Press Release - Background on President Obama's Claims Resolution Act Signing Ceremony Today

This afternoon, the President will sign the Claims Resolution Act of 2010 in the South Court Auditorium. The audience will be made up of approximately 130 guests – including Administration officials, Members of Congress, key leaders and advocates from the African American and Native American communities, and congressional staff.

STAGE PARTICIPANTS

Attorney General Eric Holder, Department of Justice
Secretary Ken Salazar, Department of the Interior
Secretary Tom Vilsack, Department of Agriculture
Senator Max Baucus, D-MT
Senator Jeff Bingaman, D-NM
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA
Representative James Clyburn, D-SC
Representative Tom Cole, R-OK
Representative Dale Kildee, D-MI

BACKGROUND

The Claims Resolution Act of 2010 funds the Pigford II settlement with USDA ($1.15 billion) and the Cobell settlement with Interior ($3.4 billion). It also settles four Indian water rights disputes for seven Indian tribes in Arizona, Montana and New Mexico – the Crow, White Mountain Apache, and the Pueblos of Taos, Tesuque, Nambe, Pojoaque, and San Ildefonso. In addition, it provides a one-year extension of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grants, a six-month extension of the supplemental TANF grant program for states with high population growth or historically below-average welfare grants, and provisions to improve the integrity of the unemployment compensation program.

EXPECTED ATTENDEES

Administration Officials

Attorney General Eric Holder, Department of Justice
Secretary Ken Salazar, Department of the Interior
Secretary Tom Vilsack, Department of Agriculture
Deputy Secretary David Hayes, Department of the Interior

Members of Congress

Senator Max Baucus, D-MT
Senator Jeff Bingaman, D-NM
Senator Blanche Lincoln, D-AR
Senator Kay Hagan, D-NC
Senator Tom Udall, D-NM
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA
Representative Xavier Becerra, D-CA
Representative Sanford Bishop, D-GA
Representative G.K. Butterfield, D-NC
Representative Emanuel Cleaver, D-MO
Representative James Clyburn, D-SC
Representative Tom Cole, R-OK
Representative John Conyers, D-MI
Representative Rosa DeLauro, D-CT
Representative Elton Gallegly, R-CA
Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-TX
Representative Dale Kildee, D-MI
Representative Ann Kirkpatrick, D-AZ
Representative Barbara Lee, D-CA
Representative Sander Levin, D-MI
Representative John Lewis, D-GA
Representative Ben Lujan, D-NM
Representative Grace Napolitano, D-CA
Representative Nick Rahall, D-WV
Representative Bobby Scott, D-VA
Representative Bennie Thompson, D-MS
Representative Mel Watt, D-NC
Representative Maxine Waters, D-CA
Representative Don Young, R-AK

Farmers, Advocates, and Tribal Leaders

Ralph Paige, Federation of Southern Cooperatives
John Boyd, National Black Farmers Association
Vivian Odum Breed, daughter of Timothy Odum, Farmer
Elouise Cobell, Cobell named plaintiff
Ervin Chavez, Cobell settlement class member
Chairman Cedric Black Eagle, Crow Tribe
Chairman Ronnie Lupe, White Mountain Apache Tribe
Governor Gary Lujan, Pueblo of Taos
Governor Perry Martinez, Pueblo of San Ildefonso
Governor George Rivera, Pueblo of Pojoaque
Governor Frederick Vigil, Pueblo of Tesuque
Governor Ernest Mirabal, Pueblo of Nambe