The deadline of President Donald Trump's order for the federal government to fast-track the full federal recognition of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is now several days past due.
On Jan. 23 this year, President Trump tasked the Department of Interior to submit a plan within 90 days to find a long sought-after legal pathway for Lumbee recognition.
It's unclear when the government will announce its plan, which presents the closest the tribe has been to a historic recognition.
The plan inspired a new sense of hope for tribal members, but also longstanding doubts about promises that politicans — including President Trump — have made before.
"The missed deadline by the Department of the Interior is disappointing," Lumbee Tribal Council Representative Rudy Locklear, told WUNC in an email. "It reinforces longstanding concerns about delays and the lack of urgency in addressing our tribe’s recognition."
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