¶ Native American Land Agreement
2019: Fitzpatrick Voted To Ratify A 2015 Interior Department Agreement
To Take Into Trust MA Land To Benefit The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Of
Massachusetts And Dismiss All Pending Federal Legal Actions Related To
This Land Agreement. In May 2019, Fitzpatrick voted for a bill that
would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, "ratif[ied] 2015
Interior Department actions taking into trust approximately 321 acres of
land in Massachusetts for the benefit of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of
Massachusetts. It would [have] also require[d] any pending or future
legal actions related to the land to be dismissed in federal court." The
vote was on the passage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 275 to
146. [House Vote 207,
5/15/19; Congressional
Quarterly, 5/15/19; Congressional
Actions, H.R.
312]
- The Interior Department And Zinke Came Under Inspector General
Investigation Concerning A Rejected Expert Analysis Preventing
Native American Tribes From Opening A Casino In Connecticut.
According to Politico, "Trump administration officials rejected
recommendations from federal experts on Indian gaming policy when
they blocked two American Indian tribes from opening a casino in
Connecticut last year, documents obtained by POLITICO indicate. The
heavily blacked-out documents add to questions about whether
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and his political appointees buckled
to lobbying pressure from MGM Resorts International, a gambling
industry giant that is planning its own casino just 12 miles from
the project proposed by the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes.
Interior's inspector general is investigating the department's
handling of the tribes' casino application, a spokeswoman told
POLITICO, after Connecticut lawmakers asked the internal watchdog to
look into the matter." [Politico,
4/22/18]