President Trump hosts a Make America Great event on fighting for the non-federally recognized Lumbee tribe in Lumberton, North Carolina, on October 24, 2020. Photo: Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
President Trump is ordering the U.S. Interior Secretary to submit a plan to advance federal recognition for a North Carolina tribe whose legitimacy has been questioned by tribal nations.
Why it matters: The Lumbee Tribe has been trying to get federal recognition for years to unlock millions of dollars for Native American services, but has recently tried to circumvent traditional routes for recognition.
The big picture: The tribe has sought to get Congress to pass a bill that would grant it federal recognition over the objection of other tribes.
- Shawnee Tribal Chief Benjamin Barnes told Axios tribes have no problem with the Lumbee seeking federal recognition through the proper process.
- A tribe can gain federal recognition through the Interior Department’s Office of Federal Acknowledgment after providing evidence of treaties, historical connections to lands or proof of existence before European contact, for example.
Zoom in: The White House sent a memo Thursday to the Interior Secretary, arguing that the Lumbee are descendants of “several tribal nations from the Algonquian, Iroquoian, and Siouan language” families.
- “Considering the Lumbee Tribe’s historical and modern significance, it is the policy of the United States to support the full federal recognition, including the authority to receive full federal benefits, of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina,” the memo read.
- The memo asks the Interior Secretary to help the tribe achieve its goal.
What they’re saying: “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 federal recognition of the Lumbee People,” Lumbee Tribal Chair John Lowery said in a statement.
- Lowery said this action directly follows Trump’s campaign promises and “shows his dedication to the Lumbee people.”
Context: The Lumbee Tribe was denied the ability to apply for federal recognition in 1987.
- The denial was based on the interpretation of a 1956 congressional act that acknowledged the Lumbee but stopped short of granting them federal recognition, per AP.
- The Department of the Interior reversed that ruling in 2016, allowing the Lumbee Tribe to apply, but the tribe has sought recognition through congressional action since then.
- The U.S. House passed a bill 311-96 to give the Lumbee federal recognition but the measure died in the Senate.
Between the lines: The Lumbee, which claims 50,000 members, has significant political influence in the swing state of North Carolina.
- Both former Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump endorsed its push for federal recognition during the 2024 presidential election.
The other side: Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Principal Chief Michell Hicks said in a statement that federal officials “need for a thoughtful and structured review of Lumbee’s” claims.
- “The Lumbees have a history of shifting claims, including claiming Cherokee ancestry and other historical tribes,” he said.
- “Experts have repeatedly found that their claims cannot be verified through historical or genealogical evidence.”
- Hick said tribes urge the Department of the Interior “to ensure that due diligence and factual analysis guide their recommendations” to Trump.
Flashback: The State of North Carolina recognized the Lumbee Tribe in 1885.
- In 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the 1956 Lumbee Act, which recognized the Lumbee with some benefits, but denied the tribe federal benefits, according to the tribe.
