Restoring Buffalo Herds on Indian Reservation Lands

Floor Speech

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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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