Catawba Indian Nation Lands Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. TIMMONS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1619, the Catawba Indian Nation Lands Act. I was proud to partner with the majority whip, Mr. Clyburn, and several other of my colleagues from North and South Carolina in introducing this legislation.

This bill is straightforward. It would simply codify action taken by President Trump's Department of the Interior last year, granting 17 acres of the Catawba Indian Nation's ancestral lands into trust for the Tribe.

This action by the Interior Department has been held up needlessly in the Federal court system, although the only decisions so far have been held in favor of the Catawbas. This bill would cut short that process and confirm the ability for the Catawba Indian Nation to move forward with their plans for this piece of land which, I would note again, is most certainly within the borders of their ancestral homelands.

This piece of land will be critical in providing economic opportunity for a community that suffers from above-average unemployment and poverty rates. This will enable self-sufficiency and reduce the need for members of the Catawba population to rely on Federal and State governments for basic social services.

This step has been many years in the making, and I am glad to have played a small part in getting it done. I would also like to thank our partners in the Senate, Senators Graham, Tillis, and Burr for spearheading this effort in their body. Hopefully, we can get this important piece of legislation to the President's desk in short order.

Madam Speaker, in closing, I would like to ask my colleagues to join me in support of this bill. It is bipartisan, it is common sense, and it will very much help the 3,400 members of the Catawba Nation in North and South Carolina live more prosperous lives.

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