[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 195 (Tuesday, November 28, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H5933]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          RESTORING BUFFALO HERDS ON INDIAN RESERVATION LANDS

  (Mr. LaMALFA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, I have introduced the bipartisan Indian 
Buffalo Management Act to create a permanent buffalo program at the 
U.S. Department of Interior and help promote and develop Tribal 
capacity to manage buffalo.
  The act provides secure, consistent funding for Tribes, and Tribal 
organizations to have an established buffalo herd and management 
program, as well as provide resources for Tribes that would like to 
establish new herds of buffalo.
  This bill passed out of the House last Congress and was led by my 
dear friend, our late Congressman from Alaska, Mr. Don Young.
  This bill will help bolster our Tribal sovereignty, create economic 
opportunities, and ensure a stable supply of nutritious, locally 
sourced protein.
  Additionally, the American buffalo has a deep historical and cultural 
connection to many Tribes and has always held great meaning for Indian 
peoples.
  Buffalo has provided the Tribes with everything from clothing, to 
food, to shelter, to utensils, to pouches, to headdresses, to 
containers, and much more.
  It is impossible to overstate their importance to Native Americans 
historically and to this day, culturally, as well as all Americans as a 
symbol of the rugged West.
  This program will greatly help with Intertribal Buffalo Council's 
goal of restoring buffalo herds on Indian reservation lands.
  Madam Speaker, I hope we can get the support for that and get it out 
of the House, out of the Senate, and in front of the President.

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