Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 5203 - Quinault Indian Trust Lands

(Revised - LA 9/30/88)

(House)
(Swift (D) Washington)

The Administration opposes enactment of H.R. 5203, under which the Quinault Tribe would be gratuitously awarded land and timber receipts to which the courts have already determined they have no rightful claim. The bill would establish an undesirable precedent that could lead to the reopening of countless other Indian claims.

If H.R. 5203 were presented to the President, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Interior, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and the Attorney General would recommend that the bill be vetoed.