Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Ted Budd and Thom Tillis applauded the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the Lumbee Fairness Act, bipartisan legislation to grant the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina long-overdue federal benefits that every other federally recognized tribe receives.
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.”
Background:
The Lumbee Tribe is the largest American-Indian tribe in the Eastern United States. In 1885, North Carolina formally recognized the Lumbee Tribe. Three years later, the Tribe began to seek federal recognition. On June 7, 1956, Congress enacted the Lumbee Act at the height of the Indian termination policy era, which provided the Lumbee with federal recognition but included an unfair caveat that terminated their recognition.
The Lumbee Tribe has received support from over 230 federally recognized tribes, President-elect Trump, Vice President-elect Vance, President Biden, Vice President Harris, the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Governor, and various Native American scholars and organizations.
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