CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation Tuesday that would grant federal benefits to North Carolina's Lumbee Tribe, marking another milestone in the tribe's century-plus-long fight for full federal recognition.
The Lumbee Tribe, primarily located in eastern North Carolina's Robeson, Hoke, and Scotland counties, has sought these benefits since first requesting federal recognition in 1888. While the tribe was federally acknowledged in 1956, Congress did not include federal benefits in that legislation.
The bill's passage represents the seventh time the House has approved such legislation since 1988. Similar measures have repeatedly stalled in the Senate, where Sen. Thom Tillis introduced a companion bill in February 2023.
"I am dedicated to ensuring that Congress fulfills its six-decade-old promise to grant full federal recognition to the Lumbee people," Tillis said in a release. "We are now closer than ever to finally fulfilling that promise."
The measure comes at a politically significant moment. Both President-elect Donald Trump and President Joe Biden have voiced support for Lumbee recognition, with Trump making it a campaign promise during the 2024 presidential election.
However, the tribe faces opposition from other Native American nations, including North Carolina's only federally recognized tribe, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Critics from that tribe argue the Lumbee should pursue recognition through the Department of Interior's formal application process rather than through Congress.
Federal recognition would give the 55,000-member tribe access to significant resources, including healthcare through Indian Health Services and the ability to establish reservation lands.
"House passage of this critical legislation brings us one step closer to securing full federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe," said Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-9), who led the House effort. "I will continue to fight until the Lumbee people get the recognition they rightfully deserve."
The bill now heads to the Senate, where its prospects remain uncertain despite bipartisan support in the House.