Statement: Chairman of Miccosukee Tribe on veto of homelands bill

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Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Indianz.Com

The following is the text of a December 31, 2025, statement from Chairman Talbert Cypress of the Miccosukee Tribe in connection with the veto of H.R.504, the Miccosukee Reserved Area Amendments Act. President Donald Trump vetoed the bill, which would add an area known as Osceola Camp to the Miccosukee Reservation in Florida.

The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida has long supported President Trump’s commitment to Everglades restoration, for the benefit of America’s public lands. The late Chairman Billy Cypress, who served for 27 years as the chief executive of our tribe and passed away earlier this year, enjoyed a friendship with President Trump and was an early supporter of his campaign in 2016.

The Tribe has a constitutional duty to protect and defend the Everglades ecosystem, our traditional homelands. We have never sought to obstruct the President’s immigration agenda. Instead, we have taken action to ensure sufficient environmental due diligence is performed to protect federal restoration investments. We were disappointed to learn that the White House vetoed a measure intended to mitigate restoration impacts on a Tribal village.

The Osceola Camp, a historic Miccosukee community within Everglades National Park, faces serious flood and environmental risks. The measure reflected years of bipartisan work and was intended to clarify land status and support basic protections for tribal members who have lived in this area for generations—before the roads and canals were built, and before Everglades National Park was created. It was not about special treatment, but about public safety, environmental stewardship, and honoring long- recognized tribal interests.

The Tribe remains fully committed to continuing collaboration with Congress, the Florida delegation, and our federal partners to restore the Everglades in the interest of millions of Americans who live in South Florida.

Chairman Talbert Cypress