The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina has been fighting for federal recognition from Congress for decades, and this week, the tribe moved one step closer to that goal.
On Tuesday, a bill sponsored by Rep. David Rouzer, a Republican from Wilmington, was introduced on the House floor that would recognize the tribe and provide its members federal services and benefits.
"The Lumbee people are an integral part of our Southeastern North Carolina community. They are our neighbors and our friends. We attend church together. Our children go to school together. But for generations, the Lumbee Tribe has been denied full federal recognition and tribal sovereignty. Today, I am proud the House of Representatives came together to pass my bill, the Lumbee Fairness Act, and help ensure the Lumbee people have the same rights and benefits as the other federally-recognized tribes across the country,” said Congressman Rouzer.
The House passed the bill 311-96.
The tribe was given federal recognition in 1956 but not the federal benefits that typically come with it.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where it has strong support from Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd.
Senator Budd said, “I am pleased that the House has taken an important step to address decades of unfair treatment from the federal government towards the Lumbee people. I am thankful for Senator Tillis’ leadership on the Lumbee Fairness Act and President Trump’s critical support for Lumbee recognition. We will continue to do everything we can to get the Lumbee the full federal recognition they deserve.”
Senator Tillis said, “I am dedicated 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 fulfilling that promise. There is clearly strong bipartisan support for this effort in Congress, and both President Biden and President-elect Trump firmly back recognition. I commend the House for passing the Lumbee Fairness Act, and I will continue to pursue all options to finally achieve full federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe.”
Rouzer’s bill directs the Department of the Interior and the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a determination of needs for eligible services and also directs the Department of Interior to take land into a trust to benefit the tribe.
This is the final week of this session of Congress.
