North Carolna's Lumbee Tribe, which has sought federal recognition for decades, is getting a major boost from President Donald Trump.
Trump, in his first week back in office, signed a presidential memo directing the Secretary of the Interior to submit a plan for full federal recognition of the tribe, including full tribal benefits. There are about 60,000 Lumbee in North Carolina, most living in the area around Robeson County.
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Presidents Obama, Trump and Biden have backed federal recognition for the Lumbee in the past, but the tribe has been unable to achieve a legislative victory. Trump's memo establishes that "it is the policy of the United States to support federal recognition and full tribal benefits for the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina."
"This is a great step for the new administration, and we encourage Congress to move forward with codifying this policy of President Trump toward full recognition of the Lumbee People," said John L. Lowery, the Lumbee's tribal chairman, in a statement.
Eleven of 16 members of North Carolina's congressional delegation re-introduced the Lumbee Fairness Act earlier this month in both the House and the Senate.
"I am dedicated to ensuring that Congress fulfills its six-decade-old promise to grant full federal recognition to the Lumbee people," said Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican, at that time. "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. This bill has passed the House 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.”
Tillis and Sen. Ted Budd backed the Senate version. The House version was led by Republican Reps. David Rouzer and Mark Harris and sponsored by Reps. Richard Hudson, Valerie Foushee, Addison McDowell, Deborah Ross, Greg Murphy, Don Davis and Tim Moore.
"They deserve the same rights and privileges granted to other Native American tribes across our country," Budd said earlier this month. "This is a basic matter of fairness."
Thank you, @POTUS@realDonaldTrump, for making federal recognition of the Lumbee Tribe in North Carolina one step closer!
Now, Congress must do its job, fulfill its promise, and pass the Lumbee Fairness Act to make this federal recognition law. pic.twitter.com/t5YVVR972U
— Senator Thom Tillis (@SenThomTillis)
January 23, 2025Trump's memo seeks recognition through legislation or "other available mechnisms." The Lumbee would be the largest tribe east of the Mississippi to have full federal recognition and have faced opposition from other tribes, including the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians in North Carolina. Members of Congress representing far-western parts of the state have not signed onto the legislation.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, who do have full federal recognition, contend that the Lumbee have "a history of shifting claims, including claiming Cherokee ancestry and other historical trbes," said Principal Chief Michael Hicks in a statement Thursday.
He said that experts have "repeatedly found that their claims cannot be verified through historical or genealogical evidence" and said "self-identification and sincere belief in Indian ancestry, while meaningul on a personal level, cannot mean tribal nationhood and sovereignty."
"Protecting the integrity of federal recognition is critical — not just for the American people but also for the hundreds of tribal nations whose sovereignty must not be put at risk," Hicks said in his statment.
The House has voted several times in favor of full federal recognition, including late last year, but the Senate has yet to pass it with senators from Western states with tribal interests blocking it. Last year's version passed the House 311-96 with 86 Republicans voting against it, including North Carolina's Chuck Edwards and Virginia Foxx.
Tribes can also earn recognition through the Department of the Interior or through federal court.
North Carolina recognized the Lumbee in 1885. Though the Lumbee received some federal recognition in 1956, the tribe has never received the full federal recognition it has sought.
Federal recognition grants tribes' certain governmental autonomy, land protections, and access to federal programs and services, like health care through the Indian Health Service.
Robeson County has swung sharply toward Republicans over the last several presidential cycles. President Obama carried the county by nearly 18 percentage points in his 2012 re-election bid. Trump has carried it in each of the last three elections — 50.8% in 2016, 58.9% in 2020 and 63.4% in November.
North Carolina Rep. Jarrod Lowery, who is Lumbee, led the Pledge of Allegiance at the Republican National Convention, part of Republicans' efforts, along with promise of federal recognition, to court Lumbee votes.
Trump nominated former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to be the Interior secretary. He hasn't yet been confirmed by the Senate.