House Democrats Pull Casino Bills after Donald Trump’s Tweets
After a tweet by President Donald Trump on Wednesday, Democratic leaders pulled two casino bills. On May 8th, Trump posted on Twitter, stating that he was against the legal draft, which allowed Native Americans to construct a casino, located in Massachusetts.
President Donald Trump forces Democrats to make a quick decision
He asked the Republicans to vote against this bill, as believed the proposed legislation was unfair. Trump added that the legal draft doesn’t treat the Native Americans equally.
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe wants to construct a casino on their reservation, but it needs the government to state their land as lawful. According to Tom Hoye, the mayor of Taunton, the casino would be a huge opportunity for the city, as it would help them earn millions of dollars.
However, the U.S Interior Department and a judge ruled against the Native Americans.
Several Rhode Island lawmakers didn’t want the Native Americans to build a casino on that land, as it would impact the revenue of the state. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, the Democratic senators, were also against the bills.
The tweet from the President came hours before the House was going to vote on the legal drafts.
Known as H.R. 312, the bill would allow the construction of a casino on Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s land. At the same time, H.R 375, is another proposed legislation, which permits Native American tribes to operate casinos, as the Interior Department would take land into trust for them.
First time the President speaks out against these bills
Elizabeth Warren was the co-sponsor for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Reservation Reaffirmation Act. It was a strange move from the President, as he never spoke about the issue in public.
An hour before Trump’s tweet, Matt Schlapp White House’s top outside advisor and friend of the President posted something similar on Twitter. Schlapp is a lobbyist for Cove Strategies and American Conservative Union’s president. Cove Strategies lobbies for Twin Rivers Management Group, a casino operator.
He stated that the passage of the legal draft would be a reward for Elizabeth Warren.
Democrat Bill Keating, the sponsor of the bill, stated the reason behind the President to make this tweet. According to the official, Trump was against the legal draft, as he allied with a lobbyist who wanted two casinos from Rhode Island to compete with the one on the tribal land.
The bills only needed two-thirds majority in the House, to pass, as they were going to fast-track them. Due to this reason, it was essential to have the support of the Republicans.
