George Bush photo

Statement of Administration Policy: S. 2203 - Zuni Claims Settlement Act of 1990

June 18, 1990

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

(Senate)
(Domenici (R) NM, Bingaman (D) NM, and McCain (R) AZ)

The Administration opposes enactment of S. 2203. If S. 2203 were presented to the President, the Attorney General would recommend that the bill be vetoed.

S. 2203 would grant the Zuni Indian Tribe "recognized title" to 15 million acres of land in Arizona and New Mexico, retroactive to 1848, for the purpose of determining Federal compensation. This action would supersede a Claims Court ruling that the Tribe held "aboriginal title" to the land. Compensation for aboriginal lands is based on the value of the land when taken. Compensation for a "recognized title" is based on the value of the land plus interest from the date of taking. In this case, over 100 years of interest payments would be required on the majority of the land. Based on some estimates of the land's value, compensation could total as much as $280 million. There is no factual or legal basis for granting the Zuni Tribe special treatment by retroactively recognizing their land title. The bill would also potentially set a costly and far-reaching precedent for similar claims of other southwestern Indian tribes.

The Administration also objects to the bill's earmarking of $25 million in limited Federal resources to settle unproven and unjustified tribal claims against the United States related to damage to Zuni reservation lands. S. 2203 would interrupt the fair and orderly adjudication of these claims, which are currently pending in the Claims Court.

George Bush, Statement of Administration Policy: S. 2203 - Zuni Claims Settlement Act of 1990 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/329119

Simple Search of Our Archives