[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 5 (Thursday, January 8, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H208-H209]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MICCOSUKEE RESERVED AREA AMENDMENTS ACT--VETO MESSAGE FROM THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of
January 2, 2026, the unfinished business is the further consideration
of the veto message of the President on the bill (H.R. 504) to amend
the Miccosukee Reserved Area Act to authorize the expansion of the
Miccosukee Reserved Area and to carry out activities to protect
structures within the Osceola Camp from flooding, and for other
purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is, Will the House, on
reconsideration, pass the bill, the objections of the President to the
contrary notwithstanding?
(For veto message, see proceedings of the House of January 2, 2026,
at page H6136.)
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman)
is recognized for 1 hour.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield
the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr.
Huffman), the ranking member of the House Committee on Natural
Resources, pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume.
General Leave
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on the veto message of the President of
the United States to the bill H.R. 504.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Arkansas?
There was no objection.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, we are here today as President Trump has returned H.R.
504, the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act, to the House of
Representatives without his approval.
H.R. 504, sponsored by Representative Gimenez, would amend the
Miccosukee Reserved Area Act, or MRAA, to include the Osceola Camp, a
Tribal village within the Everglades, as part of the Miccosukee
Reserved Area. It also directs the Secretary of the Interior, in
consultation with the Tribe, to safeguard structures within the Osceola
Camp from flooding events.
The Miccosukee Tribe is currently located in the Greater Everglades
in southern Florida. Following Federal recognition of the Tribe in
1962, the Miccosukee's northernmost villages within what became
Everglades National Park were managed under a special use permit until
1998, when Congress placed that permit framework with the MRAA,
authorizing the Tribe's use of the area and noting it as Indian
Country.
The original law did not include Osceola Camp. H.R. 504 would include
the Osceola Camp in the Miccosukee Reserved Area and formalize a
partnership between the Tribe and the Federal Government to address
flooding risk in the area.
H.R. 504 passed the House Committee on Natural Resources in June 2025
and the House of Representatives in July 2025.
However, I respect the President's views on this legislation and his
commitment to fiscal responsibility, and I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
The Natural Resources Committee is entrusted with working on behalf
of Indian Country. While we don't always agree on everything, we have a
long history of bipartisan work and a shared commitment to advancing
legislation that benefits Tribal communities. H.R. 504 is one clear
example of this. It addresses longstanding challenges caused by past
Federal policies, and it is an opportunity--I would argue, an
obligation--to support the Miccosukee Tribe in their efforts to protect
their homelands.
President Trump has undermined that work, vetoing this bill based on
unrelated policy disputes and a fundamental misunderstanding of Tribal
sovereignty.
H.R. 504 would expand the Miccosukee Reserved Area to include Osceola
Camp, which would strengthen the Tribe's ability to self-govern and,
importantly, to address serious flooding concerns facing the village.
This bipartisan bill is narrow, targeted, and respects Tribal
sovereignty.
After reviewing the President's statement regarding his veto, it is
very clear that this decision was not limited to the merits of the bill
or to any particular policy. Instead, his statement criticizes the
Tribe for actions taken to protect the Everglades, their homelands,
from environmental risks. It even takes issue with the Tribe's
opposition to his administration's unpopular immigration policies.
Moreover, the statement reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of
Tribal Nations and the obligations that the United States has to those
sovereign governments. Let me be clear: Tribes are not special
interests. They are not seeking special treatment. They are sovereign
nations with legal and moral responsibilities to protect the well-being
of their citizens, their homelands, and the United States has a
government-to-government responsibility to work with them. Unrelated
policy disagreements should never be used to undermine that
relationship.
The Miccosukee Tribe has worked for generations to protect their
homelands within the Everglades. H.R. 504 would ensure that a historic
Tribal village is protected, while allowing for critical restoration
efforts to move forward without displacing the community.
It is pretty straightforward. It is noncontroversial. It was broadly
universally bipartisan. It never should have been vetoed.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 504. Vote ``yes''
on overriding this veto. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no requests for time. I am
prepared to close, and I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding.
Mr. Speaker, it is disappointing that I must rise to support this
veto override of the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act.
It is a very commonsense bill, as our unanimous vote in both houses
of Congress clearly demonstrated. It is simple. This act would absorb
the Osceola Camp into the Miccosukee Reservation and directs the Tribe
and Department of the Interior to jointly protect the camp from
flooding.
{time} 1400
This work is already underway, as we speak, but let's address the
erroneous reasons that it was vetoed.
First, it does not appropriate or authorize any new spending. The
Congressional Budget Office verified that.
This bill in no way bestows special treatment, as it was alleged in
the veto message, because the site wasn't authorized when it was
inhabited.
On these points, it appears the President's staff gave him bad
advice, bad facts, or both.
The reality is, the Tribe came to the Everglades after being driven
from their homes in the early 1800s. As the Miccosukee moved to what is
now Everglades National Park, they formed temporary camps on tree
islands. The water that flows through our River of Grass was a source
of food, water, and a means of transit.
Depot Tiger settled on a tree island at the turn of the 20th century.
Her son, John Tiger Poole, was born there and later helped found the
Osceola Camp. However, the construction of a new major roadway split
their camp, and it dried up the water that they relied upon, forcing
the family to move to a different part of their camp.
[[Page H209]]
Family members still live, visit, and protect the land where Depot
Tiger's home once stood.
None of these facts are in dispute, as my Republican colleagues, who
sponsored and voted for this, well know.
Protecting this land and the Miccosukees' ability to live there must
never be sacrificed by party politics or revenge.
This bill was introduced by House and Senate Republicans, backed by
the Florida delegation, and approved unanimously. This is hardly a
candidate for a veto.
Our Nation made a commitment to the Miccosukee, and hundreds of other
Tribes, to protect their lands, resources, and sovereignty. Congress
must stand by that commitment and override the President's veto.
The sanctity of Native-American lands is something that is of the
utmost importance to Native-American Tribes, and all of us in this
country that represent Native-American lands and Native Americans make
a commitment regularly that we are going to help protect those rights.
Allowing this veto to stand flies in the face of that, especially
because each of us, in both Houses of Congress, lent our votes to this
legislation. There are times for vetoes, and I have seen Presidents in
both parties issue a veto and then robust and healthy debate plays out
on this floor for good reason and Members decide where they want to
land, but that is always when we have seen a result that was mixed,
where there were people who voted against the bill. No one voted
against this bill.
This bill is entirely noncontroversial, and it is so narrowly focused
that it makes absolutely no sense other than the interest in vengeance
that seems to have emanated in this result.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote to override this
inappropriate and unfortunate veto.
Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, to state the obvious, this bill has nothing to do with
immigration. It is a very important bill, though, about Tribal
sovereignty. It is a well-crafted bill. It is bipartisan. It is
noncontroversial. Someone in the White House has decided to use it as a
hostage to play politics, very petty and personal politics because of
score settling.
They have chosen to do that, but that doesn't mean that all of us
have to be used as pawns to advance that nastiness. This veto signal
sends a terrible message, and it comes after a year of uncertainty in
Indian Country, which included significant funding cuts, workforce
reductions, and a withdraw of key executive orders that were designed
to support Tribes.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to do the right thing by the
Miccosukee Tribe and pass this veto override. Let's ensure that this
Tribe continues to have access to the historic Osceola Camp and their
homelands remain protected for future generations.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I respect the administration's views on
this legislation. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the
previous question.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Moran). Without objection, the previous
question is ordered.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is, Will the House, on
reconsideration, pass the bill, the objections of the President to the
contrary notwithstanding?
Under the Constitution, the vote must be by the yeas and nays.
Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this question
will be postponed.
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