. Chair, I rise today to strongly oppose the Republicans' budget proposal. I remain committed to creating jobs, expanding health care coverage, and promoting education, but this budget signals that the Republicans do not. In fact, this budget seems designed to have devastating effects on American families and businesses, and would dramatically damage our nation's improving economy. This legislation makes significant cuts to social programs and investments in education, destroys American jobs, and represents the latest in a series of Republican attacks on Medicare.

Although our economy is recovering from years of misguided policies, many Americans are still struggling to make ends meet. Gas prices have skyrocketed in recent months. Quality health care and education are becoming more expensive for the average American. Families are fighting to save their homes from foreclosure and escape from under mountains of debt.

Instead of focusing on these important issues, Mr. Ryan and the Tea Party have developed a budget that dramatically undermines the social safety net that so many Americans depend on. I believe that budgets are reflections of our values--and it is clear from this proposal that Mr. Ryan and the Tea Party do not possess the same values as ordinary Americans.

By turning Medicare into a voucher program, this budget would effectively end Medicare as we know it, and shift thousands of dollars of health costs onto seniors. But gutting Medicare is not enough for the Republicans. The Ryan budget would also cut more than $1 trillion from Medicaid, and endanger health care coverage for over 60 million Americans, including low-income children, pregnant women, nursing home patients, and persons with disabilities.

This budget also demonstrates the Republicans' lack of commitment to investing in America's youth. By proposing to cut funding for education by 45 percent, it is clear that the Republicans do not understand the importance of investing in education, and in science, technology, engineering, and math in particular, to ensure our nation's competitiveness in the

global economy. At a time when states are drastically reducing their education budgets--including my home state, which recently cut funding for education by $5 billion--the Republicans' budget attacks critical initiatives ranging from extra reading and math help for low-income students to much-needed financial aid for college. If Mr. Ryan and the Tea Party get their way, in 2014 nearly 10 million students would see their Pell Grants fall by more than $1,000 dollars, and 200,000 children and their families would no longer be able to participate in Head Start.

In my 16 years proudly representing the people of my district, this is by far the worst piece of legislation that I have seen. Mr. Ryan and the Tea Party have once again put forward a budget to benefit the wealthy and special interests groups at the expense of middle-class Americans, seniors, veterans, and children. While this budget provides huge tax cuts for the richest one percent of Americans, it does nothing to stimulate the economy nor create jobs, and would adversely impact the Hispanic community and the residents of my district.

This budget yet again shows how out of touch the Republican Party is with the lives of ordinary Americans. Instead of focusing on creating jobs and putting Americans back to work, it extends the Bush tax cuts-- which I voted against and continue to oppose--for the wealthiest Americans, and provides millionaires and billionaires with an average tax cut of $150,000. To put this amount into perspective, $150,000 would pay for: one years' worth of savings for a senior in the Medicare prescription drug ``donut hole'' ($600); one school computer lab ($40,000); one year of medical care for a veteran returning home ($8,945); one grant for medical research on chronic diseases ($50,000); one tax credit to make a year of college more affordable ($2,500); one firefighter, police officer, or first responder kept on the job ($42,000); and one college student receiving the maximum Pell Grant ($5,550).

In today's economic climate, we don't need more subsidies for big oil and bigger tax loopholes for hedge fund managers on Wall Street. Yet, the Republicans have put forward a budget that provides huge tax cuts and subsidies for the mega-rich and corporations, while utterly failing to support vital investments in education, job training, research and development, and our nation's crumbling infrastructure.

For these reasons, I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose this ideological, radical budget, and stand firm in support of job creation, health care, and education for all Americans.

Today, I proudly stand and join with millions of Americans in remembering the life and legacy of one of our greatest civil rights pioneers in our Latino community, Cesar Chavez.

An advocate for social justice, Cesar Chavez dedicated his life to giving voice to those who couldn't speak for themselves. Cesar Chavez advocated for strong health care for communities. He advocated for good-paying jobs from

which people could lead the kinds of lives that our country cherishes and honors.

Cesar Chavez was a Navy veteran who, perhaps, during World War II was disappointed in the way that segregation existed in the armed services; but it gave him the passion to go out and do the kind of work that today we celebrate: a legacy that was adopted by President Obama from the words of Cesar Chavez, who always thought, ``Si, se puede.'' Yes, we can.

So, today, I proudly stand here and remind us that we have so much to be grateful for from those who have advocated in our respective communities--Cesar Chavez, Martin Luther King, and so many others.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the El Paso County's Commissioners Court who signed the following resolution.

Whereas, a ``Super-Committee'' was formed and tasked to

reduce $1.2 Trillion from our Nation's budget over the next

10 years, but failed at their mission; and,

Whereas, the Department of Defense could endure budget cuts

of $487 Billion throughout the next 10 years; and,

Whereas, due to the failure of the ``Super-Committee''

there is an additional $600 Billion in potential budget cuts

for deficit-reduction measures targeted towards the

Department of Defense; and,

Whereas, future budget reductions of this nature can

potentially affect all branches of Defense with reduction of

employment and could decrease the benefits that our troops

and past veterans receive; and,

Whereas, future reductions should raise concerns of

National Security and the ability to defend our Country from

future extremities; and,

Whereas, the United States of America has fought for

freedom since its creation and knows that freedom does not

come easy and it definitely does not come without a price

tag; and,

Whereas, our Military's men and women are to be held at the

upmost respect and honor for the service they provide to our

Country and they should feel assured that they are a priority

and the American people are behind them; and,

Whereas, policies of this type have the ability to create

an internal decrease in morale and the capability to deter

future enlistments to our volunteer military; and,

Whereas, recent developments of Russia and China vetoing a

United Nations resolution aimed at ending Syria's violence

should raise concerns that the United States should keep its

military in full force and maintain their combat readiness

for these potential adversaries and other; and, now,

therefore, be it

Resolved, that the El Paso County Judge and Commissioners

Court hereby disagree with any future budget cuts that can

affect National Security and Benefits provided to our

Veterans that have defended our Nation from opposing threats

and to all of our soldiers that continue to protect our

Country's future and our children's future by placing their

own lives in harm's way.

Signed, this 13th day of February 2012.

Commissioner Anna Perez Pct. 1

Commissioner Sergio Lewis Pct. 2

Commissioner Willie Gandara Pct. 3

Commissioner Daniel R. Haggerty Pct. 4

County Judge Veronica Escobar

Mr. Speaker, as our nation recognizes Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month, I rise to honor Sergeant First Class Victor Medina who was wounded in Iraq by an Improvised Explosive Device. Victor and his wife Roxana Delgado continue to work selflessly to provide encouragement and support for his fellow Wounded Warriors, even as they deal with the effects of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

SFC Victor Medina was wounded in the summer of 2009 by an explosive formed projectile while in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The blast left SFC Medina with TBI, and he spent nearly two months receiving care at the Department of Defense's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany before returning home to El Paso, Texas.

After 16 months of rehabilitation, SFC Medina still copes with lingering side effects. He continues to have problems with vision, hearing, balance, headaches, and speech; however, regardless of his symptoms SFC Medina's believes that `with or without injury we are all responsible for our actions and our future. Life is about decisions, and you can choose to stand up and make the best out of your life.' SFC Medina did just that. He chose not to be a victim; he chose to be a warrior. Since then, SFC Medina has been empowering and motivating others struggling with TBI to set their sights on a brighter future.

SFC Medina along with his wife, Roxana Delgado, created a blog during his recovery to provide insight on the effects of TBI. The couple has written about their struggles and triumphs in dealing with the issue, and their blog eventually morphed into a Web site, www.tbiwarrior.com. The blog raises awareness and understanding of TBI and serves to empower survivors and caregivers through education and advocacy while providing resources to heal with hope.

Each year approximately 1.7 million Americans experience TBI, and an estimated 3.2 million Americans are living with severe, long-term disabilities caused by it. TBI has been named the signature injury for troops wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq with an estimated 360,000 brain- injured men and women returning home from the battlefield.

As we commemorate National Traumatic Brain Injury Month, it is my great honor to share Victor and Roxana's story for inclusion in the Congressional Record and to recognize their outstanding contributions to the Traumatic Brain Injury warrior community in El Paso, in the State of Texas, and throughout our nation.

Brave service members like SFC Medina answer the call of duty and make tremendous sacrifices for our country. As a combat veteran myself, I salute all of our courageous men and women in the Armed Forces and the families who support them. For SFC Medina and other TBI warriors, TBI is not the end; it can be a new beginning.

Mr. Speaker, in honor of Women's History Month, I rise today to recognize women leaders and their many contributions to our community.

Recently, we celebrated the significant advancement in girls' participation in sports as we commemorated the 25th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day and the 40th anniversary of Title IX. Today, I want to recognize the incredible accomplishments of the University of Texas at El Paso's (UTEP) women's basketball team for winning the 2012 Conference USA Championship, and the 2012 Conference USA Regular Season Title for the second time in the past five years. These talented young women serve as positive role models for the El Paso community.

I want to congratulate Keitha Adams for being named Conference USA Coach of the Year. This is the second time Coach Adams has been honored with this title, and her leadership helped the UTEP program win two Conference USA regular season titles in the last five years. I also want to congratulate Gloria Brown for winning Conference USA Sixth Player of the Year for a second-consecutive season, and El Paso's own Kayla Thornton, an Irvin High School graduate, was recognized as an All-Conference USA performer.

These remarkable women not only strengthen themselves, their families and the El Paso community, but they serve as an inspiration to encourage schools and the El Paso community to increase opportunities for girls and women in sports.

El Paso, Texas, has a rich history and is home to strong and passionate women who have played critical roles in making higher education a reality, promoting our small businesses, serving El Paso as public servants, safeguarding our community, and ensuring access to health care for children, families and seniors.

Leaders like Dr. Diana Natalicio of the University of Texas at El Paso; Cindy Ramos-Davidson of the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Belen Robles, the first female president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC); Dr. Blanca Enriquez, life-long educator and Associate Executive Director for Head Start; Rosa Guerrero, a pioneer educator, artist, renowned dancer, and humanitarian; and Suzie Azar, El Paso's first and only woman Mayor. These remarkable women, and many others, have made history in the border region, and we are blessed that they call El Paso home.

Mr. Speaker, while women have achieved great success, we recognize women still face many challenges and there is still much work to be done. This month, I reaffirm my commitment to policies and initiatives that support more and better opportunities for women and girls.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I'm reminded of the Broadway play ``Chicago,'' when one of the acts is ``razzle dazzle them.'' With all due respect to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, all the razzle and all the dazzle is not working here. There are conflicts in terms of the offsets that are being used in trying to offset money both in this bill and in other legislations, and I think that that's indicative of the kinds of issues that are being brought before the floor here.

H.R. 7 takes $44 billion out of the pockets of millions of middle class American workers over the next 10 years by slashing existing pension benefits and cutting employer retirement contributions for new, current, and retiring Federal workers. That's according to the Congressional Budget Office--again, new, current, and retiring Federal workers.

Over the weekend in my district, I heard from many Federal workers who are concerned about the kinds of proposals that are being brought forth to offset legislation by our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. The $44 billion that I just talked about is in addition to $60 billion that Federal workers are already contributing as a result of the existing 2-year pay freeze.

Although House Republicans would force Federal workers to contribute more than $100 billion, given both proposals, toward deficit reduction--and now obviously transportation projects, and who knows how many times they're over-counting this--they have consistently refused to ask wealthy Americans to sacrifice even one penny toward these goals.

I am opposed to this H.R. 7, I'm opposed to this rule, and I ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to stop attacking Federal workers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Command Sergeant Major David Davenport as he departs Fort Bliss and the 1st Armored Division. His selection as the U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) Command Sergeant Major will provide him with a new opportunity to influence the next generation of Army leaders.

In his 27 years of Army service, Sergeant Major Davenport has held every enlisted leadership position from cavalry scout and tank commander to his current position as command sergeant major. Sergeant Major Davenport's career has taken him to Army installations across the United States and the world, and his assignment as Command Sergeant Major of the Future Forces Integration Directorate put him at the leading edge of the Army's top modernization initiative.

During their time in El Paso, Sergeant Major Davenport and his wife Claudia have not only committed themselves to supporting soldiers and their families at Fort Bliss, but they also served as ambassadors representing the post in the El Paso community. From completing the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce Leadership Course to volunteering with many local organizations, Command Sergeant Major Davenport did not just live in El Paso; he made it his home. He worked with the civilian community to expand understanding of the changing mission of the post, and he helped enlisted soldiers and their families make important connections to the El Paso community.

In his time at Fort Bliss, Command Sergeant Major Davenport demonstrated outstanding leadership both as a strong advocate for the Army and as a liaison working to build bridges between the post and the civilian community. His most important role has been as a tireless voice for Fort Bliss soldiers and his families. From ensuring that they have the resources they need to achieve their mission to caring for enlisted families as they deal with deployments and other challenges, his unwavering commitment to serving those who serve is a model for future Army leaders.

As we say farewell to the Davenports and wish them well in their next assignment, I wanted to add my words of thanks and recognition for all that Dave and Claudia have done for our Army and our community. While we know the Army needs them in such a critical leadership position at USAREUR, we look forward to welcoming them back to El Paso in the future.

Madam Speaker, tonight the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on a Republican bill that attacks federal employees and aims to balance the budget on the backs of hard-working federal civil servants for political points. Republicans claim this bill freezes the salaries of Members of Congress, but what they fail to mention is that this bill would also freeze the pay of federal employees, including 10,000 civil servants in El Paso.

Federal employees have already made significant sacrifices to help reduce the government's budget deficit. They are now enduring a two- year pay freeze that took effect in January 2011. Federal employees also face the possibility of layoffs and furloughs in coming years as automatic spending reductions mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011 cut federal agency budgets.

Republicans need to stop attacking federal employees. This pointless legislation only serves to distract from the real issue: helping revitalize the economy and create jobs. I will continue to stand with federal employees and their families.

The Republican message is clear to our hard-working federal employees, over 12,000 in El Paso, who secure our border, care for our veterans, and protect our air and water--they would rather freeze the wages of middle class workers than raise taxes on the millionaires and billionaires. I want to reassure all federal employees in El Paso that I will continue to work hard against attacks that jeopardize their livelihood and ability to support their families.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of a truly American story of faith and service, a tradition that has served, educated, and upheld true values in my district of El Paso, Texas. During this Catholic Schools Week, I would like to congratulate the Sisters of Loretto celebrating their 200th Jubilee Year this April.

On April 25, 1812, three frontier women, Sisters Mary Rhodes, Nancy Havern and Christina Stuart, with the help of their Catholic pastor, the Rev. Charles Nerinckx, came together to found the Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross, on Hardin's Creek in central Kentucky, marking the beginning of a uniquely American community of faith and service. Motivated by faith and charity, they were soon joined by many others, taking as their purpose the instruction of girls and young women of every faith and economic means, even welcoming enslaved persons.

The Sisters of Loretto expanded the work of education westward, first by steamboat to Missouri and Louisiana, and then by wagon train to New Mexico, by mail-coach to Colorado, and by train to Texas, Arizona, and California, ultimately contributing to American education in more than 40 states. In the 20th century, they reached out to girls in Asia, South America, and Central America. Their members now serve throughout the United States, as well as in Europe, Guatemala, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Uganda, Ghana, and Pakistan.

In their 200 years of work, the Sisters of Loretto and their colleagues have founded

nearly 300 schools in the United States. The first Texas site of the Sisters of Loretto was established by Mother Praxedes in 1879 in El Paso County, and has educated thousands of El Paso and Juarez students through St. Joseph's Academy, Sacred Heart, St. Ignatius, Guardian Angel, Holy Family, Assumption, St. Mary's, St. Patrick's, Cathedral School, St. Joseph's School, and Loretto Academy.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all of the educators and administrators who continue this important legacy. Having reached nearly one million people, the Loretto Community of Sisters continues to educate and foster values of faith, justice, community, and respect in students at Loretto Academy, to teach adult education and GED classes, to work as chaplains at Nazareth Hall Nursing Center, and to run a homeless center for women at the Villa Maria Shelter.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Like my friend and colleague from Washington, I, too, rise in support of this legislation, H.R. 3801, as a former Federal law enforcement officer, retired Border Patrol Agent and Border Patrol Chief who had the opportunity, as a cochair of the Border Caucus, to work very closely with Gabby Giffords. It's a real privilege to be able to support this piece of legislation which, as my colleague from Washington mentioned, has previously passed the House and, it's my understanding, has already passed Senate. So I urge all my colleagues to support it.

I, too, would like to pay tribute to Gabby Giffords because not only did I get a chance to work with her on border issues as members of the Border Caucus, but also as members of the Interparliamentary Group, and wanted to make sure that we know that we're not counting out Gabby. I think those of us that know her, those of us that have had the privilege of working with her, understand that she is determined to make a full recovery.

We all will miss her, but we certainly agree with the decision that she has made, along with her husband, Mark, and her family, that she needs to take some time to fully recover. So we haven't seen the last of Gabby Giffords, I believe.

I think whatever the future holds for her, she has made this a better place because of her work, because of her thirst to seek out the facts. This piece of legislation is just one indicator of the work that she has done on behalf of not just her constituents and not just her State, but work done on behalf of our Nation to keep us safe, especially post- 9/11.

So I hope today we have a unanimous vote of support for legislation that, yes, is needed, because I've been on the border with our Border Patrol Agents and ICE agents and have seen some of these ultralights that this legislation addresses, but more than that, because we have to continue the fight against these drug cartels and these drug trafficking organizations.

So I urge all the Members to vote ``yes,'' and wish Gabby and her family well and am proud to have worked with her.

Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to be here wearing this yellow ribbon to welcome home our troops from a job well done in Iraq. My thoughts go back to April of 1968 when I came back from Vietnam to a very different America, and I'm grateful that today our troops are coming back to a welcoming and thankful Nation.

In that vein, as we sit here today and think about the holiday season, the majority of us will be fortunate enough to spend this time being surrounded by family and friends; but we should never forget that, at the same time during this holiday season, there are many among us who are homeless, who are hungry, who are out of a job and simply do not know where their next meal will come from.

This should serve as an important reminder to all of us here as Members of Congress that we must work jointly in a bipartisan manner to address the critical issues of our time. It is simply unacceptable that partisan politics prevent us from working for what's best in this country.

I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Fiscal Year 2012 National Defense Authorization Act. This bill represents months of hard work by Members on both sides of the aisle. And I especially wanted to thank my friend and chairman, Mr. McKeon, and Ranking Member Smith, as well as my chairman, Roscoe Bartlett, for the inclusive work that was done in this legislation.

It is important to note what this bill does not include. During conference negotiations, unnecessary provisions limiting the work of military chaplains were dropped. Now the bill will allow the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell to proceed so that troops who defend our values will have protections that they have fought to defend.

Working with the White House, our committee achieved a final compromise on detainees that does not grant broad new authority for the detention of U.S. citizens and does not establish a new authority for indefinite detention of terrorists. The bill strikes a reasonable balance between protecting our Nation from terrorists like those who attacked our Nation on September the 11th and protecting our American values. It demonstrates that we do not need to sacrifice our civil liberties to be safe.

Finally, I urge Members to support this legislation because it also includes a pay raise for our troops and provides funds for the care needed to recover from the wounds of war. The bill improves access to mental health care for members of the National Guard and Reserves, and the bill also expands and improves laws dealing with sexual assault and harassment.

I ask all Members to vote for this very important piece of legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the millions of people in this country, including the 55 million seniors, disabled workers, widows, and children currently receiving Social Security benefits that have their Social Security unnecessarily targeted as part of the debt reduction talks. Now, more than ever, we cannot jeopardize earned benefits of seniors who have worked so hard over their lifetime to retire with dignity. Every senior deserves dignity in their retirement. Every senior, no exceptions.

For almost two-thirds of America's seniors, Social Security is the primary source of retirement income. Social Security is also a lifeline for workers who became disabled and for families who have lost a breadwinner. In the 16th District of Texas that I represent, over 98,000 El Pasoans receive Social Security benefits. They depend on these benefits to buy groceries, pay utility bills, and fill their gas tanks.

As their Representative, I want to ensure that we uphold the decades- old promise to the American worker, in return for their years of hard work and contributions, that we ensure dignity in retirement, assistance of the disabled, and support for their surviving children.

I want to thank my colleague for yielding and some time to speak on this very important issue here.

Mr. Speaker, recently, the Department of Labor reported that the national unemployment rate fell to 8.6 percent in November, its lowest point in nearly 3 years. Coincidentally, in El Paso in the 16th District of Texas, the unemployment rate has also declined. This is very good news and very positive news for not just our respective districts but for our country.

We have been told by economists that once our economy gets going and operating at full strength, it can literally drive the economies of the rest of the world. These positive signs make it evident that, in fact, our economy is moving forward and that we are on the road to recovery. However, as our economy continues to heal, we cannot afford to become complacent. Instead, we need to immediately pass legislation that will help create jobs and put more people back to work.

First, I believe, Mr. Speaker, that we must pass the American Jobs Act. My district, as well as the districts of my colleagues, in talking to them here, would greatly benefit from the President's Jobs Act. For instance, El Paso would receive over $66 million to upgrade and modernize our schools to meet 21st-century needs. In addition, school districts in the El Paso region would receive funding to keep teachers from being laid off.

For example, our largest school district, the El Paso Independent School District, would receive an estimated $45 million to keep teachers from being laid off and to perhaps hopefully continue to hire desperately needed teachers in our classrooms. These are smart investments on our part for the future

which will also boost our economy in the immediate future.

Second, we must extend unemployment benefits. I want to thank my colleague for highlighting this and make sure that we extend unemployment benefits to those that are in desperate need. In fact, these benefits are the only thing that stand between them and homelessness and going without. During this downturn, unemployment benefits have kept over 3 million people in food and clothing and the basic essentials. It has also served as a booster to our struggling economy. We must protect these families who are still struggling and help them by the Jobs Act to find a stable source of income.

I have heard, like many other of my colleagues here, many stories from those in my district that have had difficulty in the last months and years in finding a job. So today we cannot and we must not turn our backs on the American people--the American people that need our help and need the passage of the American Jobs Act. They also need for us to step forward, stand with them, and pass the unemployment insurance. Rather than being distracted and being misled by our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, we must focus on our priority, which should be the creation of jobs, the passage of the unemployment insurance, and getting this economy going.

So I pledge to my colleague and my colleagues here that we must continue to work together to create jobs not just for El Paso and not just for Texas, but for our country. And when we talk about the United States economy that literally drives all other economies, people around the world are waiting for us to work together to get this done. With that commitment, we can turn things around. We're seeing some very positive signs. We must continue to work for all the people that have sent us here to do that work.

With that, I want to thank my colleague for yielding.

I want to thank my good friend from New Mexico for yielding me time, as well as thanking Chairman Hastings from Washington and Ranking Member Rahall for their help in getting this legislation to the floor. I want to thank the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Lujan) for handling the bill on the Democratic side.

I rise today in support of H.R. 1560, the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo blood quantum bill. This bill is crucial to the members of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo tribe, which is located in El Paso, my district, the 16th District of Texas. This will grant them the right to determine their own membership. It seeks to correct unjust legislation approved by Congress in 1987, which imposed a one-eighth blood quantum Federal requirement for tribe membership. This law singles out the Tigua; and if not amended, the tribe will lose their federally recognized status and the right to self-govern their community.

The Tigua tribal community was established, as was stated by both the chairman and Mr. Lujan, in 1862 after the Pueblo Revolt against the Spanish colonization of the Americas, nearly a century before the Declaration of Independence, and more than 160 years before the annexation of Texas to the United States. This community represents a central part of our district's rich culture and our heritage.

The Ysleta del Sur Pueblo has been an important part of the community's cultural heritage for nearly 330 years. The tribe is an inseparable part of our history, and it should be allowed to preserve its status as a sovereign nation for future generations. So I strongly urge all Members to support this bill.