11.16.15

Grijalva on House Vote Rejecting Effort to Block Arizona Tribe From Building Casino: “Courts and Congress Agree – Let’s Move On”

Washington, D.C. – House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement after the House failed to pass H.R. 308, a bill blocking the Tohono O’odham tribe from building a court-approved casino in Glendale, Ariz., under suspension of the rules.

“Courts have consistently found this casino is legal and the Tohono O’odham have acted appropriately in developing it. It has already created construction jobs and is on the threshold of significantly improving the Tohono O’odham economy. Outside interests who hoped to use Congress to block competition – never an offer my colleagues and I should take up – have failed to buy the result they wanted, despite spending millions of dollars on an army of lobbyists. It’s time to drop this special interest giveaway once and for all and move on to real business.”

HR 308 has drawn opposition from tribes all over the country because of the dangerous precedent it would set. By allowing Congress to block a specific tribal project on legally acquired tribal land, HR 308 would open the door to congressional meddling in tribal economic development anywhere in the United States.

The bill had generated bipartisan opposition, including from conservative Republicans. The Congressional Budget Office has found that passing the bill could result in a court judgment of up to $1 billion against the federal government – which taxpayers would be on the hook for – because of a potential Tohono O’odham takings claim.

The casino is set to open in Glendale next month.

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