OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Transfer of Land Into Trust for the Pechanga Band of Indians

Floor Speech

Date: June 2, 2026
Location: Washington, DC


I rise in support of H.R. 5682, which will return ancestral homelands in southern California to the Pechanga Band of Indians. The lands that would be returned under this bill are located within the Pu'eska Mountain, a sacred site with cultural, historic, and religious significance to the Tribe.

In the mid-2000s, the Tribe fought tirelessly to protect these lands from destructive mining that would have destroyed the mountain. They ultimately purchased and took into trust much of these lands.

In addition to the Tribe, the Bureau of Land Management holds several parcels on the mountain, including approximately 1,261 acres adjacent to the Tribe's trust land.

H.R. 5682 will take these lands into trust for the benefit of the Tribe, consolidating most of the mountain into Tribal trust land and allowing the Tribe to steward their ancestral lands.

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Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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