Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) testified in front of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs, where he spoke in favor of his longstanding legislation, H.R. 1208, which would amend the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 and reaffirm the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for Indian tribes.
After testifying, Congressman Cole released the following statement: “As a result of the Indian Removal Act, many Tribes were forcibly removed from their land and relocated to unknown areas that provided them no opportunity to prosper. However, trust land, which is often used by Tribal communities to produce energy, provide essential government services, grow crops, and build schools, housing, and health centers, does offer Tribes the ability to expand economic development and provide for their communities,” said Congressman Cole.
“Unfortunately, the Supreme Court’s Carcieri v. Salazar decision uprooted seventy years of precedent and turned the entire notion of Tribal sovereignty on its head when it ruled that the Indian Reorganization Act questioned the authority for the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust because the Court interpreted the statute only applying to the Tribes under Federal recognition when the law was enacted in 1934. This decision created two different classes of Indian tribes: those that can have land in trust and those that cannot,” said Congressman Cole.
“This two-class system is truly detrimental to so many Native communities, as it makes it harder for them to manage and expand their territory, as well as puts millions of dollars’ worth of trust land in legal limbo,” said Congressman Cole. “My legislation, H.R. 1208, will correct this egregious wrongdoing, and restore the sovereign rights of all federally recognized tribes to put land into trust. We must continue to move this bill through the legislative process in order to protect Tribal interests, as well as avoid costly and protracted litigation, and I thank the Committee on Natural Resources for holding this important hearing today.”