    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [October 15, 1996]
    [Pages 1835-1836]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Receiving the Endorsement of Native American Tribal Leaders
    and an Exchange With Reporters in Albuquerque
    October 15, 1996

        The President. Thank you very, very much. Thank you, Congressman
    Richardson, for what you've said about the record that we have worked
    hard to make in partnership with the Native Americans. Thank you, Mayor
    Chavez, for being here. I want to thank the Native American leaders who
    have come here today to offer their support. And I thank President Hale
    and Governor Garcia for the words that they have given.
        Let me say that there are many wonderful things about having the
    great honor of being President of the United States. But being able to
    be President of a country that includes the Native American tribes, to
    have the opportunity to work with them in a spirit of genuine respect,
    to work to improve the recognition of the integrity of their religious
    practices, to work to try to increase the level of independence and
    reduce the level of patronizing practices in the relationship of the
    Native American tribes to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, all these things
    are very, very important to me.
        As the 42d President, I was honored to be the first President since
    our fifth President, James Monroe, in the 1820's, to invite the leaders
    of every tribe in the United States to meet with me at the White House.
    We have worked hard to expand tribal sovereignty and self-determination.
    We have worked hard to make sure every Federal agency knows that it
    should consult with tribal governments at any time we're making
    decisions that affect American Indians and Alaskan natives.
        By working together, we have moved forward. We have kept some bad
    things from happening, but we have also made some good things happen. We
    have a lot more to do. But we can be proud of what has been done in
    protecting self-determination, in preserving natural re-

    [[Page 1836]]

    sources, in providing educational and economic opportunity, in defending
    tribal rights to protect children, families, and culture.
        America is going in the right direction in no small measure because
    every American and every American family and every American ethnic,
    racial, and religious group knows that in our America, they are all
    entitled to be treated with dignity and equality. But I am especially
    grateful for the Indian nations for standing with us as we have fought
    to preserve our common values, as we have worked to balance the budget
    without crippling our investments in people and our obligations to one
    another.
        Now we have to continue the progress and build upon it. The
    endorsement of the leaders here and the work we will do together will be
    critical to keep our country moving into the right direction as we move
    into the 21st century. I value their friendship. I value their
    partnership, and I look forward to working with them.
        Thank you all very, very much.

    Gambling on Indian Reservations

        Q. Mr. President--[inaudible]--meeting, and can your administration
    do anything, any more to resolve the current logjam?
        The President. No. There are some Indian gaming issues around the
    country that we still have the capacity to resolve. But the ones here
    are in the courts. And there's really nothing more for us to do except
    to let them work their way through the courts.
        Q. Mr. President, the so-called dean of Native American leaders is
    not here today, Mescalero Apache President Wendell Chino. And he wants
    you to fire U.S. Attorney John Kelly, the man who shut down his casino
    and so do, frankly, some people on the stage with you today. Is that
    going to happen, sir?
        The President. This issue is in the courts now, and I have no
    further comment.

    Campaign Financing

        Q. Mr. President, do you seek, in fact, the disputed $450,000?
    Everyone in the administration said there's nothing illegal, but there's
    some ethical issues been raised. We haven't heard you say much about it.
        The President. Well I--first of all, I expect to have the
    opportunity to discuss that tomorrow night. But I believe that the
    political parties should not give back contributions that were legally
    made and legally received. And if they made a mistake and took any money
    that shouldn't have been taken, then they ought to give that back. I
    think that there are clear FEC rules on this. There's a law on this.
    That's what we've got a Federal Election Commission for. And we know
    they're capable of doing their job because they've taken action this
    year already.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:40 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Pyramid Hotel.
    In his remarks, he referred to Mayor Martin Chavez of Albuquerque;
    Albert Hale, president, Navajo Nation; and Gov. Leonard D. Garcia,
    Pueblo of Santa Ana, Southern Pueblos.