The U.S. House has passed a measure that would pave the way for the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina to receive federal recognition, a status that has been just out of reach for more than 100 years.
The proposal was inserted into this year's National Defense Authorization Act, the defense spending bill Congress must pass every year. It would modify the Lumbee Act of 1956, which acknowledged the tribe's existence but blocked federal recognition.
"Despite their long history and cohesive culture, the Lumbee have never had access to the same federal benefits enjoyed by every other federally recognized tribe," Republican Congressman David Rouzer of North Carolina said on the House floor.
Federal recognition would allow the Lumbee to receive broad federal benefits like health care through the Indian Health Service.
The federal government generally recognizes Native American tribes through one of three avenues: federal courts, the Bureau of Indian Affairs or an act of Congress. The Lumbee first sought recognition in 1888, but more recently have been lobbying Congress to retract sections of the Lumbee Act of 1956. For decades, each proposal has stalled before getting final approval.
“We have been here before, as our bill has passed the House numerous times, and I remain cautiously optimistic that we will finally achieve our goal of full Federal recognition,” said Lumbee Tribal Chairman John Lowery in a statement released Wednesday.
In January, President Trump issued an executive memo directing the Department of the Interior to issue a report on a pathway to federal recognition for the Lumbee. That report has not been publicly released, but Lowery recently told WUNC he saw a early draft.
"At the end of the day, I think it's going to say that the most clear and concise way to get this done is going to be through the legislative route, which is the route that we've been on the entire time," Lowery said.
The defense spending measure now heads to the Senate, where both of North Carolina's senators have expressed support for the Lumbee's federal recognition.
