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Congress is considering reconsidering the Lumbee recognition law as Trump returns to office

The U.S. Capitol pictured on November 26, 2024 in Washington, DC (Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom)

Congress will again consider granting federal tribal recognition to the Lumbee of North Carolina under Trump’s second administration, after a bipartisan group of state lawmakers introduced a bill to that effect on Thursday.

The bill, introduced by lead Republican sponsors Sen. Thom Tillis and Sen. Ted Budd, as well as Rep. David Rouzer and Rep. Mark Harris, would grant federal rights to the group of more than 55,000 people, giving them access to the benefits they receive. other recognized tribes, such as financial assistance, housing and health care. The lead sponsors were joined in introducing the bill by four other Republicans and three Democrats from North Carolina.

US Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina (file photo)

“I am committed to ensuring that Congress fulfills its six-decade-old promise to grant full federal recognition to the Lumbee people. We are now closer than ever to finally delivering on that promise,” Tillis said in a press release. “There is clearly strong bipartisan support for this effort in Congress, and both President Biden and President-elect Trump strongly support this recognition. This bill has passed the House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support over the past three Congresses. I will continue to pursue all options to finally achieve full federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe.”

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Near the end of the previous Congress, a bill to recognize Lumbee passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 311 to 96, but was not passed by the Senate. President Donald Trump promised during his campaign to sign the Lumbee recognition into law if a bill came to his desk.

“The Lumbee Tribe has been wrongfully denied federal recognition for more than a century,” Trump said at a rally in Wilmington last September. “If elected in November, I will sign legislation that gives the great Lumbee Tribe the federal recognition it deserves.”

While the North Carolina General Assembly recognized the Lumbee in 1885, they have failed to gain federal recognition as a tribe in the 140 years since. Despite promises for tribal recognition by both Trump and President Joe Biden during the 2020 campaign, Lumbee recognition did not become law in the four years that followed. Both candidates in the 2024 race also supported recognition.

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In 1956, Congress recognized the Native Americans living in Robeson County and adjacent counties as the “Lumbee Indians of North Carolina,” but prevented them from receiving the rights and benefits afforded to federally recognized tribes – consistent with other efforts to restrict tribal self-government. under the Eisenhower administration.

    Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) (Photo: House.gov)

Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) (Photo: House.gov)

“It is long overdue for the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina to receive full federal recognition,” said Rep. Deborah Ross, a Democrat. “I am proud to join my North Carolina colleagues on both sides of the aisle to reintroduce the Lumbee Fairness Act, which would give the Lumbee Tribe the recognition they deserve. This critical, bipartisan legislation passed the House of Representatives last Congress, and I am hopeful we can get it done this Congress.”

Recognition for the Lumbee has long been opposed by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina and other Cherokee tribes in the US, who argue that the historical record does not support the Lumbee’s claims. They note that the group identified as the Cherokee Indians of Robeson County in the early 20th century, before seeking recognition as the Lumbee Tribe.

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“Allowing this bill would harm tribal nations across the country by creating a shortcut to recognition that diminishes the sacrifices of tribes who have fought for years to protect their identities,” Chief Michell Hicks said in December after the House had approved this. Lumbee recognition. “Congress should not ignore the recent expert analysis, which raises serious questions about the Lumbee claims.”

Opponents of a bill recognizing the Lumbee have said they should instead file their claim with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, whose Office of Federal Acknowledgment investigates tribal claims using anthropological, genealogical and historical evidence. A Lumbee request for recognition was rejected by that agency earlier in 1985. Until 2016, the Ministry of the Interior interpreted the Lumbee Act of 1956 as an impediment to the Lumbee seeking recognition through this route.

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